Rail Industry News
Port of Tucson to open reefer rail facility this summer
(Source: Produce News, March 13, 2015) TUCSON, Ariz. — By late summer, a new 240,000-square-foot cold storage cross dock facility will be operational at the port of Tucson. The facility connects directly to the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad. Full story:...
PennDOT helps railroads handle ‘last mile’ traffic
(Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 13, 2015) PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Diesel exhaust and dust from trucks carrying thousands of loads of coal to the Homer City Generating Station had turned trees along the route black. Those trips — and the accompanying pollution — were...
UP says employees record safest year in company history in 2014
(Source: Omaha World-Herald, March 14, 2015) OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific says its 2014 annual employee safety performance was the best in company history. Full story: Omaha World-Herald
Watchdog agency to audit organization that runs Amtrak Downeaster
(Source: Portland Press Herald, March 13, 2015) AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers voted Friday to direct a state watchdog agency to audit the New England Passenger Rail Authority amid concerns about the transparency and operations of the group running Amtrak’s Downeaster...
BNSF halts traffic between Seattle and Everett due to weather
(Source: Seattle Times, March 15, 2015) SEATTLE, Wash. — BNSF Railway said Sunday it had interrupted freight and passenger traffic between Seattle and Everett due to mudslides resulting from heavy rainfall. Full story: Seattle Times
Some growers unwilling to lose land for California bullet train
(Source: Los Angeles Times, March 14, 2015) LOS ANGELES — Harold Parichan built a reputation as a tough corporate defense attorney when he represented Ford, General Motors and gun maker Sturm, Ruger against some of the biggest product defect allegations in history....
FedEx Freight workers in California vote to join Teamsters Local 439
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, March 13, 2015) STOCKTON, Calif. — A group of 50 drivers at FedEx Freight’s Stockton, Calif., terminal have voted to join Teamsters Local 439. The vote took place Thursday, March 12 and today, and the...
Lies are the latest trick in war over Trans-Pacific Partnership
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, March 12, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s officially silly season in the debate over fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The devastating trade duo is a job killer that will not only send work...
Opinion: A railway catastrophe in the making
(Source: New York Times opinion column by Eleanor Randolph, March 12, 2015) NEW YORK — So far, Americans have been spared the kind of terrible tragedy that occurred two years ago in the small tourist town of Lac-Mégantic in southern Canada. On a midsummer morning, a...
Minnesota Gov. Dayton proposes spending $330 million to upgrade rail safety
(Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 13, 2015) MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Gov. Mark Dayton, joined by officials from cities across the state, proposed Friday a $330 million 10-year spending plan to make railroads and grade crossings safer from passing oil trains. Full...
Indiana’s Indy-Chicago Amtrak line gets one-month extension
(Source: Associated Press, March 13, 2015) INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indiana Department of Transportation says Amtrak service between Indianapolis and Chicago will continue through April 30 while Federal Railroad Administration officials reconsider a policy. INDOT...
House T&I Committee schedules second hearing on transportation reauthorization
(Source: Progressive Railroading, March 13, 2015) The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing March 17 to gather information on reauthorizing federal surface transportation programs. The hearing — the second in a two-part series on...
Rep. Shuster tours Tower 55 project
(Source: Railway Track & Structures, March 13, 2015) NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. and Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Bill Shuster (R-PA-09) joined representatives from BNSF, Union Pacific, HDR, Inc., and the National Railroad Construction...
Safety concerns grow along paths of oil tanker train traffic
(Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 15, 2015) MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — A growing tide of crude oil is being shipped by railroads through Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, at a time when the industry is coming under closer scrutiny because of safety concerns. Full...
Crude oil joins rail industry staples as key revenue producer
(Source: Reuters, March 15, 2015) NEW YORK — U.S. railroads generated almost as much money last year hauling crude oil and sand, largely used in hydraulic fracturing, as they did moving industry staples like field crops and motor vehicles, according to a Reuters'...
Bill calls for study to bring back Orlando-New Orleans Amtrak route
(Source: News Herald, March 15, 2015) PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Efforts to restore a passenger rail line between Orlando and New Orleans received a nod from Congress last week as representatives approved a bipartisan bill that would launch a study to explore the feasibility...
Acting FRA Administrator has Congress impressed
(Source: Washington Post, March 16, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — After a string of deadly train crashes, a pair of angry U.S. senators stood in New York's Grand Central Terminal four months ago to denounce the Federal Railroad Administration as a "lawless agency, a rogue...
Feds to require removal of oil tanker parts involved in leaks
(Source: The Hill, March 13, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is ordering freight rail companies to remove faulty parts it says have been involved in multiple oil train leaks recently. The agency said the parts, which are valves that...
FRA issues directive to replace unapproved tank car valves
(Source: Federal Railroad Administration press release, March 13, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued a Railworthiness Directive requiring railroad tank car owners to replace unapproved valves...
Rail industry lobbied against new oil train safety regulations the day after accident
(Source: DeSmog Blog, March 15, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the recent run of exploding oil train accidents, it isn’t surprising that the rail industry has publicly expressed concern about hauling highly flammable oils like Bakken light crude and diluted tar sands....
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