Rail Industry News
CSX sees record operating ratio in Q2 2019
(Source: Freight Waves, July 16, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Despite a drop in profit in the second quarter, CSX’s operating ratio set a company record. CSX said its operating ratio was 57.4 percent for the second quarter of 2019, setting a company record for the...
CSX announces Q2 2019 financial results
(Source: CSX press release, July 16, 2019) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corporation today announced second quarter 2019 net earnings of $870 million, or $1.08 per share, versus $877 million, or $1.01 per share in the same period last year (an earnings per share increase...
Unions allege BNSF employee medical reporting rules violate Americans with Disabilities Act
(Source: Cook County Record, July 5, 2019) CHICAGO — A group of unions is suing BNSF Railway, alleging its practices for requiring medical documentation violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. The unions filed their complaint June 28 in U.S. District Court for...
Amtrak begins Philadelphia station’s name change
(Source: Progressive Railroading, July 8, 2019) Last week, Amtrak began taking steps to officially rename the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia in honor of the late William Gray III, a former U.S. congressman who died six years ago. Full story: Progressive...
Amtrak releases FY2018 sustainability report
(Source: Amtrak press release, July 8, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak released its FY2018 Sustainability Report, in a newly designed and interactive online experience, highlighting company performance against year-over-year sustainability goals. In FY18 year, the...
Organizers say efforts underway to run W.Va. New River Train this fall
(Source: Herald-Dispatch, July 9, 2019) CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Despite innumerable delays, organizers of a fall excursion train to replace the now-defunct New River Train insist that the train will run this October, with announcements pending shortly. Full story:...
New book details danger of moving oil by rail
(Source: DeSmog Blog story by Justin Mikulka, July 9, 2019) NEW YORK — As the risk of these oil trains became very apparent, I began investigating how the trains could be allowed to travel through communities like mine in Albany and started publishing my findings here...
Virgin Trains USA expanding service in Florida, California and Nevada
(Source: Freight Waves, July 8, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Virgin Trains USA, the only privately owned railroad in the United States, received approval to expand in Florida. It held a groundbreaking ceremony at Orlando International Airport on June 24th to celebrate...
Union Pacific’s new reservation system set to kick in with fines
(Source: Railway Track & Structures, July 8, 2019) NEW YORK — You have 24 hours. That’s it. With precision scheduled railroading now in the driver’s seat, Union Pacific is cracking down on customers who take longer than 24 hours to remove containers at its terminals....
CN train derailed on Canada’s side of international tunnel, TSB says
(Source: Progressive Railroading, July 8, 2019) The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will conduct the accident investigation into the June 28 CN train derailment that occurred in the St. Clair Tunnel between Sarnia, Ontario, and Port Huron, Michigan, the...
Teamsters stand in solidarity with California UFCW workers
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 8, 2019) LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Teamsters Joint Council 42 in Los Angeles, Calif. voted unanimously to sanction a possible strike that could impact more than 60,000 grocery workers in Central and...
Forest products and scrap recycling rail shippers seek oversight
(Source: Freight Waves, July 5, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The service problems associated with precision scheduled railroading (PSR) have motivated forest products and scrap recycling shippers to press the Surface Transportation Board to renew a longstanding request...
GAO: Longer freight trains create delays, safety concerns
(Source: Washington Times, July 8, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. freight trains have been growing up to three miles long, creating lengthy delays at railroad crossings for emergency responders and raising concerns about potential derailments, according to federal...
SEPTA worker dies after falling onto tracks, getting hit by train
(Source: NBC Philadelphia, July 8, 2019) PHILADELPHIA — A SEPTA worker was struck and killed by a train during the Monday afternoon commute. Darren Monroe, 54, was working on the tracks near SEPTA's Erie Station on Monday when he fell backwards and was struck by an...
Union Pacific’s Big Boy steam locomotive to tour Nebraska this week
(Source: Omaha World-Herald, July 8, 2019) OMAHA, Neb. — The biggest steam railroad engine in the world will be rolling through Nebraska this week for the first time since it underwent more than two years of restoration. Full story: Omaha World-Herald
Fact-finding session planned in Mobile for coastal Amtrak return
(Source: www.al.com, July 6, 2019) MOBILE, Ala. — A one-way ticket price for riding on a state-supported Amtrak train similar to the one proposed for the Gulf Coast, can run from $25 to $45. Those estimates were provided by the Rail Passengers Association to the...
Boosters of second Twin Cities-Chicago train undeterred despite budget snub
(Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune, July 7, 2019) MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Rail advocates remain optimistic that a second daily Amtrak train could be added between the Twin Cities and Chicago, even though the legislature didn’t fund a $4 million request to help pay for the...
MBTA whistleblower claims he was fired for raising safety concerns
(Source: Boston 25 News, July 8, 2019) BOSTON — A former top MBTA safety official says in a whistleblower complaint that he was fired by the T as he investigated numerous safety violations and was even urged to alter a report about a runaway train, according to a...
NS crews clear Horseshoe Curve derailment
(Source: Altoona Mirror, July 7, 2019) ALTOONA, Pa. — Crews worked Saturday to cleanup a derailment near the Horseshoe Curve. There were no injuries in Friday’s derailment of 11 cars at 8:40 p.m. and, on Saturday, Norfolk Southern crews continued the task of clearing...
CN crews removing final rail car from Port Huron-Sarnia tunnel
(Source: Times Herald, July 5, 2019) PORT HURON, Mich. — CN rail crews are reportedly removing the last train car derailed a week ago in the international tunnel between Port Huron and Canada. Roughly 40 rail cars derailed in the early morning hours of Friday, June...
BLET News
In the Line of Duty
BLE member Art P. McKay and conductor Ken LeQuesne were killed in the line of duty on May 14 as a railroad trestle collapsed under their Canadian National freight train. Two locomotives and six cars plunged into a ravine and caught fire.
Stop budget disaster
The AFL-CIO is urging members and their families to contact their Senators and speak out against the Bush Administration’s tax cut.
Text of House bill honoring BLE now available
On May 8, Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced House Resolution 226 in the U.S. House of Representatives honoring the BLE’s 140th anniversary.
Ninth U.S. county passes remote control resolution
Contra Costa County, Calif., is the ninth county in the United States to pass a resolution regarding remote control locomotives.
Eighth U.S. county passes remote control resolution
On April 24, Erie County, Ohio, became the third Ohio County and 8th U.S. county to pass a resolution calling for improved safety of remote control locomotives.
Congress honors BLE on anniversary
Resolutions have been introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in honor of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers’ 140th anniversary.
In The Line of Duty
BLE member L.W. “Wayne” Edenfield died this afternoon from injuries sustained in yesterday’s Amtrak collision with a log truck near Hinesville, Ga.
Marshall, Mich. celebrates Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Week
In honor of the BLE’s 140th anniversary, the City of Marshall, Mich., has declared May 4-10 “Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Week.”
BLE files for mediation in national contract talks
Declaring an impasse in contract negotiations with the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers yesterday requested the services of the National Mediation Board (NMB) to help resolve the long-running dispute.
BLE member donates WWII artifact to International Division
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers today received an historic World War II artifact of permanent loan. The artifact — the bottom portion of the USS Arizona Memorial flag pole — was presented to the BLE by retired Division 3 (Cleveland) member Bob Manzetti. BLE International President Don M. Hahs accepted the historic artifact on behalf of all BLE members.
