Rail Industry News
Second Amtrak train from St. Paul to Chicago would be popular, new study says
(Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune, July 3, 2015) MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Ridership on a second Amtrak train from St. Paul to Chicago could exceed 150,000 passengers a year, but Minnesota and Wisconsin would have to pay for operating shortfalls, a new rail study...
Amtrak resumes Texas runs after track repairs
(Source: Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, July 6, 2015) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Amtrak trains are running again between Arkadelphia and Texarkana, Texas now that tracks damaged by weekend flooding have been repaired, an Amtrak spokesman said. A section of track owned...
AAR: Total carloads for first six months of 2015 down 3.8 percent from same period of 2014
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, July 1, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported weekly U.S. rail traffic, as well as volumes for June 2015 and the first six months of 2015. Carload traffic in June totaled...
Tennessee officials lift evacuation order after CSX car fire
(Source: Associated Press, July 3, 2015) MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Preparations began Friday to allow thousands of eastern Tennessee residents to return to their homes after a CSX train car carrying hazardous material derailed and caught fire. About 5,000 people within a...
Two KCS railroad workers injured in rear end collision
(Source: KTAL News, July 3, 2015) VIVIAN, La. — A train collision in Vivian this morning sent two railroad workers with non life-threatening injuries to the hospital, according to Caddo Parish Sheriff's deputies. Full story: www.arklatexhomepage.com
Former chairman of BLET’s Washington State Legislative Board awarded $1.25 million in whistle-blower case
(Source: Seattle Times, July 1, 2015) SEATTLE, Wash. — A railroad whistle-blower has been awarded $1.25 million by a federal jury in Tacoma after a six-day trial in which the former union and safety official proved he was targeted and terminated on a pretext in 2011...
Deutsch Bahn, engineers’ union agree on wage deal to end strike
(Source: Reuters, July 1, 2015) NEW YORK — German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has reached a wage agreement with the GDL train drivers' union, ending a nearly year-long dispute which caused a series of strikes hitting millions of people, both sides said on Wednesday....
Editorial: Rail yard pollution in Kansas City, Kan., requires closer look by EPA, BNSF
(Source: Kansas City Star editorial, June 30, 2015) KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Many neighbors of the BNSF rail yard in Kansas City, Kan., have worked diligently to evaluate the air diesel exhaust pollution that wafts their way day after day, week after week. Full story:...
Teamsters: Unions do worker training better
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, June 30, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — We've written extensively about the importance of unions in American life -- how unions provide a pathway to the middle class by paying $200 a week more than non-union...
FRA’s ‘safety train’ rolls through Fresno
(Source: Fresno Bee, June 30, 2015) FRESNO, Calif. — The Federal Railroad Administration’s “safety train” rolled through Fresno on Tuesday. The self-propelled, 106-ton vehicle is one of five traveling on railroad main lines across the U.S. for the FRA’s Automated...
Geale assumes NMB chairmanship
(Source: National Mediation Board press release, July 1, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Mediation Board (NMB) is pleased to announce that Mr. Nicholas Geale becomes Chairman of the National Mediation Board, effective July 1, 2015. Harry Hoglander and Linda...
Editorial: Safety has to be rule number one, but at what cost?
(Source: www.nj.com, July 1, 2015) NEWARK, N.J. — The Amtrak rail derailment last month in Philadelphia that took the lives of eight people and injured scores more was a monumental tragedy, but the even bigger tragedy is that it could have been avoided if a safety...
Former Metrolink auditor alleges she was fired for disclosing railroad’s problems
(Source: Los Angles Times, June 30, 2015) LOS ANGELES — Allegations in a new lawsuit by a former top watchdog at Southern California's Metrolink commuter railroad paint an alarming picture of the operation's management problems and internal politics. Chief auditor...
Amtrak suspends trains between Philadelphia and Harrisburg due to weather
(Source: Lancaster Online, July 1, 2015) LANCASTER, Pa. — Amtrak Northeast Corridor service between Washington and Philadelphia is delayed and Keystone Service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg is temporarily suspended because of severe weather this morning. Full...
High-speed rail remains elusive in the U.S.
(Source: Associated Press, June 30, 2015) SACRAMENTO, Calif. — (Editor’s note: This story is part of a series that focuses on traffic congestion, mass transit and the consequences of failing to plan for worsening gridlock.) Travelers easily whiz from city to city on...
My friend Brandon Bostian, the Amtrak 188 engineer
(Source: Article by Ryan Smith in the Chicago Reader, June 30, 2015) CHICAGO — Nine years ago, I published a blog entry that casually referred to a lunch I'd had in New York City with a college friend of mine. It was the tiny bread crumb that led the national media to...
Google to honor FRA’s call for digital map firms to note railroad crossings
(Source: Associated Press, June 29, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The federal agency that oversees railroads is asking digital mapping companies to alert users as they approach track crossings. The Federal Railroad Administration announced Monday that, so far, Google has...
Detroit River rail tunnel project shelved indefinitely
(Source: Windsor Star, June 30, 2015) WINDSOR — The long discussed $400-million Detroit River rail tunnel project has been shelved indefinitely by the two major companies backing it, with no indication Monday it will be constructed any time soon. Full story: Windsor...
Amtrak plans major makeover for Chicago’s Union Station
(Source: Associated Press, June 29, 2015) CHICAGO — The public hasn't seen them for decades, but Chicago's Union Station has large rooms with 33-foot-high ceilings that were once filled with restaurants, a dance hall and tailor shops during its heyday in the 1940s and...
Hoosier State line will run, but no long-term agreement yet
(Source: Journal and Courier, June 29, 2015) LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana Amtrak passengers who were told a new era in rail service would dawn July 1 shouldn't hold their collective breath. Full story: Journal and Courier
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