Rail Industry News
Union Pacific train traffic halted in Nebraska due to flooding
(Source: Grand Island Independent, March 18, 2019) GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Because of eastern Nebraska’s continuing unprecedented flooding, Union Pacific rail traffic east of Gibbon has been at a standstill since Friday. Stranded trains have been sitting on the main line...
Heavy weather impacting BNSF operations
(Source: Railway Age, March 17, 2019) NEW YORK — BNSF is engaged in service recovery efforts in multiple areas across its network in the northern and central Plains following another major winter storm. Blizzard conditions, with wind gusts to near 70 mph in Colorado,...
Amtrak’s 2017 accident in DuPont, Wash., subject of NTSB meeting
(Source: National Transportation Safety Board press release, March 14, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday its intention to hold a board meeting May 21, 2019, 1 p.m. (ET), to determine the probable cause of the Dec. 18,...
Long, slow CSX train rolls through O’Fallon, Illinois
(Source: O’Fallon Weekly, March 14, 2019) O’FALLON, Ill. — Drivers should be watching this afternoon for a very long, very slow train to roll through O’Fallon. CSX is clearing their track near Shattuc and Aviston of stored train cars. The company sent a single engine...
Despite risks, Canada’s tar sands industry is betting big on oil trains
(Source: DeSmog Blog, March 14, 2019) NEW YORK — Last year, Canada exported a record amount of tar sands oil to the U.S., despite low oil prices leading to major losses once again for the struggling tar sands industry. That achievement required a big bump in hauling...
BNSF testing double-length grain trains
(Source: Railway Age, March 14, 2019) NEW YORK — BNSF is experimenting with the process of combining two empty unit grain trains into one and sending the double-length train east out of Auburn, Wash., over Stampede Pass. On March 13, BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas told...
Aftermath of Bourbonnais accident brought improvements
(Source: Kankakee Daily Journal, March 14, 2019) KANKAKEE, Ill. — A pair of cement barriers block off the roadway. The first is marked by a vibrant orange traffic cone and a yellow piece of caution tape that spreads to a nearby tree. Overgrown trees overshadow the...
1999 Amtrak tragedy in Bourbonnais a turning point for survivors
(Source: Kankakee Daily Journal, March 14, 2019) KANKAKEE, Ill. — The clock read 9:48 p.m. on Monday, March 15, 1999. Time stood still for one brief moment, and then, everything changed. Darkness engulfed the frozen landscape of the northern edge of Bourbonnais on...
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending March 9, 2019
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, March 13, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 9, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 508,958...
FRA rejects KCS scheme to outsource brake inspections to Mexico
(Source: AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department press release, March 14, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Larry I. Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued the following statement in response to the Federal Railroad Administration...
Food service workers in Idaho and Oregon join Teamsters Locals 483 and 670
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, March 13, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday, March 8, a group of 34 drivers in Idaho and Oregon working at Food Services of America, Inc., which US Foods is in the process of purchasing, voted to become...
NJ Transit chief gives update on training of engineers, Hudson River tunnel project
(Source: www.njbiz.com, March 13, 2019) NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey Transit Executive Director Kevin Corbett called training and hiring engineers a priority on Wednesday during a Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey forum called “Roads, Rails, and...
CP Rail investing in wheel crack detection technology
(Source: Calgary Herald, March 13, 2019) CALGARY — Calgary-based Canadian Pacific Railway is investing in new technology to detect problems on the rails in a bid to avoid future derailments. Full story: Calgary Herald
New Mexico bill voids local right-to-work measures, backing unions
(Source: Santa Fe New Mexican, March 10, 2019) SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico is not what is known as a “right-to-work” state, and the Legislature drove home that point Sunday night. The Senate voted 23-19 to approve House Bill 85, which permits employers and labor...
High winds blow UP train off tracks in eastern New Mexico
(Source: Miami Herald, March 13, 2019) Wild weather has battered communities across the United States this week, and New Mexico is no exception. State police shared pictures on Wednesday that revealed one jaw-dropping impact of intense winds lashing the state: The...
Biden recalls Boardman’s Amtrak leadership; funeral services announced
(Source: Progressive Railroading, March 13, 2019) Former Vice President Joe Biden, a longtime rider and fan of Amtrak, offered his thoughts this week on former Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Boardman, who died in Florida last week at the age of...
Crude by rail volumes fall to lowest level since May 2018
(Source: Canadian Press, March 13, 2019) CALGARY — Crude-by-rail shipments from Western Canada fell in February to the lowest level since May of last year, according to Genscape. The U.S. company, which monitors rail terminals handling about 80 per cent of typical...
DOT’s Chao creates council to review new transportation technology
(Source: Progressive Railroading, March 13, 2019) U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao yesterday announced the creation of a new council at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) that would be tasked with identifying and resolving jurisdictional and...
NJ, Amtrak working out Raritan Valley Line schedule
(Source: www.nj.com, March 12, 2019) NEWARK, N.J. — Raritan Valley Line riders won’t learn when their direct off-peak New York trains will return, until NJ Transit works out a new spring schedule around Amtrak’s planned summer track work in Penn Station New York. Full...
Teamster dispatchers, Allegiant Air reach agreement in principle
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, March 6, 2019) LAS VEGAS — The Teamsters Union and Allegiant Air reached an agreement in principle yesterday for the 34 dispatchers employed at Allegiant. This will be the first contract for the...
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