Rail Industry News
150th anniversary celebration of transcontinental railroad to recognize Chinese laborers
(Source: Salt Lake Tribune, February 3, 2019) SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — They’re extraordinary pieces of history — three gleaming ceremonial spikes that helped celebrate the completion of the transcontinental railroad, now reunited in Utah for the first time in 150 years....
Chicago electric train lines open post-Arctic freeze
(Source: Associated Press, February 4, 2019) CHICAGO — Electric-powered commuter trains in the Chicago area are getting back to normal operations after Arctic cold played havoc with overhead powerlines and forced the shutdown of two major lines. Full story: Miami...
Court sides with BNSF in medical examiner’s fight for video of train death
(Source: Tacoma News Tribune, February 1, 2019) TACOMA, Wash. — A fight between Pierce County’s medical examiner and Burlington Northern Santa Fe over access to video of a pedestrian being struck by a freight train has been resolved in the railroad’s favor. Full...
Trump busts federal union
(Source: UComm Blog, January 29, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — A little-known federal agency charged with protecting the right of government workers to organize is refusing to recognize its own union. Full story: www.ucommblog.com
While everyone was focused on the shutdown, the White House rolled back worker safety rules
(Source: Fortune, January 30, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump may have run his 2016 campaign as a champion of the working class, but his administration seems to be chipping away at worker protections. During the president’s 35-day partial shutdown of...
Sen Manchin: Amtrak created financial hardship for W.Va. historical railroad group
(Source: West Virginia Gazette Mail, February 1, 2019) HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin says Amtrak has created a financial hardship for the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, causing its employees to be laid off and the organization to close...
Two billionaires want to restore glory of U.S. passenger railroads
(Source: Bloomberg, February 1, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — When American industrialist Henry Flagler decided to add Miami as a stop on his east coast Florida railway in the 1890s, the watery settlement had just a few hundred inhabitants. More than a century later, the...
Utah museum to show how photography and transcontinental railroad merged in the 1860s
(Source: KSL.com, January 31, 2019) SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The accounts vary as to exactly how many people attended the merging of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads at Promontory Summit in northern Utah on May 10, 1869, but the National Park Service...
Sen. Manchin urges Amtrak to re-examine its private train policies
(Source: Metro News, January 31, 2019) CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is asking Amtrak to re-examine its policies due to the negative effects on the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society. Full story: www.wvmetronews.com
Welder working on tracks sues Amtrak, BNSF after being struck by train
(Source: Cook County Record, January 31, 2019) CHICAGO — A couple is suing two railway companies, citing alleged negligence and loss of consortium. According to the complaint, on Jan. 16, 2016, Todd Dekeyrel was in the course of his work as a welder and under the...
New trial ordered for BNSF retaliation case after faulty jury instruction
(Source: Business Insurance, January 31, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal appeals court has reinstated retaliation charges filed by a railroad worker on the basis of an incorrect jury instruction. Full story: Business Insurance
Canadian railroads re-write drug policies for workers in light of cannabis legalization
(Source: CBC News, February 1, 2019) OTTAWA — As of Feb. 1, Go Train drivers in southern Ontario are forbidden from ever consuming cannabis, but that's not the case for their northern Ontario counterparts. However, a union leader representing workers at CP, CN and VIA...
BNSF, CP take measures for winter challenges
(Source: Minot Daily News, February 1, 2019) MINOT, N.D. — Railroading in the winter has its challenges and this week the extreme cold presented a few more challenges for railroads serving the area. Full story: Minot Daily News
Amtrak announces service changes after cold snap
(Source: NBC Chicago, January 31, 2019) CHICAGO — Most Amtrak lines will resume full service on Friday after being impacted by bitterly cold temperatures in the Chicago-area, but track damage will prevent at least two trains from getting back to normal. Full story:...
BNSF warns of slowdowns as winter storm bears down
(Source: Freight Waves, January 31, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Winter storm Jayden is slowing rail operations throughout the Upper Midwest and Northeast with the largest Class 1 railroad by track miles reporting “multiple trains” being stopped and delayed due to the...
Fatal crash in Cayce, S.C., was 1 year ago this week
(Source: The State, February 1, 2019) COLUMBIA, S.C. — A year ago this week, an Amtrak passenger train slammed into a stopped engine in Cayce, leaving a set of derailed passenger cars bent into a V shape, a smashed Amtrak conductor’s car laying on its side, and a...
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending January 26, 2019
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, January 30, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 26, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 522,026...
Siemens boss blasts EU over Alstom rail merger
(Source: www.phys.org, January 30, 2019) NEW YORK — Joe Kaeser, chief executive of German conglomerate Siemens, launched a rare broadside against the European Commission, complaining that "backwards-looking technocrats" threatened to block a planned rail merger with...
CN announces dividend increase, share repurchase program
(Source: Canadian National Railway press release, January 29, 2019) MONTREAL — CN announced today that its Board of Directors has approved the repurchase of its shares under a new normal course issuer bid (Bid) and approved an 18 per cent increase in the 2019 dividend...
CN mechanics ratify four-year contract with 11% wage increase
(Source: Canadian Press, January 30, 2019) MONTREAL — The union representing Canadian National Railway mechanics, electricians and apprentices in Canada says workers have ratified a new collective agreement that will provide 11 per cent wage increases over four years....
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