Rail Industry News
CN adjusts operations amid strike at Port of Montreal
(Source: Freight Waves, August 12, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Canadian railway CN is relying on port terminals in Halifax and elsewhere on the East Coast as longshore workers continue to strike at the Port of Montreal. Full story: Freight Waves
Opinion: Fort Worth doesn’t need dangerous nuclear waste rolling through on Tarrant rail lines
(Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram opinion column by Peggy Hendon and Linda Hanratty, August 12, 2020) FORT WORTH, Texas — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering licensing two different facilities to store the nation’s high-level nuclear waste. Full story:...
Arizona regulators OK repair of Tempe Town Lake bridge damaged by UP derailment
(Source: Associated Press, August 12, 2020) PHOENIX — A state regulatory panel on Wednesday approved Union Pacific Corp.'s revised plan to rebuild part of a century-old railroad bridge that was damaged in a train derailment and resulting fire. The Arizona Corporation...
2 employees found dead in rail car at Trinity Rail in Hugo, Okla.
(Source: KXII, August 12, 2020) HUGO, Okla. — Two people are dead after being found unresponsive in a railcar in Hugo Wednesday morning. They were working for Trinity Rail, which refurbishes tanker cars. Both were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead....
Passenger train derails in Scotland, at least 3 dead including train’s engineer
(Source: NBC News, August 12, 2020) LONDON — At least three people have died, including the driver, after a passenger train in Scotland derailed on Wednesday. The country declared a major incident as aerial footage showed carriages overturned and piled on top of each...
KCS: After a curious stock surge, the news report behind it vanishes
(Source: Bloomberg News, August 12, 2020) NEW YORK — Kansas City Southern shares were already on a tear last week following news of a possible acquisition when a Spanish website reported that private equity firms would buy the railroad operator for a higher sum. But...
Regulators warn NJ Transit at risk of missing PTC deadline
(Source: www.nj.com, August 12, 2020) NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit is taking advantage of low ridership again during the coronavirus pandemic to make progress on a looming federal deadline to complete a safety project by the end of the year by redeploying dozens of...
FRA publishes railroads’ second quarter 2020 PTC implementation status updates
(Source: Federal Railroad Administration press release, August 12, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today released a quarterly status update on railroads’ self-reported progress, as of June 30,...
Solving bridge bottleneck seen as key step for Virginia’s rail renaissance
(Source: Energy News, August 12, 2020) ALEXANDRIA, Va. — An act of Congress is needed to double the volume of the latest iteration of what is now a two-track bridge — and a crushing chokepoint for commuter and freight train traffic in the nation’s capital. Federal...
Workers, riders tell Sen. Cory Booker that NJ Transit needs federal aid
(Source: wwwn.nj.com, August 12, 2020) NEWARK, N.J. — Perhaps one of the more convincing arguments U.S. Senator Cory Booker heard for providing a second round of federal funding for NJ Transit, didn’t come from an expert or pubic official, but from a neighbor who...
George Washington University to advise Amtrak’s pandemic response
(Source: Progressive Railroading, August 11, 2020) Amtrak today announced it has engaged the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health to provide ongoing technical expertise and...
U.S. passenger train company drops Virgin as partner
(Source: Associated Press, August 11, 2020) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The partnership between Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and the private Florida passenger train service Brightline has ended with a whimper, less than two years after it was celebrated. Brightline...
Arizona bridge that partially collapsed after UP derailment could be up and running by Aug. 15
(Source: Railway Track & Structures, August 11, 2020) NEW YORK — The rail bridge that partially collapsed after a derailment in Tempe, Ariz., may be back open to Union Pacific traffic by Friday. Full story: Railway Track & Structures
Strong winds likely toppled BNSF train cars in western Oklahoma
(Source: Associated Press, August 12, 2020) GAGE, Okla. — A BNSF Railway train derailment in western Oklahoma was “likely” caused by wind gusts of up to 70 mph (113 kph), National Weather Service meteorologist Phillip Ware said Tuesday. Full story: Public Radio...
Judge grants immunity to UP train crew in case of fatal bus crash
(Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph, August 11, 2020) TYLER, Texas — A judge in Henderson County has granted immunity for two Union Pacific employees who were operating a train involved in an Athens ISD bus crash that killed one child and injured another. Full story:...
Railroads voice wary optimism for peak season as freight volumes make slow progress in July
(Source: Supply Chain Dive, August 11, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite the drop in freight compared to 2019, volume has begun to improve compared to the second quarter when railroads across the country experienced a double-digit loss in volume as a result of the...
Labor unions press Class I railroads on health care benefits
(Source: Freight Waves, August 11, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Twelve rail unions have banded together to sue the Class I railroads over proposed healthcare benefit-related provisions, saying that the railroads have refused to address the provisions during the...
Study offers ways to connect Northstar rail to St. Cloud
(Source: Star Tribune, August 11, 2020) MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Connecting the Northstar commuter rail line from Target Field to St. Cloud has long been a goal of public transit supporters, but no one knew quite how much the missing link would cost. Full story: Star...
Sysco-Sygma workers in Kansas City ratify first Teamster contract
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, August 10, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Saturday, Sysco-Sygma Kansas City warehouse workers voted unanimously, 25-0, to ratify their first contract, a four-year deal that raises wages, provides full...
Oklahoma railroad traffic slows with economy
(Source: The Oklahoman, August 11, 2020) OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Like cars in a parking lot, dozens of idled locomotives are sitting in a railroad yard along Interstate 235 in Oklahoma City, waiting for the day when they’ll once again haul loads of freight from coast...
BLET News
Health care cost shares to increase in 2010
Rail worker cost-sharing contributions toward health and welfare coverage will increase about 17 percent in 2010.
Former Va. Legislative Chairman Charlie Cunningham, 1930-2009
Brother Charlie Cunningham, former Chairman of the BLET Virginia State Legislative Board, passed away on November 4 after a valiant struggle with a terminal illness. He was 79 years old.
Waiting list created for Secretary-Treasurer training
The BLET Education & Training Department has created a waiting list for its Secretary-Treasurer workshop slated for December 13-16, 2009, in Cleveland.
BNSF and BLET reach tentative agreement
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the BNSF Railway have reached a tentative agreement on a five-year contract that would run through Dec. 31, 2014.
BLET statement on BNSF acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway
BLET Acting President Paul Sorrow has spoken with BNSF Railway CEO Matt Rose regarding the railroad’s acquisition by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Brother Sorrow advised Mr. Rose that, in large part, it is the continued hard work of BLET locomotive engineers and all other union workers that has made BNSF Railway such an attractive investment target for Mr. Buffett. It is the BLET’s position that the contribution of BLET members must be recognized during the upcoming round of contract negotiations.
Teamsters support reform to National Mediation Board voting process
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa applauded the National Mediation Board’s proposal to reform the voting process for union elections at airlines and railroads.
Open enrollment begins November 1 for BLET Short Term Disability plan
Open Enrollment for 2010 under the BLET’s Short Term Disability insurance begins on November 1, 2009, and runs through December 15, 2009.
Not the time to experiment with Virginia commuter rail service
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen strongly urges both Transportation Commissions to reject the Operations Board’s recommendation and vote, instead, to award the VRE operations contract to Amtrak for another five-year period.
Limited space remains for Legislative Rep training
A limited amount of space remains for the upcoming BLET Division Legislative Representative workshop in Washington, D.C., December 6-10, 2009.
BLET, UTU challenge new HOS interpretations
The BLET and the UTU now have jointly asked the FRA to reconsider portions of their interim statement of agency policy and interpretation. The new rules would impact more than 85,000 train and engine service employees who are members of the BLET and UTU.
