Rail Industry News
AAR: Rail traffic down 17.2 percent from 2015 for week ending July 9
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, July 13, 2016) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 9, 2016. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 442,113...
Changes could be coming for Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer service
(Source: News9.com, July 13, 2016) OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has heard back from seven passenger rail companies looking at taking over operations of the Heartland Flyer. Full story: www.news9.com
Editorial: Time for Long Beach, Los Angeles, BNSF to work out rail dispute
(Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram, July 13, 2016) LONG BEACH, Calif. — After more than 10 years, a contentious, sometimes vitriolic battle between Los Angeles and Long Beach over a giant railway project is at a critical crossroads. The controversy involves the...
Death toll in Italy train crash put at 23, government promises investment
(Source: Reuters, July 13, 2016) BARI, Italy — The death toll from a head-on train collision in southern Italy was put at 23 on Wednesday after rescuers worked through the night to extract bodies from the tangled wreckage. Full story: Reuters
NLRB ruling makes it easier to organize
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 12, 2016) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Teamsters, the broader labor movement and most importantly American workers received good news from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) yesterday when it ruled...
Oil train derailment in Mosier raises fears on California’s Central Coast
(Source: Los Angeles Times, July 14, 2016) SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Arlene Burns, the mayor of a teensy Oregon town on the Columbia River, was speaking into a bullhorn in a park here the other day, telling a crowd about what happened when a mile-long train loaded...
Editorial: Lac-Megantic is a failure in regulation
(Source: Opinion column by Bruce Campbell in the National Observer, July 12, 2016) LAC-MEGANTIC — Like millions of other people, I watched in horror what happened three years ago here in Lac-Mégantic. I suspected regulatory breakdown was responsible, and I was...
Oregon senators’ bill would require probes of rail accidents
(Source: Associated Press, July 13, 2016) PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden are sponsoring new legislation that would require a federal investigation into every oil train derailment and also clarify federal transportation officials' moratorium...
Upgrades to rail tank cars could take 15 years, NTSB says
(Source: Associated Press, July 13, 2016) BILLINGS, Mont. — Accident-prone tank cars used to haul crude oil and ethanol by rail could remain in service for another 15 years under federal rules that allow companies to phase in upgrades to the aging fleet, according to...
DOT proposes that railroads have comprehensive plans to deal with oil spills
(Source: Associated Press, July 13, 2016) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Railroads hauling crude oil would be required to develop comprehensive plans for dealing with a significant oil spill, including providing detailed information to state and tribal authorities, under a rule...
CSX announces 2Q 2016 earnings
(Source: CSX press release, July 13, 2016) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corporation today announced second quarter 2016 net earnings of $445 million, or $0.47 per share, down from $553 million, or $0.56 per share, in the same period of last year. Highlights: • Delivered...
CSX 2Q 2016 profit down 20 percent as rail volume slows 9 percent
(Source: Associated Press, July 13, 2016) OMAHA, Neb. — CSX Corp. reported a nearly 20 percent drop in second-quarter profit as freight volume slowed 9 percent, but the railroad beat expectations by cutting expenses and raising rates where it could. Full story: New...
BNSF says ‘Pokemon Go’ game is putting players at risk in Tulsa
(Source: WFTV, July 13, 2016) TULSA, Okla. — The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) is issuing a warning to "Pokemon Go" players in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area. BNSF Regional Spokesman Joe Sloan said the company is having problems with people walking into their...
The changing of the guard among Class 1 railroad CEOs continues
(Source: Progressive Railroading, July 12, 2016) The changing of the guard among Class I chief executive officers continued last month. CN President and CEO Claude Mongeau stepped down June 30 due to issues with his health and the position’s demands. Full story:...
US, Canadian freight rail regulators meet in Ottawa
(Source: Progressive Railroading, July 12, 2016) U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Daniel Elliott III yesterday met with Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Scott Streiner to discuss ways the two agencies can work...
High-speed rail backers tour Fresno, Madera construction sites
(Source: Fresno Bee, July 12, 2016) FRESNO, Calif. — A small contingent of high-speed rail supporters from Los Angeles spent Tuesday morning getting a firsthand look at construction in Fresno and Madera on the first stages of the state’s bullet-train project. Full...
Christie’s transportation order halts plenty of NJ Transit projects
(Source: CBS New York, July 12, 2016) RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s executive order to stop all state-funded transportation projects will, some say, put a huge strain on New Jersey’s roads. But NJ Transit’s budget is at risk as well. Full story:...
Editorial: SEPTA trains looked like trouble long before they arrived
(Source: Editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer, July 13, 2016) PHILADELPHIA — The wholesale failure of SEPTA's new commuter railcars has been inconvenient, unsettling, and, to the extent transit officials cast it as the public's problem rather than theirs,...
Marine sues Union Pacific, says he was fired after his deployment
(Source: Omaha World-Herald, July 13, 2016) OMAHA, Neb. — A former Union Pacific manager and U.S. Marine Corps reservist has sued the Omaha-based railroad, saying he was demoted and eventually fired because he was away from work for five months on a military...
Teamsters increase strike benefits
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 12, 2016) WASHINGTON, D.C. — International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa and General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall today announced that strike benefit increases approved by...
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