Rail Industry News
NTSB chair says new locomotive camera rule is flawed because it excludes freight railroads
Passenger railroads nationwide will now be required to install video recorders inside their locomotives, but the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday the new rule is flawed because it excludes freight trains.
CPKC and CSX detail their plans to connect their networks via Meridian & Bigbee shortline
Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX Transportation have detailed their plans to acquire Genesee & Wyoming short line Meridian & Bigbee in order to create a shortcut interchange route linking the Southeast and Mexico via Myrtlewood, Ala.
UP to close 2 railroad crossings in Texas after 11-week-old died when paramedics delayed by train
Two years after the death of a baby, along with numerous safety complaints from neighbors, two Union Pacific railroad crossings are closing in Polk County.
Rail intermodal volumes stabilize in September
September was the highest month in 2023 for U.S. intermodal traffic. U.S. freight railroads originated 1 million containers and trailers in September 2023, a 0.7% increase from September 2022. Year to date, however, U.S. volumes are down 4.3% from the same period in 2022.
Amtrak OIG: New Acela program facing additional delays, increased costs
More delays are anticipated for Amtrak’s new Acela trainsets, already three years behind schedule, due in part to defects and designs not yet meeting Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements, the latest Amtrak Office of Inspector General (OIG) report has found. Alstom has taken exception to certain elements of the report.
Eight UP cars derail near Colorado Springs, spilling military equipment
Eight cars of a Union Pacific train derailed south of Colorado Springs on October 10, spilling military vehicles and equipment along the tracks.
Railroad unions want scrutiny of remote control trains after death of worker in Ohio rail yard
Some railroad unions want more scrutiny of the safety of remote control operations major railroads have used for years in and around railyards without significant problems.
BLET’s Ohio State Legislative Board backs sale of Cincinnati Southern to NS
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen’s Ohio State Legislative Board is backing the proposed sale of municipally owned Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern.
CPKC caps train length on Meridian Speedway, impacting UP and NS
Canadian Pacific Kansas City has imposed an 8,500-foot train length restriction on the Meridian Speedway, the shortcut between the Southeast and Southwest that is a joint venture with Norfolk Southern. The move affects just one train: The daily eastbound domestic intermodal train that CPKC receives from Union Pacific at Shreveport, La., and delivers to NS at Meridian, Miss.
NTSB preliminary report details CSX yard fatality near Toledo
The CSX Transportation carman who was struck and killed by a pair of locomotives in Walbridge Yard on Sept. 17 was walking from his truck to line and lock a switch at the time of the accident, the National Transportation Board said today in its preliminary report.
Norfolk Southern experiences another tech outage
On Sept. 30, the Class I announced its data center experienced an outage, which impacted the dispatching system, train movements and the functioning of its terminal operating system.
Some residents still not home 8 months after East Palestine wreck
Candy Kiehl has lived in the same home in East Palestine her entire life. The house began as her grandparents’ home, then her parents’ and eventually hers. But for the last eight months, Kiehl has lived in a Best Western Plus in Columbiana, about ten miles from East Palestine, only returning every two weeks to do laundry. Now, she doesn’t know if it will ever be safe to come home.
Government sues UP over flawed color blind test
The federal government has joined more than a dozen former workers in suing Union Pacific over the way it used a vision test to disqualify workers the railroad believed were color blind.
BNSF crew escapes before collision in Texas Panhandle
A cut of cars ran away downgrade on BNSF Railway’s Slaton Subdivision in the Texas Panhandle on Sunday morning and collided with the lead locomotive of a stationary train, demolishing its cab. The crew was warned ahead of time and was able to move to safety. Images online showed a flatcar carrying steel pipe crashed into the lead locomotive. One of the pipes pierced the cab.
Senators push for reciprocal switching rule
U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., want the Surface Transportation Board to press on with a rulemaking they say could enable shippers to receive better rail service and make the U.S. rail network more resilient.
TWU authorizes strike at SEPTA as negotiations continue
SEPTA is hoping to reach an agreement with its largest union before their contract expires at the end of the month. Members of Transport Workers Local 234 voted Sunday to authorize a strike if Oct. 31 passes without a deal, a procedural step that allows the union’s leadership to call for a walkout if negotiations break down.
Audit: Amtrak’s Acela trains to face more delays, cost overruns
Amtrak’s new Acela fleet, which was expected to enter service 2½ years ago, might face more delays, according to an audit released Tuesday that cites extensive complications in the federal approval process and rising costs associated with years of setbacks.
NTSB calls for new gasket standards for tank cars
The National Transportation Safety Board has called for development of new standards for gaskets used by tank cars in flammable-liquid service as a result of investigation into a January 2022 derailment and fire involving a BNSF Railway Train in Oklaunion, Texas.
FRA publishes two new Safety Advisories
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently issued two new safety advisories, one concerning king pin assemblies in highway-rail grade crossing warning systems, and another focused on ensuring worker safety around roadway maintenance machines (RMMs).
Railroads resist joining confidential safety program because they want to be able to discipline workers
“This is really old-school, tired rhetoric that blames the worker for the failures that are inherent in all complicated systems. Blaming the worker is exactly what leads workers to not report unsafe conditions in the workplace,” said Vince Verna, BLET Vice President and National Legislative Representative.
BLET News
BLET notches seventh short line organizing victory since 2023 as workers at Utah Central Railway say YES to BLET
The BLET scored its seventh short line organizing victory since 2023 as train and engine service workers from the Utah Central Railway voted unanimously to join the BLET in an election certified by the National Mediation Board on December 18. Patriot Rail owns and...
BLET members ratify new contract with Berkshire & Eastern
BLET members unanimously ratified a new contract with the Berkshire & Eastern Railroad (B&E). The agreement governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for 32 members. The five-year agreement provides general wage increases of 22.5% over the life of the...
BLET Advisory Board: VP Alan Holdcraft to retire; James Logan to become VP on January 1
The BLET Advisory Board met on December 6 at the National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio. National Vice President Alan Holdcraft will be retiring at the end of this month. Alternate Vice President James Logan will fill the vacancy on the Advisory Board...
BLET heads to arbitration to force NJ Transit to live up to contract; Employer seeks injunction to block arbitration from happening
“We’ll see you in court.” The contract between NJ Transit and the BLET requires engineers to be paid 10.4 % more than conductors. When conductors at the commuter railroad received a raise, BLET members at NJT should automatically have received a boost in their wages...
National Freight Negotiations: Contract talks underway
In accordance with Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act, the BLET and the rail carriers exchanged notices last month, and national negotiations with the Class I carriers and other railroads are now in progress. The BLET National Wage Team aims to build on the momentum...
BLET, Teamsters celebrate passage of REEF Act by Congress, paving the way for an end to sequestration of Railroad Retirement unemployment and sickness benefits
On December 18, the U.S. Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 85-14. The authorization bill for national defense includes an amendment for the REEF Act, which will fully restore unemployment and sickness benefits to...
CSXT Santa Train: Brother Scott Steffey finishes 30-year-career by spreading Christmas cheer
BLET Division 781 member and 2024 CSX Santa Train locomotive engineer Scott Steffey (right) shakes hands with CSX road foreman of engines Wesley Stewart during a stop at Dante, Va. This year's Santa Train was led by CSX's Clinchfield Railroad heritage locomotive No....
Remembering the railroaders killed in Pecos tragedy
A joint GoFundMe has been established to help raise money for the families of the two Union Pacific train crew members that were killed in the tragic grade crossing collision in Pecos, Texas, on December 18. Locomotive engineer Clay Burt, a member of BLET Division 212...
Tragedy in Texas: Two UP crew members killed, including BLET member, in grade crossing collision
Locomotive engineer Clay Burt, a member of BLET Division 212 in Sweetwater, Texas, was severely injured and passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital. Images: courtesy of Reeves County Texas ____________________ Two Union Pacific train crew members were...
Refresher sessions via Zoom help S-Ts with end-of-year requirements and Triennial Election reporting
More than 80 members participated in the BLET Education & Training Department's S-T refresher course. ____________________ The BLET Education & Training Department conducted three Zoom S-T refresher training sessions last week. Over 80 BLET Local Division, General...
