Rail Industry News
ND still waiting for a federal decision on oil by rail dispute with Washington state
(Source: Prairie Public News, December 24, 2019) BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota is awaiting a decision from federal regulators on Washington state’s new law that essentially bans accepting Bakken crude by rail. North Dakota wants the federal Pipeline and Hazardous...
Plans to beef up Amtrak Cascades service in 2020 beset by multiple uncertainties
(Source: Radio station KUOW, December 23, 2019) SEATTLE, Wash. — A holiday wish of many Pacific Northwest rail fans is more roundtrips on the Amtrak Cascades schedule with greater speed and reliability. But in order to beef up train service between Seattle and...
New York governor wants to fast-track high-speed rail
(Source: Gannett New York, December 25, 2019) ALBANY, N.Y. — On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo pledged to revisit the decades-long dream of better connecting New York’s cities through a high-speed rail system, which is commonplace in Europe and other parts of the world....
City in western Virginia excluded from the state’s latest rail plan
(Source: Bristol Herald Courier, December 27, 2019) BRISTOL, Va. — Virginia’s recently unveiled passenger rail plan includes no provision for expanding service to Bristol, but building a new gateway into Washington, D.C., would allow for future growth. Full story:...
CSX-Virginia rail deal also means good news for North Carolina
(Source: Associated Press, December 24, 2019) RALEIGH, N.C. — A multi-billion-dollar deal between CSX Corp. and Virginia to improve passenger rail service to and from Washington, D.C., also includes good news for efforts to run high-speed trains between Virginia and...
$3.7 billion transportation deal to boost rail service from Richmond to D.C.
(Source: Richmond Free Press, December 27, 2019) RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond would be a major beneficiary of an unprecedented $3.7 billion deal announced by Gov. Ralph S. Northam to boost passenger rail service between Washington and other Virginia cities to avoid an...
FRA launches webpage to report blocked crossings
(Source: Railway Age, December 26, 2019) NEW YORK — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has launched a new webpage for the public and law enforcement to report blocked highway-rail grade crossings. The new FRA Blocked Crossings webpage requests specific...
CP Rail train hit by an avalanche east of Revelstoke
(Source: The Abbotsford News, December 22, 2019) ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — A CP Rail train has been hit by an avalanche in Glacier National Park, east of Revelstoke. According to a statement from CP Rail, there were no injuries to the crew. Full story: The Abbotsford...
After two months in limbo, Amtrak riders will have shelter in Missouri’s capital city
(Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 20, 2019) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — It won’t be like the historic structure that sheltered Amtrak riders for decades, but passengers will at least be out of the cold while they wait for their ride in Missouri’s capital city. Full...
Seattle-Portland Amtrak service to resume Monday after landslide suspension
(Source: Seattle Times, December 22, 2019) SEATTLE — Amtrak will resume train service between Seattle and Portland on Monday, after railway crews cleared a landslide from a set of tracks just south of Tacoma. BNSF Railway lifted a temporary moratorium on passenger...
CP Rail says last of damaged cars from Sask. train derailment should be removed soon
(Source: Canadian Press, December 20, 2019) SASKATOON — Canadian Pacific Railway says it expects the last of its damaged cars will be removed by the end of the week from the site of a fiery derailment in Saskatchewan. Full story: www.cbc.ca
KCS to announce Q4 2019 results on January 17, 2020
(Source: Kansas City Southern press release, December 20, 2019) KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern (KCS) will release its fourth quarter 2019 financial results on Friday, January 17, 2020, before the opening of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. KCS will...
Canadian crude by rail exports dip 15.5% in October, but rebound expected
(Source: S&P Global Platts, December 20, 2019) HOUSTON — Canadian exports of crude by rail fell 15.5% in October from the previous month after the country's heavy oil became too expensive near the source to support increased shipments on train cars. Full story: S&P...
U.S. Steel to idle operations at Zug Island plant, lay off up to 1,545
(Source: Crain’s Detroit Business, December 19, 2019) DETROIT, Mich. — U.S. Steel Corp. plans to indefinitely idle "a significant portion" of its Great Lakes Works production facility in Ecorse and River Rouge and will issue layoff notices to 1,545 workers, the...
UP no longer wants to run lines for Metra
(Source: Chicago Daily Herald, December 20, 2019) CHICAGO — Will 2020 be the year Metra begins operating three Union Pacific Railroad commuter routes in its own right? Freight railroad Union Pacific currently runs commuter trains between the city and suburbs as part...
Experts predict more short line railroad mergers and acquisitions
(Source: Freight Waves, December 23, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The freight rail industry, and short line railroads in particular, will likely continue to be the target of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in 2020 and beyond because private equity firms are recognizing...
SMART-TD requests Emergency Order from FRA to replace, repair tens of thousands of outdated brake valves
(Source: SMART-TD press release, December 12, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The president of the SMART Transportation Division, Jeremy Ferguson, is calling on the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to issue an emergency order requiring that outdated air brake valves on...
CSX derailment in Cincinnati sends about 20 cars off the tracks
(Source: CNN, December 22, 2019) CINCINNATI, Ohio — About 20 train cars were sent off the tracks Sunday morning in Cincinnati. A CSX train derailed around 5:15 a.m., sending seven to eight cars off the tracks about 10 miles west of downtown along the Ohio River. Full...
CSX train derails into Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, destroys Appalachian Trail walking bridge
(Source: NBC Washington, December 21, 2019) HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — A freight train crossing the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, derailed early Saturday morning, causing two cars to plummet into the water. Seven cars derailed on the bridge, wiping out...
Sound Transit to Washington state Legislature: Let’s reduce car-tab taxes
(Source: Seattle Times, December 19, 2019) SEATTLE — As for car-tab taxes, Sound Transit continues to collect $110 per $10,000 of vehicle value, since the voter-approved Sound Transit 3 tax measure in 2016. Thousands of drivers, seeing annual car-tab fees triple,...
BLET News
C&O Employees Hospital Association offers Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan
Effective January 1, 2006, the C&O Employees’ Hospital Association (COEHA) has a contract with the Federal government to provide railroad-connected individuals with an enhanced Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan.
Pretzel Logic
This is the first in a three-part series of articles in which the BLET takes a look at recent actions of the Federal Railroad Administration, the Association of American Railroads, and the United Transportation Union to further expand the use of remote control locomotives to main track territory.
In Part I of the series, we take a look at the FRA’s continuing failure to affirmatively regulate remote control, and how FRA’s latest action impacts the safety of the nation’s railroads.
Pretzel Logic, Part II
In Part II of the series, we examine the reactions of the AAR and UTU to FRA’s September 9, 2005 letter.
Pretzel Logic, Part III
In this part, we pose numerous questions to FRA, AAR, and UTU, that their position on remote control have raised.
Shedding light on dark territory
For the second time in less than nine months, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has lost a member to an accident that occurred in dark territory.
Funeral arrangements for Brother G.Y. Bailey
Funeral arrangements for Brother G.Y. Bailey have been confirmed.
In the Line of Duty: G.Y. Bailey
Brother G.Y. Bailey, Local Chairman of BLET Division 62 in Houston, was killed last night when his train collided head-on with a southbound chemical train in dark territory about 60 miles northeast of Houston.
FRA launches Confidential Close Call Reporting System
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has launched its Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) website, which it hopes will improve safety in the railroad industry.
BLET to conduct advanced Local Chairman Workshop November 6-12 at the NLC
The Education & Training Department of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is seeking participants for an advanced Local Chairman Workshop scheduled for November 6-12, 2005.
RRB update: Rail workers affected by Hurricane Katrina
Many railroad workers have been laid off because of Hurricane Katrina and need to file applications for unemployment benefits with the Railroad Retirement Board.
