Rail Industry News
Frac sand producers spent millions and filled wetlands for now underused rail yards
(Source: www.madison.com, December 17, 2018) MADISON, Wisc. — In 2016, the startup frac sand producer Smart Sand began construction on a state-of-the-art rail yard along the Union Pacific line in Monroe County, claiming it is the largest private industrial rail loop...
CN, Unifor reach tentative agreement for 2,100 workers
(Source: Canadian National Railway press release, December 14, 2018) MONTREAL — CN announced today that a new tentative collective agreement has been reached between Unifor Local 100 and CN. Unifor represents approximately 2,100 locomotive and freight-car mechanics,...
Lawmaker: Virginia erred by paying NS to relocate Roanoke jobs
(Source: Roanoke Times, December 16, 2018) ROANOKE, Va. — The McAuliffe administration erred in 2016 by issuing Norfolk Southern Corp. a state grant for moving hundreds of high-paying jobs from Roanoke to a consolidated head office in Norfolk, according to a state...
Crews still clearing wreckage from October train derailment in Wyoming
(Source: Associated Press, December 14, 2018) CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific Railroad Company officials have no definitive timeline for clearing the remaining wreckage from a 56-train-car derailment west of Cheyenne that claimed the lives of two railroad employees....
Cleanup efforts underway following UP derailment in Oklahoma
(Source: Television station KFSM, December 16, 2018) PITTSBURGH COUNTY, Okla. — Cleanup efforts are underway after several rail cars on a train derailed. According to Union Pacific, 16 rail cars and the rear-facing locomotive on a northbound train derailed about two...
Canadian grain shippers wary as more oil moves to rail
(Source: Manitoba Co-operator, December 12, 2018) WINNIPEG — Western grain shippers are watching closely to ensure their rail service doesn’t decline as oil shipments increase. Crude oil shipments by rail are increasing because there aren’t enough pipelines. Last...
Canadian government declares oil trains safe, plans to get into the oil train business
(Source: DeSmog Blog, December 12, 2018) NEW YORK — As Canadian oil-by-rail numbers reach record new volumes (and expected to rise), Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) announced recently that it would no longer list shipping the hazardous material by rail as a...
NS contractor killed in accident in N.C.
(Source: Television station WBTV, December 15, 2018) SPENCER, N.C. — A contractor died after being trapped between two metal plates on railroad tracks in Rowan County Saturday. Officials said it happened around 12 p.m. near the North Carolina Transportation Museum in...
CSX shareholders suing board of directors over Hunter Harrison’s hiring
(Source: Florida Times-Union, December 15, 2018) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville judge may soon decide if CSX shareholders have the right to take the Jacksonville railroad giant’s board of directors to task for its decision to spend $84 million to hire former CEO...
Survivors healing, seeking accountability one year after Amtrak Cascades derailment
(Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, December 16, 2018) PORTLAND, Ore. — Nearly one year after a deadly Amtrak Cascades derailment in Washington, some of the seriously injured are still healing. And the courts are just beginning to deal with the lawsuits stemming from...
$45 million plan announced to put overpasses over NW Indiana railroad crossings
(Source: Chicago Tribune, December 14, 2018) CHICAGO — The Indiana Department of Transportation will spend nearly $45 million to improve railroad crossing safety in five Northwest Indiana municipalities, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Thursday. Full story: Chicago...
Opinion: A free-market ‘yes’ to Texas high-speed rail
(Source: Texas Tribune opinion column by Tom Giovanetti, December 14, 2018) AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Central Rail project is backed by private venture capital, and whether it is successful should be determined by markets, not by the Texas Legislature or the Reason...
Editorial: A letter from Roanoke to Atlanta about Norfolk Southern
(Source: Editorial in the Roanoke Times, December 14, 2018) ROANOKE, Va. — Hope you like your new railroad headquarters. We enjoyed it for many years — well, part of it anyway. Full story: Roanoke Times
NS formally announces move to city of Atlanta
(Source: Norfolk Southern press release, December 12, 2018) NORFOLK, Va. and ATLANTA, Ga. — Norfolk Southern Corporation today announced plans to relocate its headquarters to Atlanta. “Alignment, collaboration, and accountability are the hallmarks of Norfolk...
Howard Street Tunnel expansion back on as CSX returns to table with $91 million commitment
(Source: Baltimore Sun, December 14, 2018) BALTIMORE, Md. — The Howard Street Tunnel expansion appears to be back on, after the railroad CSX Transportation reversed a decision to pull out of the project and committed $91 million toward it, Maryland officials said...
VIA Rail orders 32 trainsets from Siemens Canada
(Source: Progressive Railroading, December 13, 2018) VIA Rail Canada Inc. yesterday announced it awarded a CA$989 million contract to Siemens Canada to build 32 trainsets. Full story: Progressive Railroading
$15.6 million railroad facility opens Des Moines to global markets
(Source: Des Moines Register, December 13, 2018) DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines will build a long-awaited $15.6 million railroad transfer station on the city's southeast side next year. Full story: Des Moines Register
NJ Transit is buying new rail cars
(Source: www.nj.com, December 12, 2018) NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s fleet of ancient electric powered rail cars are headed on a one-way trip to the junkyard. The agency is poised to spend almost $700 million to purchase 113 multi-level III rail cars to replace the...
Airline, railroad stocks getting crushed
(Source: CNBC, December 13, 2018) NEW YORK — Transportation stocks have hit the skids and are looking worse than the broader market, a trend that needs to reverse for stocks to stabilize. The Dow Transports have lost 15 percent since Oct. 1, 6 percentage points worse...
Amtrak’s call center workforce deserves better
(Source: Statement by Larry I. Willis, President of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department, December 13, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak should be proud to have such a dedicated workforce. Day in and day out, the carrier’s frontline workers provide...
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