Rail Industry News
Philadelphia is a hub of the new oil train boom, but mystery covers the trains, infrastructure
(Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, May 24, 2015) PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — When crude oil arrives at a refinery in South Philadelphia or Marcus Hook or Paulsboro, the refinery must have a public plan outlining the hazards, a detailed response to possible accidents, and...
PTC a part of Amtrak’s planned 110-mph service between St. Louis and Chicago
(Source: State Journal-Register, May 24, 2015) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Positive train control is among the final components planned ahead of 110 mph Amtrak service between St. Louis and Chicago. Regular 110 mph service between St. Louis and Chicago would not start without...
Teamsters: Any delay in infrastructure funding costs jobs, economic opportunities
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, May 23, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 23, the Senate followed the House, and approved a two-month extension of the Highway Trust Fund, yet again choosing to delay finding a long-term solution on how to...
Opinion: Unwillingness to fix infrastructure will cost us dearly
(Source: Seattle Times editorial by Ann McFeatters, May 23, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Folks, this total lack of regard for fixing the things that made this country great is scary. It is penny-wise, pound-foolish thinking, and it is going to bite us where it hurts. Full...
Editorial: Congress should invest in NE Corridor safety
(Source: The News Journal, May 25, 2015) WILMINGTON, Del. — The Northeaste Corridor needs rail and crossing updates. New safety controls on speeds would improve service and make the traveling safer. Do not divert attention from those important investments by chasing...
Editorial: America needs safe, reliable passenger rail
(Source: Sun Journal, May 22, 2015) NEW BERN, N.C. — Less than a day after a passenger train derailed in Philadelphia, killing eight people and blocking lines up and down the Eastern Seaboard, a U.S. House panel voted to cut Amtrak’s budget by $252 million, or...
Senate support for Amtrak gathers little steam
(Source: The Record, May 24, 2015) BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — The deadly crash of Amtrak Train 188 should be a “crystallizing moment” that makes Congress realize that an aging national railroad starved for money will only have more accidents, Sen. Bob Menendez argued last...
BNSF furloughs North Dakota employees, union says
(Source: Forum News Service, May 25, 2015) GRAND FORKS, N.D. — BNSF Railway Co., the largest railroad in North Dakota, is furloughing some employees across its network, including in Grand Forks and elsewhere in the region. Jim Chase, the North Dakota legislative...
BNSF employee killed in NE Minneapolis
(Source: CBS Minnesota, May 26, 2015) MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A freight transportation company says one of its employees died Monday morning while unloading track material in northeast Minneapolis. A spokesperson for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway said the employee...
NS seeks $5 million from tug boat owners for bridge damage
(Source: Virginian-Pilot, May 22, 2015) CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Nearly a month after a barge on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River struck and damaged a key rail bridge in Chesapeake owned by Norfolk Southern Corp., the railroad has filed a lawsuit against two...
Washington state judge denies Shell appeal on oil by rail project review
(Source: Reuters, May 21, 2015) HOUSTON — A judge on Thursday denied Royal Dutch Shell's appeal of a ruling that a proposed oil-by-rail project at its Washington state refinery must undergo a full environmental review, just two weeks after a crude train derailment...
Mexico to pay China rail firm for canceling high-speed rail project
(Source: BBC News, May 21, 2015) LONDON — Mexico will compensate China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) $1.31m (£835,953) for canceling a $3.75bn high-speed rail contract. CRCC was at the head of a consortium that had won the project last year, which was...
China may have edge in race to build California’s bullet train
(Source: Reuters, May 21, 2015) SAN FRANCISCO — Chinese state firms are poised to be strong contenders in the race to make high-speed trains that will sprint between Los Angeles and San Francisco, part of a $68 billion project to bring the service to the United States...
Suspected bomb that prompted UP train stop near L.A. was harmless
(Source: Television station KTLA, May 20, 2015) LOS ANGELES — A Union Pacific train was stopped in Sylmar after a conductor found what he believed to be some kind of bomb that was later determined to be a harmless shipping paperwork container, police said Wednesday....
Caltrain: Lasting effects of suicides on railroad employees
(Source: San Jose Mercury News, May 20, 2015) SAN JOSE, Calif. — It happens quickly. More precisely, death on the railway occurs at the speed of a train hurtling down the track. What lasts far longer -- and for some, a lifetime -- is the lingering emotional effect of...
Hoffa statement on Senate Fast Track cloture vote
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, May 21, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following is the official statement of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa in response to the Senate’s decision to invoke cloture and cut off debate on the fast track...
Metro-North engineers to take sleep apnea test
(Source: Journal News, May 21, 2015) WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Metro-North has referred more than a quarter of its locomotive engineers — but less than what officials had anticipated — for sleep apnea testing as part of a pilot program in response to a fatal train...
Opinion: Amtrak’s spectrum gap
(Source: In These Times opinion column by David Sirota, May 22, 2015) NEW YORK — Amtrak had for years failed to acquire adequate rights to broadcast communications signals through the public airwaves. Without these so-called spectrum rights, Amtrak’s trains could not...
FRA issues Emergency Order to control train speeds on Northeast Corridor
(Source: Federal Railroad Administration press release, May 21, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued an Emergency Order that will assist in controlling passenger train speeds at certain locations on the Northeast Corridor...
Senate Democrats demand more money for Amtrak repair backlog
(Source: Associated Press, May 21, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Democrats on Thursday demanded that Republicans provide more money for Amtrak so the railroad can tackle a $21 billion maintenance and repair backlog, including replacing tunnels more than a century...
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