Rail Industry News
‘Anti-bait truck’ shoe giveaway draws big crowd in Chicago’s West Englewood
(Source: Chicago Sun-Times, August 26, 2018) CHICAGO — Even with temperatures soaring into the 90s, people young and old lined up early Sunday outside the West Englewood Community Center for an “anti-bait truck” shoe giveaway organized in response to a Norfolk...
Amtrak’s Wisconsin service disrupted due to flooding
(Source: WKOW, August 28, 2018) MADISON, Wisc. — Flooding north of Madison has disrupted rail passenger service between Milwaukee and the Twin Cities. Full story: www.wkow.com
Omaha residents say UP trains are blocking neighborhood crossings for hours
(Source: Omaha World-Herald, August 24, 2018) OMAHA, Neb. — Sitting at a railroad crossing for just a few minutes can test most any driver’s patience. Imagine waiting for hours for a train to move so you could get into or out of your neighborhood. Full story: Omaha...
MARC, VRE still working to meet PTC deadline
(Source: WTOP, August 24, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — A long-awaited new safety measure is set to roll out on local commuter railroads by the end of the year — meeting a federal deadline — but it is not yet in place on MARC or VRE. Full story: www.wtop.com
Amtrak, Washington say Cascades route will have PTC installed by deadline
(Source: Associated Press, August 27, 2018) LONGVIEW, Wash. — Amtrak and Washington transportation officials say they’re confident a new safety technology will be installed on the rail corridor between Seattle and Portland ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline. Full story:...
Teamsters triumph in bid to reverse Executive Orders that targeted federal public employees
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, August 17, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia, Ketanji Brown Jackson has delivered a significant victory to the Teamsters and several other unions that...
Unions seek to block new anti-union law in Missouri
(Source: Associated Press, August 27, 2018) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Unions representing teachers and other public employees sued on Monday to try to block a new Missouri law that they claim imposes "a raft of harsh restrictions" that "effectively eviscerates" their...
Amtrak’s ‘faulty route accounting’
(Source: Railway Age, August 28, 2018) NEW YORK — A white paper issued by the Rail Passengers Association, “Amtrak’s Route Accounting: Fatally Flawed, Misleading & Wrong,” contends that Amtrak’s fully allocated cost methodology “grossly exaggerates the cost of...
Hoffa: U.S.-Mexico agreement is first step towards better North American trade
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, August 27, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following is a statement from Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa about the bilateral agreement-in-principle announced today between the U.S. and Mexico to revamp...
FRA allows small railroads to automate hours of service records
(Source: Progressive Railroading, August 29, 2018) The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a final rule to allow eligible smaller railroads and their contractors to use automated systems instead of paper records to comply with federal employee...
Chicago ‘anti-bait truck’ event to offer 6,000 pairs of free shoes
(Source: Chicago Sun-Times, August 23, 2018) CHICAGO — Up to 6,000 pairs of shoes will be given away Sunday in Englewood from “anti-bait trucks” through an event organized after a sting by Norfolk Southern to catch thieves in the neighborhood was widely criticized....
FRA awards more than $200 million for PTC implementation
(Source: Federal Railroad Administration press release, August 24, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today awarded $203,698,298 in grant funding for 28 projects in 15 states to assist with the deployment of positive train control (PTC)...
NJ Transit workers getting attacked: Union wants mandatory jail time
(Source: New Jersey 101.5, August 23, 2018) NEWARK, N.J. — As the quality of NJ Transit has gone down, the frustration of riders has gone up – and with it, alarm among train conductors about assaults of workers by angry commuters. In addition to a law ending a...
NJ Transit may miss critical deadline for PTC
(Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, August 23, 2018) PHILADELPHIA — NJ Transit remains at risk of missing an end-of-the year deadline to install a critical rail safety system, federal authorities said Thursday. NJ Transit is one of nine railroads nationwide in danger of...
FRA publishes railroads’ second quarter 2018 PTC data
(Source: Federal Railroad Administration press release, August 24, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today released the 2018 Quarter 2 status update on railroads’ self-reported progress toward...
U.S. Class I workforce stable in July, STB data shows
(Source: Progressive Railroading, August 23, 2018) In mid-July, U.S. Class Is employed 147,426 people, up a meager 0.1 percent from the count a month earlier and down less than a tenth of a percent from the workforce figure in July 2017, according to Surface...
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending August 18, 2018
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, August 22, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 18, 2018. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 567,477...
Amtrak police showcase K9 teams
(Source: Fox 61, August 22, 2018) HARTFORD, Conn. — In an effort to increase safety awareness, the Amtrak Police showcased two of their K9 teams as the Labor Day holiday approaches. The Amtrak dogs and their police handlers are trained in explosive detection. Full...
New Mexico Rail Runner nets $30 million from feds for PTC
(Source: Progressive Railroading, August 22, 2018) The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded a nearly $30 million grant to the Rio Metro Regional Transit District for the implementation of positive train control (PTC) on the New Mexico Rail Runner...
Amtrak Northeast Corridor service restored after power lines come down
(Source: Connecticut Post, August 23, 2018) BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Amtrak Northeast service has been restored hours after overhead Eversource electrical lines came down on the railroad power lines Wednesday night. Full story: Connecticut Post
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