Rail Industry News
‘Smarter than a fifth grader’ is Via Rail’s pitch to confront rail congestion
(Source: Bloomberg, March 11, 2015) TORONTO — For Via Rail Canada Inc. Chief Executive Officer Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, the biggest challenge facing the country’s passenger rail service can be explained with a grade-five math question. Full story: Bloomberg
Laying tracks for high-speed rail in the U.S.
(Source: CBS News, March 12, 2015) NEW YORK — Compared to Japan, the concept of high-speed rail has struggled to catch on in the U.S. The White House unveiled its vision for new train corridors in 2009, but so far there's been little progress. Finally, though, plans...
New federal policy led Indiana to end Chicago-Indy Amtrak route
(Source: Chicago Tribune, March 11, 2015) CHICAGO — The leader of a coalition of states that foots most of the costs of Amtrak's short passenger routes says its members are awaiting answers from a federal agency about a new policy Indiana cited in its decision to end...
Washington state Senate passes oil train safety bill
(Source: Associated Press, March 10, 2015) OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state Senate passed a measure Monday night to improve the safety of oil transportation, one of two competing bills that deal with the increasing shipments of crude oil through the state. Full story: CBS...
Senator Durbin, Rep. Bustos urge completion of tougher rail tank car standards
(Source: Chicago Sun-Times, March 10, 2015) CHICAGO — U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., called on federal officials Tuesday to swiftly complete tougher safety rules for rail cars carrying flammable materials — including the Bakken...
Service restored on two of NJ Transit’s busiest rail lines
(Source: www.nj.com, March 11, 2015) NEWARK, N.J. — Two of NJ Transit's busiest rail lines, which had been briefly shut down after a truck hit a transformer in the Iselin section of Woodbridge, are running again with delays. Service had been suspended earlier this...
FRA to announce steps to address grade-crossing safety issues, Feinberg says
(Source: Progressive Railroading, March 11, 2015) Although train derailments and accidents at grade crossings have declined over the past decade, rail safety improvement "still has a long way to go" toward reaching the goal of zero accidents, injuries and fatalities,...
NTSB to hold forum on the dangers of railroad trespassing
(Source: National Transportation Safety Board press release, March 11, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public forum March 24-25 on the dangers of trespassing on the railroad right-of-way. While railroad tracks have long...
Oil train derailments raise concerns about volatility of Alberta crude
(Source: Globe and Mail, March 11, 2015) OTTAWA and TORONTO — Two trains that derailed and caught fire in Northern Ontario were carrying crude from Alberta’s oil sands, suggesting concerns about the volatility of oil-by-rail shipments cannot be limited to the Bakken...
Opinion: Dangerous trains, aging rails
(Source: New York Times opinion column by Marcus Stern, March 12, 2015) NEW YORK — A CSX freight train ran off the rails last month in rural Mount Carbon, W.Va. One after another, exploding rail cars sent hellish fireballs hundreds of feet into the clear winter sky....
Teamsters win landslide shareholder vote at Hologic
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, March 11, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — A shareholder proposal sponsored by the Teamsters-affiliated GCC Benevolent Trust Fund secured an overwhelming majority vote of shareholders at last week’s Hologic...
Koch Brothers’ antitrust suit revived against UP, BNSF
(Source: Lincoln Journal Star, March 12, 2015) LINCOLN, Neb. — A federal judge's ruling has revived an antitrust lawsuit filed four years ago by a company owned by one of the Koch brothers and accusing Union Pacific and BNSF Railway of fixing prices and other...
Canada toughens oil tank car standards, wants even new ones out by 2025
(Source: Reuters, March 11, 2015) TORONTO — Canada proposed tough new oil tank car standards on Wednesday and said even improved tank cars coming into service now would have to be off the rails by 2025 at the latest. Full story: Reuters
Three employees charged in Lac-Megantic disaster to go straight to trial
(Source: QMI Agency, March 11, 2015) SHERBROOKE, Quebec — Three former employees of a defunct railway at the centre of Canada's deadliest railway blast will go straight to trial. Full story: Toronto Sun
Teamsters Canada on Gogama derailment: Fix tracks or slow trains down
(Source: CBC News, March 11, 2015) OTTAWA — As the investigation continues in Gogama to find out why 38 CN tanker cars carrying Alberta crude oil jumped the tracks on Saturday, the bypass built around the site now has trains moving slowly through the area again. Among...
Truck driver in Amtrak crash has history of violations
(Source: Associated Press, March 12, 2015) RALEIGH, N.C. — The driver of an oversized rig that derailed an Amtrak passenger train after it got stuck on the tracks earlier this week is a convicted felon with a long history of traffic citations, The Associated Press...
Woman allegedly texting walks into moving freight train
(Source: Cnet.com, March 10, 2015) NEW YORK — Those who text and walk without looking up have fallen into fountains. They've also plunged into Lake Michigan. It's perhaps a first, though, for someone who was allegedly texting to walk into a moving freight train. This,...
Norfolk Southern VP Hurlbut sells $108,000 in company stock
(Source: Dakota Financial News, March 10, 2015) NEW YORK — Norfolk Southern Corp. VP Thomas E. Hurlbut sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.19, for a total value of...
Feds sue Indiana Harbor Belt over brush fire damage
(Source: Post-Tribune, March 11, 2015) CHICAGO — The U.S. government claims an Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad train started a 2012 brush fire that burned almost 400 acres in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and damaged a butterfly habitat. Full story: Chicago...
‘Midnight Rider’ assistant director found guilty, sentenced to 10 years probation
(Source: Variety.com, March 10, 2015) JESUP, Ga. — Hillary Schwartz, the first assistant director on "Midnight Rider," was sentenced to 10 years probation Tuesday as she faced charges of criminal trespass and involuntary manslaughter. Full story: Toronto Sun
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