Rail Industry News
Amtrak names Chicago control center after former FRA chief Joe Szabo
(Source: The Hill, March 10, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak has named its Chicago rail control center after former Federal Railroad Administration chief Joseph Szabo. Szabo resigned from the FRA at the beginning of the year after nearly six years at the helm of the...
Minnesota state leaders disagree on approach to rail safety
(Source: InForum, March 10, 2015) ST. PAUL, Minn. — There is no overall agreement on how to prevent Minnesota oil train explosions. Democrats want to raise railroad taxes $100 million to improve oil train safety. Republicans balk at higher taxes and say more...
Fire knocks out NJ Transit service on two rail lines
(Source: www.nj.com, March 11, 2015) HOBOKEN, N.J. — A fire in high tension wires has knocked out service on NJ Transit's Pascack Valley Line between Oradell and River Edge and a trespasser incident has shut down Morris & Essex service between Hackettstown and...
MBTA ridership hits a record high in 2014
(Source: WBUR, March 10, 2015) BOSTON — With increased rides on the subway, buses and the commuter rail, the MBTA had a record 400.8 million trips last year — putting the transit system in line with a nationwide trend in which more and more people are using public...
BNSF investing billions to revamp service, pulls cars from rail lines
(Source: Reuters, March 11, 2015) NEW YORK — Stung by customer backlash over last winter's patchy service, Berkshire Hathaway's BNSF Railways invested billions in shoring up its operations. But in addition to hiring more than 7,000 new workers and spending $5.5...
Teamsters take legal action to protect highway safety, stop Mexican trucks
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, March 10, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Teamsters Union filed a legal challenge to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) recent decision to open the border to Mexican trucks. The union was joined...
How the Supreme Court left Amtrak waiting
(Source: CityLab, March 10, 2015) NEW YORK — Amtrak has technically won its Supreme Court case against freight railroads, but it's not yet clear if train travelers will win in the end as a result, and it may be some time before we know for sure. Full story:...
Rail industry pushes White House to ease oil train safety rules
(Source: Reuters, March 11, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. rail industry is pushing the White House to drop a requirement that oil trains adopt an advanced braking system, a cornerstone of a national safety plan that will soon govern shipments of crude across the...
Amtrak apparently not warned about tractor-trailer with oversized load before N.C. crash
(Source: Associated Press, March 10, 2015) HALIFAX, N.C. — There was time enough to warn train dispatchers as a 127-ton tractor-trailer, so big and heavy that it required a special permit and a state trooper escort, tried to negotiate a difficult turn across the...
Investigators seek cause of Amtrak crash that injured 55 passengers
(Source: Associated Press, March 11, 2015) HALIFAX, N.C. — As workers finished clearing debris from where an Amtrak passenger train derailed earlier this week, state and federal investigators were busy piecing together how an oversized tractor-trailer came to be...
Permit let rig in N.C. wreck exceed size, weight limit
(Source: Associated Press, March 10, 2015) HALIFAX, N.C. — The 127-ton tractor-trailer that derailed an Amtrak train at a railroad crossing in North Carolina was about three times the size and weight of a standard 18-wheeler, so huge it required a Highway Patrol...
State, federal guidelines should have helped avert Amtrak crash in N.C.
(Source: McClatchy News Service, March 10, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The drivers of an oversize truck and its escort vehicle had as long as 20 minutes to call an emergency number that could have stopped an Amtrak train that was bearing down on the North Carolina...
Conductor finds human arm in Chicago-area rail yard; Officials say it came from Wisconsin suicide
(Source: Chicago Sun-Times, March 9, 2015) CHICAGO — A human arm found in a west suburban rail yard in February has been identified as belonging to a person who committed suicide last September in Wisconsin. Full story: Chicago Sun-Times
Wisconsin citizens group goes to court to challenge BNSF’s wetland permit
(Source: Associated Press, March 10, 2015) LA CROSSE, Wisc. — A group of citizens has gone to court in La Crosse County to try to block BNSF Railway's plans to build tracks through the La Crosse River marsh. Full story: www.startribune.com
Man accused in 2014 Amtrak stabbing spree ruled incompetent for trial
(Source: Associated Press, March 9, 2015) NILES, Mich. — A man accused of stabbing four people on an Amtrak train in southwestern Michigan has been found mentally incompetent for trial. Full story: ABC News
Film director pleads guilty at ‘Midnight Rider’ train death trial
(Source: New York Times, March 9, 2015) LOS ANGELES — In a rare assignment of criminal liability for safety violations on a film set, the producer and director Randall Miller on Monday pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Sarah Jones. Ms. Jones...
CP Rail announces ratification of labor agreement with Unifor
(Source: Canadian Pacific Railway press release, March 9, 2015) CALGARY — Canadian Pacific today announced that Unifor members have ratified a labour agreement covering approximately 1,200 active mechanical employees. "This negotiated agreement is fair to both sides...
Obama blasts Scott Walker after governor signs Wisconsin right-to-work law
(Source: Washington Post, March 9, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama, in a rare move that inserted himself directly into Republican presidential politics, issued a statement Monday night sharply criticizing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for signing a...
Hoffa: Right-to-work in Wisconsin is another step down the wrong road for working families
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, March 9, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following is the official statement from Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on Wisconsin becoming a right-to-work state. “Today, Gov. Scott Walker ignored the will...
EPA responds to Galena oil train derailment
(Source: Environmental Protection Agency press release, March 9, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency response to the March 5 BNSF oil train derailment continues. U.S. EPA personnel are onsite overseeing response and environmental sampling...
BLET News
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
