Rail Industry News
Pennsylvania provides more than $40 million for freight rail projects
(Source: Freight Waves, December 17, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is awarding more than $40 million in funding towards 26 freight rail improvement projects throughout the state. While the majority of the grants are under $2...
Disney and Brightline confirm advanced talks over theme park station
(Source: Orlando Sentinel, December 17, 2019) ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline and Walt Disney Co. officials have confirmed advanced talks about a station on or near theme-park property as part of a route to Tampa proposed by the passenger-rail system being renamed as...
KCS calls for jailing protesters to deter blockades in Mexico
(Source: Mexico News Daily, December 17, 2019) MEXICO CITY, Mexico — The solution to railway blockades that disrupt the movement of goods is to enforce the law, suggests the president of Kansas City Southern of México. José Zozaya said allocating the necessary...
KCS Director Garza sells $458,880 in company stock
(Source: Trent Times, December 17, 2019) NEW YORK — Kansas City Southern Director Antonio O. Garza sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $458,880.00....
NTSB: Metro-North, LIRR meet safety recommendations
(Source: Progressive Railroading, December 17, 2019) MTA Metro-North Railroad and MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) have improved the safety of their commuter-rail systems by implementing safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB)...
Government watchdog questioned fairness of DOT grants
(Source: Politico, December 17, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The government's top watchdog said DOT's grant-making process lacked "the assurance of fairness" after some projects got an extra chance to submit missing information, including one in a politically important...
Toyota accuses U.S. rail carriers of price-fixing conspiracy
(Source: Jacksonville Business Journal, December 17, 2019) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. has filed suit against the largest U.S. rail carriers, including Jacksonville-based CSX Corp., alleging a price-fixing conspiracy. The suit, filed in the U.S....
SMART-TD member killed in W.Va. accident
(Source: SMART-TD press release, December 16, 2019) SMART Transportation Division member Curtis C. McConihay of Local 1386 (Parkersburg, W.Va.) was killed in an accident on CSX property in Washington, W.Va., on Saturday. Brother McConihay, 32, was a U.S. military...
Proponents say railroad deal could boost W.Va.’s economy, attract jobs to eastern panhandle
(Source: West Virginia Public Broadcasting, December 16, 2019) CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Colorado-based OmniTRAX, a freight-only transportation company that links several railroads from coast to coast in the U.S., purchased the Winchester & Western Railroad for $105 million...
Construction of Virgin’s $4.8 billion California-Las Vegas bullet train line will start in Q3 2020
(Source: Construction Dive, December 16, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Virgin Trains USA updated its timeline for construction of the 170-mile, $4.8 billion high-speed train from Victorville, California, to Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported, and said it...
Amtrak might make it so riders can’t change or cancel train tickets
(Source: Billy Penn, December 16, 2019) PHILADELPHIA — Buying an Amtrak ticket might soon be as onerous as booking an airplane flight, if changes proposed in a leaked memo are actually implemented. A memo obtained by Business Insider last week shows that the national...
“It’s tragic:” Health survey planned as Texas confirms cancer cluster in Houston neighborhood near UP rail yard
(Source: Houston Public Media, December 17, 2019) HOUSTON — Houston’s health department will go to door-to-door in a survey of the city’s Kashmere Gardens neighborhood, as residents remain concerned over contamination from preservative chemicals at a nearby Union...
NJ Transit trains are the nation’s worst again, feds say
(Source: www.nj.com, December 16, 2019) NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit trains are the worst in the nation, racking up the most breakdowns of any transit system during 2018. NJ Transit retook the terrible train “crown” from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority,...
Securing the railroads from cyberattacks
(Source: Mass Transit Magazine, December 17, 2019) NEW YORK — American railroads currently face the greatest threat to their critical safety systems in history: cyberattacks. Rail critical infrastructure in America has been subject to a spate of cyberattacks, with...
FRA does not like how the California High-Speed Rail Authority is acting; U.S. DOT could pull funding
(Source: Railway Track & Structures, December 16, 2019) NEW YORK — The California High Speed Rail Authority is acting like your typical teenager. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has told the group not to proceed with a plan to lay future track from San Jose...
UP says PTC implementation is complete; Interoperability efforts continue
(Source: Union Pacific press release, December 16, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Union Pacific recently completed Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation, activating its final track segment. The technology is now implemented on all the company’s federally mandated rail...
Rail volume down for 9th straight month in November
(Source: Supply Chain Dive, December 16, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — November was the ninth month in a row in which the total rail freight carloads have fallen year-over-year, according to numbers released by the Association of American Railroads. Both carloads and...
Santas subdue knife-wielding man on LIRR
(Source: News 12 Long Island, December 15, 2019) LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — A group of men dressed up as Santa Claus say they had to subdue a knife-wielding man on the Long Island Rail Road. An LIRR rider posted video on Twitter Saturday night of a fight between people...
Jury finds National Guard member not guilty in armed confrontation with BNSF workers
(Source: NCW Life, December 13, 2019) WENATCHEE — A jury found the Chumstick Valley man who confronted a group of railroad workers with an assault rifle not guilty of all eight felony counts as his trial closed Friday Full story: www.ncwlife.com
Could a Dallas-Houston bullet train actually improve Texas’ environment?
(Source: Dallas Morning News, December 15, 2019) DALLAS, Texas — Someday you could hop a bullet train in downtown Dallas and arrive in Houston in fewer than 90 minutes. The high-speed train will have a number of impacts on the state, from economy to education, and...
BLET News
FRA rule calls for improved “black box” standards
The survivability of railroad locomotive event recorders or “black boxes” will be improved to enhance the quality of post-accident investigations as a result of a final rule entered into the Federal Register on June 30.
Fact Sheet: Autonomy strengthened
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers merger with the Teamsters has resulted in increased strength and greater resources for both rail unions.
BLET Job Bank: Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)
The Missouri Department of Transportation is currently seeking applications from qualified candidates for its Railroad Operations Manager position.
House vote shows overwhelming support for Amtrak
Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives took a courageous step and voted to fully fund our nation’s passenger rail carrier, Amtrak. The House recognized what the American people have known for decades — that Amtrak is an integral and valuable portion of the nation’s transportation infrastructure. Members of the House sided with the American people voted to save Amtrak from its foes in the Bush administration.
BMWE member responds to UTU distortions
Your unprovoked attack against the BMWED is little more than the desperate act of a desperate union leader who has lost his way and his focus.
House passes amendment to fully fund Amtrak
An amendment offered by Representatives James Oberstar (D-MN) and Steven LaTourette (R-OH), which would fully fund Amtrak, passed today by a voice vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Fact Sheet: Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition
By joining together in this Coalition, the constituent labor unions intend to send a unified message of Rail Labor strength and solidarity to the carriers.
President Hahs letter to all NS conductors and trainmen
The following is the text of a letter sent to all Norfolk Southern conductors and trainmen by BLET National President Don M. Hahs on June 16.
Amtrak FY06 appropriations update
H.R. 3058 — the fiscal year 2006 Transportation, Treasury, HUD Appropriations bill — is scheduled to be considered this week. Votes are expected to begin as early as tomorrow.
UTU seeks another backdoor raid of BLET
This backdoor attempt is similar to the “Bosnian Amendment” the UTU attempted to pass in 1997 and the single operating craft idea introduced to the National Mediation Board in 1998.
