Rail Industry News
Are oil trains just too heavy? No regulations, no way to know
(Source: DeSmog Blog, July 7, 2016) VANCOUVER, B.C. — The cause of the most recent oil train derailment and fire in Mosier, Oregon, has been determined to be lag bolts that had sheared off resulting in the derailment. This once again raises concerns that the unit...
NTSB explains why it did not investigate Mosier oil train derailment
(Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, July 7, 2016) MOSIER, Ore. — The National Transportation Safety Board has responded to letter from Oregon’s senators about why it did not investigate last month’s oil train derailment in the Columbia River Gorge, saying its limited...
Editorial: Quick fixes needed to help SEPTA riders
(Source: Editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer, July 7, 2016) PHILADELPHIA — What car owner would take it in stride if cracks showed up in his vehicle's axle or frame only a few years into its expected road life? Similar circumstances face SEPTA, which has had to...
25 hurt in explosion on Taiwan commuter train; Authorities rule out terrorism
(Source: New York Times, July 8, 2016) HONG KONG — The authorities in Taiwan said on Friday that they had ruled out organized terrorism in a bombing on a commuter train that left at least 25 people wounded. The blast occurred on Thursday night in one of the train’s...
AAR: Carload traffic for June 2016 down 7 percent from June 2015
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, July 6, 2016) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported weekly U.S. rail traffic, as well as volumes for June 2016. Carload traffic in June totaled 1,245,025 carloads, down 7...
From Tampa to NYC aboard Amtrak’ Silver Star
(Source: The Observer News, July 7, 2016) TAMPA, Fla. — The Silver Star was late. Possibly due to a fire north of the city that had emergency vehicles rushing out and news helicopters hovering. The Amtrak train’s engineers apparently were working to make up for it,...
Operation Lifesaver awards $175,000 for crossing safety campaigns
(Source: Operation Lifesaver press release, July 6, 2016) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), announced $175,000 in grants to 11 State Operation Lifesaver programs for a variety of...
Time for public, private sectors to focus on worker training
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 6, 2016) WASHINGTON, D.C. — American workers are increasingly falling behind. The continued loss of career-track employment has stunted wage growth and created uncertainty for millions in this...
Plans studied for gondola over the Hudson to connect Amtrak passengers
(Source: Albany Times Union, July 6, 2016) ALBANY, N.Y. — The train station is in Rensselaer. But most arriving rail passengers are heading to Albany. How to get them there? Why not by gondola? Next week, engineers will begin studying the feasibility of just such a...
Projects in the works for counties along Chicago-St. Louis high-speed rail line
(Source: The Herald-News, July 6, 2016) JOLIET, Ill. — The Illinois Department of Transportation has said high-speed rail work from Chicago to St. Louis should be finished by the end of 2017, taking one hour off the train ride that now takes about 5 hours and 15...
The ‘other outsourcing’ is just as bad for workers
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 5, 2016) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Concerns over outsourcing have been often raised in the years since the enactment of NAFTA caused untold thousands of jobs to be shipped overseas. But that is not the only...
Trains still roll through Lac-Megantic, 3 years after disaster
(Source: Associated Press, July 6, 2016) LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec — A runaway oil train brought death and destruction to this tiny community in Quebec, killing 47 people and destroying dozens of buildings. Three years later, trains still roll through downtown, just feet...
How inspectors missed broken bolts that caused Mosier oil train derailment
(Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, July 6, 2016) MOSIER, Ore. — On April 27, Steve Holm and three other inspectors drove right over a set of broken railroad bolts that later would cause a massive oil train explosion. Full story and audio: www.opb.org
Christie sets July 8 shutdown of New Jersey road, rail projects
(Source: Bloomberg, July 6, 2016) NEW YORK — Hundreds of road and rail projects will be halted by July 8 for at least a week while Republican Governor Chris Christie’s administration decides how to allot the last of New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund. Full story:...
TWU Local 234 defends craftsmanship of cracked SEPTA rail cars
(Source: News Radio KYW 1060, July 6, 2016) PHILADELPHIA — The union representing workers who assembled the now out-of-service SEPTA rail cars at a South Philadelphia manufacturing facility believes the cracked beams were defective, and not reflective of their work....
The company that built SEPTA’s faulty railcars wants another contract
(Source: Philadelphia Magazine, July 6, 2016) PHILADELPHIA — Hyundai Rotem is currently trying to obtain another SEPTA contract to manufacture double-decker trains that would be used to ease congestion on Regional Rail lines. Given the company’s current (and past)...
Photo tour: Amtrak stations, then and now
(Source: USA Today, July 6, 2016) WASHINGTON, D.C. — When Amtrak began operations in 1971, it took over the rail services of more than a dozen railroads, many of which had built depots according to the latest architectural fashions and their own branding. The depots...
NS to blast loose stone with dynamite
(Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 6, 2016) PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Norfolk Southern has received permission to blast tons of loose rock from a hillside to reduce the chance of future slides. West Carson Street has been closed in that area and Norfolk Southern has been...
Concern heats up in the Pacific Northwest as oil by rail moves forward
(Source: Cascadia Weekly, July 6, 2016) BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Washington state begins its public review this week of what could be the nation’s largest oil-by-rail terminal in the country, slated to be built along the Columbia River at the Port of Vancouver. The...
Virginia wins $165 million grant to unlock ‘Atlantic Gateway’
(Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 5, 2016) RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia has won a $165 million federal grant to unlock what it calls the “Atlantic Gateway” to speed passenger rail, freight trains and highway vehicles through one of the most congested corridors on the...
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