Rail Industry News
Brookfield, Blackstone are among bidders for Genesee & Wyoming
(Source: Bloomberg, May 23, 2019) NEW YORK — Affiliates of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., Blackstone Group LP, Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners and EQT Partners are vying to acquire railroad operator Genesee & Wyoming Inc., according to people familiar with the...
U.S. court orders STB to respond to fuel surcharge petition
(Source: S&P Global Platts, May 23, 2019) HOUSTON — A U.S. court has ordered the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) to respond to a petition filed by the Western Coal Traffic League regarding its safe harbor provisions, a decision that would have significant...
Editorial: Many to be held accountable for Amtrak’s DuPont tragedy
(Source: Tacoma News Tribune, May 25, 2019) TACOMA, Wash. — Call it a crash, or call it a catastrophe. But don’t call the December 2017 Amtrak train derailment near DuPont, which killed three people and injured dozens more, an accident. Full story:...
FRA drops proposed two-person train crew rule
(Source: Duluth News Tribune, May 25, 2019) ST. PAUL, Minn. — Federal rail authorities have decided that railroad car explosions such as the 2013 ones in North Dakota and Quebec do not prove that requiring two people to be aboard oil-carrying trains would make...
FRA ignores written comments in withdrawing proposed safety rule requiring two-person train crews
(Source: DC Velocity, May 24, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal transportation regulators said Thursday that U.S. railroads will not have to meet minimum requirements for the size of train crew staffs, known as "crew redundancy," in a ruling that aligned with rail...
FRA’s decision on crew size undermines rail safety
(Source: AFL-CIO press release, May 25, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Larry Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement in response to the Federal Railroad Administration’s decision not to regulate crew size and to...
Remembering the Chinese railroad workers that built the Transcontinental Railroad and Stanford’s fortune
(Source: Stanford Daily, May 23, 2019) STANFORD, Calif. — In 1969, at the “Golden Spike” centennial celebration of the First Transcontinental Railroad’s completion, the Chinese community nationwide had high hopes that the ceremony would provide an opportunity for the...
Four of six trains to be removed from Amtrak Cascades service after NTSB recommendation
(Source: Television station KIRO 7, May 22, 2019) SEATTLE — The State of Washington will soon remove the type of older train from Amtrak Cascades service that crashed in 2017, killing three people. Of the six Amtrak Cascades trains that run between Eugene, Oregon, and...
Amtrak answers questions but leaves the future of Kansas passenger rail in question
(Source: Radio station KCUR 98.3, May 22, 2019) KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Passenger trains will keep rolling through rural communities in Kansas, for now. But Amtrak still hasn’t committed to operating the long-distance routes that connect small towns to larger cities...
Oregon’s two Senators demand answers from UP on layoffs
(Source: My Columbia Basin, May 22, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oregon’s two U.S. senators are demanding Union Pacific Railroad answer questions about the layoffs of nearly 200 people in Hermiston and the damage those job cuts would do to worker safety, transportation...
Agricultural retailers testify on excessive rail fees, urge STB to hold railroads accountable
(Source: Agricultural Retailers Association press release, May 22, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) testified before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) about excessive demurrage and accessorial charges against...
Scrap shippers tell regulators rail fees are unfair
(Source: Argus Media, May 22, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Commodity shippers, including scrap metal dealers, urged federal rail regulators today to ensure railroads are applying demurrage and accessorial fees fairly. The Surface Transportation Board (STB) began what will...
Customers fear retribution from railroads for testifying to regulators
(Source: Jacksonville Business Journal, May 23, 2019) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Customers accuse railroads of increasing rates and reducing service when customers speak out. Full story: Jacksonville Business Journal
Rail customers air grievances on railroad billing tactics
(Source: Freight Waves, May 23, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Manufacturers of the raw materials that go into the end products that American consumers rely on for daily living warned regulators that they may have no choice but to raise prices as a result of what they...
Norfolk Southern lays off 50 workers in Altoona
(Source: Altoona Mirror, May 23, 2019) ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern Railway laid off about 50 workers at the Juniata Locomotive Shop on Wednesday, citing a focus “on ensuring that we have the optimal number of people and assets at every location across our system...
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending May 18, 2019
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, May 22, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 18, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 536,358 carloads...
Golden Spike weekend drew 38,000 visitors to Utah, exceeding expectations
(Source: KSL.com, May 21, 2019) SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — More than 38,000 people from throughout the United States and six countries attended events related to the Golden Spike 150 celebration at Promontory Summit on and around May 10, officials said Tuesday. Full...
Increased freight traffic suspends traffic on 2 Amtrak routes
(Source: Television station KSHB, May 21, 2019) KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Services on the Amtrak River Runner between Kansas City and St. Louis, and a portion of the Southwest Chief from Kansas City to Hutchison, Kansas, have been suspended due to diverted freight traffic....
City of Palestine asks UP to prove local employment levels
(Source: Palestine Herald-Press, May 21, 2019) PALESTINE, Texas — City officials have asked Union Pacific to prove they are employing enough local workers to meet its contractual obligations to the city. A contract between the city and UP requires the railroad to...
Four in custody for shooting at Georgia & Florida train
(Source: Television station WALB, May 21, 2019) ALBANY, Ga. — The Albany Police Department (APD) asked for the public’s help identifying the juveniles who shot at a Georgia & Florida Railway freight train as it was coming in to the Albany station Wednesday evening,...
BLET News
Anti-remote control billboard disappears
Remote control technology has caused 60 locomotive engineer jobs to disappear nationwide since the beginning of 2002 — and now it has caused a billboard to disappear.
AFL-CIO and TTD continue to support BLE
The AFL-CIO and the Transportation Trades Department have continued their support of the BLE in its fight against the predatory actions of the United Transportation Union.
Recent remote control history clarified
In response to the continuing disinformation from the United Transportation Union’s propaganda machine, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers’ Executive Committee has issued a letter to the union’s Advisory Board and its General Chairmen which sets the record straight regarding the recent history of remote control technology.
Hearing held before U.S. District Court over remote control issue
A hearing was held on May 15, 2002 before U. S. District Judge Gottshall on BLE’s Motion to Enforce or Amend the Injunction issued on January 16, 2002 in the Class I Railroads’ action on remote control. At that time, the District Court enjoined BLE and its subordinate entities and members from striking over remote control operations and directing BLE to arbitration.
Locomotive engineers cite public safety issues, lack of equipment checks in lawsuit against Union Pacific
In a lawsuit filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court of Colorado, the General Committees of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) representing Engineers on the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) filed for injunctive relief to prohibit UP from operating remote controlled locomotives without trained and certified Locomotive Engineers.
NTSB investigates Auto Train wreck
The National Transportation Safety Board is focusing on misaligned rails as a probable cause of the April 18 derailment of Amtrakís Auto Train near Crescent City, Fla.
Crew members freed from derailed CP locomotive
At 2:30 p.m. today, a locomotive engineer and conductor were freed from their derailed Canadian Pacific locomotive after spending nearly eight hours trapped inside.
Two train crew members trapped in derailed CP train
Two train crew members have been trapped for the past seven hours inside the locomotive of a derailed Canadian Pacific train in Eastern Pennsylvania.
BMWE strikes Indiana Harbor Belt
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes set up picket lines at Indiana Harbor Belt headquarters in Hammond, Indiana at 6 a.m. Central time today.
Former BLE Missouri Legislative Chairman Danner passes away
Lavon Eugene Danner, 68, of Gladstone, Mo., passed away unexpectedly Saturday, May 11, 2002, while on a fishing vacation. A 40-year railroad employee, Brother Danner was retired from the Norfolk & Southern Railroad and was a former Missouri State Legislative Board Chairman for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
