Rail Industry News
Study: Derailment risk rises with the number of cars in a freight train
The risk of derailment increases with freight train length, according to an academic study published today, which found that a 200-car train is 24% more likely to derail than a 50-car train.
NS to pay $15 million civil penalty, $57.1 million in cleanup costs over East Palestine derailment
Norfolk Southern agreed to pay a $15 million civil penalty and $57.1 million in past government cleanup costs as well as millions in future costs to resolve a U.S. government lawsuit over a 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, court documents show.
Judge signs off on $600 million East Palestine derailment settlement but residents still have questions
A federal judge has signed off on the $600 million class action settlement over last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio, but many people who live near East Palestine are still wondering how much they will end up with out of the deal.
CPKC and Teamsters Canada remain at impasse
Although Wednesday marked the end of a mandatory 21-day cooling off period under Canadian labor law, the Canada Industrial Relations Board continues to review requests to determine what commodities might be deemed essential and must keep moving during a strike.
FRA finalizes certification standards for signalmen, dispatchers
New federal certification rules finalized Monday for train dispatchers and signal repairmen will set minimum standards to counteract the investor pressure on railroads to continually cut costs while making sure those employees have the skills they need to operate all the high-tech systems on today’s trains.
Optimism grows for U.S. high-speed rail
An air of optimism prevailed at this year’s U.S. High Speed Rail conference, held May 14-15 in Washington, D.C.
AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending May 11, 2024
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 468,748 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
CPKC to resume contract negotiations with TCRC
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said on Thursday its leadership, with the assistance of federal mediators, will resume contract negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union on May 17.
Study shows longer freight trains have higher risk of derailment
The longer the freight train, the greater the risk of derailment, new research from the Society for Risk Analysis shows.
Communication error led to UP yard fatality, NTSB determines
The NTSB has determined that a communication breakdown over granting permission for a train movement into the yard, as well as regarding placement of a portable derail device, was the probable cause of a August 2022 Union Pacific yard fatality in El Paso, Texas.
Three railroads ask federal court to toss out STB’s reciprocal switching rule
Canadian National, CSX, and Union Pacific last week asked a federal appeals court to set aside the Surface Transportation Board’s new reciprocal switching rule, which will allow sole-served shippers in terminal areas to request access to a second railroad if their rail service falls below certain standards.
U.S. Senate extends Homendy’s term as Chair of NTSB
The U.S. Senate last night confirmed a three-year extension of Jennifer Homendy’s term as chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Senator Baldwin pushes railroads to address staffing shortages that compromise safety and service for Americans
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called on the six Class I railroads to address severe staffing shortages that are endangering workers, increasing the risk of derailments and accidents, and raising costs for Wisconsin farmers, businesses, and consumers.
EPA calls East Palestine whistleblower reports false
The Region 5 Environmental Protection Agency pushed back at a recent Associated Press report that accuses the agency of not fully utilizing an advanced aircraft that could have collected crucial air monitoring and data during the vent-and-burn of vinyl chloride following last year’s derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train.
President Biden designates Robert E. Primus as STB Chairman
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has designated Robert E. Primus Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board effective May 11, 2024.
FRA makes more than $2 billion in new funding available to Northeast Corridor
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that makes available over $2 billion in Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program funding for projects located on the Northeast Corridor.
Federal lawsuit claims CSX violated FMLA anti-retaliation provisions
More than 100 employees have been terminated or suspended since 2017, according to the complaint.
Whistleblower questions delays and mistakes in way EPA used sensor plane after East Palestine derailment
The U.S. government has a specialized plane loaded with advanced sensors that officials brag is always ready to deploy within an hour of any kind of chemical disaster. But the plane didn’t fly over eastern Ohio until four days after the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment there last year.
President Biden to nominate Primus as next STB Chairman
President Joe Biden intends to nominate STB member Robert Primus as chairman, following the May 10 retirement of Martin Oberman.
NTSB: Improperly lined switch contributed to CSX collision in Folkston, Ga.
Three crew members were sent to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
BLET News
“Big Beautiful Bill” passes
Rail workers got the short end of the stick when Congress passed the massive federal spending and tax package — known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBB) — on July 3. The bill’s “No Tax on Overtime” provision (Section 70202) was crafted in such a way as to...
Texas: Investigation by CBS affiliate on “monster trains” exposes dangers to the public caused by extremely long trains
Eddie Strom, President of BLET Division 28, in his interview with television station KOLD News 13 in Tucson regarding train thefts and extremely long trains. ____________________ An investigative report by CBS Texas broadcast in June examines how the use of longer and...
BLET and other rail unions tell DOT and Congress that proposed changes to the established safety culture put railroaders and the public at risk
BMWED President Tony Cardwell testified before members of Congress this week about the potential dangers of over-reliance on technology. ____________________ BLET members rely on Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) investigations to hold railroads accountable, but...
BLET and Teamsters lobby Senate to change AI and no-tax on overtime provisions in the “One Big Beautiful Act”
Two provisions of the massive federal spending and tax package now under consideration in the U.S. Senate, called the “One Big Beautiful Act,” look pretty ugly to the BLET and the Teamsters. One provision of the spending bill, which has nothing to do with federal...
Take Action Alert: Contact your Senators now BLET fighting to get Senate to change “Big Beautiful Bill” to include our members in overtime tax exemption
Right now, the United States Senate is considering reconciliation legislation, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBB). Section 70202 (“No Tax on Overtime”) of the OBBB deals with exempting as much as $25,000 in overtime pay from taxation for workers...
President Wallace says BLET will be proactive, not reactive during his state of the union address at Eastern Regional Meeting
BLET President Mark Wallace addresses the crowd in the June 17 open session of the Regional Meeting in Daytona Beach. ____________________ Daytona Beach, the site of last week’s BLET Eastern Regional Meeting, is known as the “world center of racing.” Good slogan and...
Texas: BLET working to secure funding for at-risk Heartland Flyer route
Amtrak 822 highballs north out of Fort Worth bound for Oklahoma CIty on BNSF's Fort Worth Subdivision. Photo by Matt Shell ____________________ On June 5, Amtrak announced that its Heartland Flyer service between Fort Worth, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma will be...
Colorado: Governor signs new law to beef up rail safety inspectors
Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a bill on June 4 to fund the hiring of rail safety inspectors. The new law, Senate Bill 162, would impose fees on rail companies to hire six new state rail safety inspectors. The total annual fees collected is capped at $2.9...
Surface Transportation Reauthorization and BLET priorities
Roughly every five years, Congress takes up “Surface Reauthorization.” This broad legislative package covers various federal surface transportation programs, including funding and federal policy for highways, transit (including commuter railroads), and passenger and...
NBC spotlights BLET cross border fight and following a BLET investigative trip to Eagle Pass and El Paso, the union reaches out to the White House
Video still from NBC's investigative report. NBC 5 DFW image ____________________ On June 6, the NBC affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth aired an investigative report highlighting BLET’s opposition to Class I railroads being granted waivers that allow Mexican train crews...
