Rail Industry News
Oil train traffic down on BNSF lines in Minnesota, Wisconsin
(Source: La Crosse Tribune, June 29, 2015) LA CROSSE, Wisc. — New documents show BNSF Railroad is hauling fewer crude oil trains through Minnesota and Wisconsin than it was last winter. Full story: www.marcellus.com
California oil train risks worse in minority areas: report
(Source: Reuters, June 30, 2015) HOUSTON — Californians most exposed to the risks of oil train derailments or fires overwhelmingly live in poorer, minority neighborhoods, two environmental groups in the state said on Tuesday. Full story: Yahoo
Family of businessman killed in Philadelphia crash sues Amtrak
(Source: Associated Press, June 29, 2015) PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The family of a businessman killed when a speeding passenger train derailed near Philadelphia accused Amtrak of negligence and outrageous conduct in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed Monday. Full story:...
Woman who broke spine in Amtrak crash sues for $25 million
(Source: New York Post, June 29, 2015) NEW YORK — A Brooklyn woman who fractured her spine in the Amtrak crash last month is suing the railway operator for $25 million in a Brooklyn federal court negligence suit. Full story: New York Post
Amtrak unveils new locomotive to honor veterans
(Source: The News Journal, June 30, 2015) WILMINGTON, Del. — Sen. Tom Carper addressed a crowd of about 200 Amtrak workers donning hard-hats at a ceremony today to unveil an Old Glory-colored locomotive with the words, "Amtrak's railroad salutes our veterans." Full...
13 Metro-North workers accused of cheating on conductor exams
(Source: New York Times, June 29, 2015) NEW YORK — A dozen current and former employees of the Metro-North Railroad were brought into state court in Manhattan in handcuffs on Monday on charges that they cheated on the exams required to become a train conductor or...
Rhode Island kicks off project to improve high-speed rail
(Source: Associated Press, June 29, 2015) WEST KINGSTON, R.I. — A $41 million project to build new platforms at Kingston train station and an additional section of track so Amtrak’s high-speed train can bypass regional rail service will create new jobs and attract...
‘Rail-mageddon’ nears, Credit Suisse warns
(Source: Benzinga, June 30, 2015) NEW YORK — In a report published Tuesday, Credit Suisse analyst Allison Landry lowered her earnings per share estimates on rail companies for the second time this quarter. Landry stated in a research note at the end of May that while...
Amtrak: We must do something transformational, now
(Source: Railway Age editorial by Dr. Francis P. Mulvey, June 30, 2015) NEW YORK — Amtrak’s May 12th Philadelphia train derailment has renewed focus on funding Amtrak. With more than 200 people injured and eight fatalities, the debate has shifted from “Can we agree to...
Google Maps to get U.S. railroad crossing data to help avert accidents
(Source: Venture Beat, June 29, 2015) NEW YORK — Google is to start alerting drivers when they approach U.S. railroad crossings to help curb a rise in accidents. “Grade” or “level” crossings are the points where a railway track intersects with a public or private...
Residents in Kansas City, Kan., worry that rail yard threatens their health
(Source: Kansas City Star, June 28, 2015) KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At the vast BNSF rail yard in Kansas City, Kan., dozens of trains stretch into the distance. You can feel them rumble. You can hear the roar of 4,400-horsepower diesel locomotives. And you can smell their...
Pa. Senator Casey rails against Amtrak funding cut
(Source: The Hill, June 26, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) is criticizing House Republicans for moving to cut Amtrak's funding after a recent deadly crash in his home state. The cut — about $270 million — was included in a $55 billion funding bill for...
California high-speed rail board seeks private-sector ideas, interest on financing, development
(Source: Fresno Bee, June 28, 2015) FRESNO, Calif. — One of the chief criticisms leveled at the California High-Speed Rail Authority over the past couple of years has been the lack of private-sector investment in its ambitious statewide bullet-train program. Those...
Sen. Al Franken: Making rail safety a top priority
(Source: Detroit Lakes Forum opinion column by U.S. Senator Al Franken, June 27, 2015) DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — Minnesotans have always known how important safe, reliable rail service is to our state’s economy. Farmers and businesses have come to depend upon rail as an...
Millions of gallons of liquefied propane gas (LPG) would be moved daily by rail
(Source: Press & Sun-Bulletin, June 27, 2015) BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — A gas storage proposal along Seneca Lake calls for trains — each loaded with pressurized and explosive cargoes of butane and propane — to cross daily over a bridge spanning Watkins Glen State Park. After...
Railroad stocks decline on triple whammy cargo slump
(Source: Bloomberg, June 29, 2015) NEW YORK — U.S. railroads, Wall Street favorites for much of the past decade, are slumping into a bear market amid a three-way squeeze from plunging coal, crude-oil and grain shipments. Full story: Bloomberg
Amtrak to unveil locomotive dedicated to veterans
(Source: NBC Philadelphia, June 29, 2015) PHILADELPHIA — On Monday, Amtrak will unveil a new locomotive that is dedicated to anyone who has served in the United States Armed Forces. The event, which will be held in Wilmington, will introduce the “Veteran’s Locomotive...
UP using super-long rail lengths to replace worn tracks
(Source: Omaha World-Herald, June 29, 2015) OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha-based railroad is now the first large U.S. railroad to employ superlong rail lengths to replace worn track. The 480-foot pieces of rail — one is the length of 1½ football fields — requires 88 percent...
Teamsters: Worker misclassification is another corporate trick
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, June 25, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Too many corporations are taking advantage of hardworking Americans who are trying to earn a living to support their families. Instead of bringing them on as full-time...
RRB names Director of Policy and Systems
(Source: U.S. Railroad Retirement Board press release, June 24, 2015) CHICAGO — The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has named Kimberly Price-Butler as its Director of Policy and Systems. In that position, Ms. Price-Butler will be responsible for developing and...
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