SALEM, Va. — Norfolk Southern will pay a $27,300 fine for a coal spill into the Roanoke River resulting from a 2020 derailment, the Roanoke Times reports. The agreement between NS and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality stems from an Oct. 30, 2020, derailment of 26 hopper cars that sent 12 cars into the […]
WASHINGTON — The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, a coalition of 37 transportation-related unions including several related to railroading, is calling on the Federal Railroad Administration to require Class I railroads to participate in the Confidential Close Call Reporting System, a currently voluntary method of tracking and addressing near-accident situations. In a letter Thursday […]
CALGARY — Canadian Pacific announced Thursday it has reached a tentative contract agreement with United Steelworkers Local 1976, which represents approximately 550 administrative support and intermodal workers in Canada. Details will not be released until the contract is ratified, the railroad said. The Steelworkers said negotiations had been in progress since November. “This agreement makes […]
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Two additional class-action lawsuits have been filed in the wake of the derailment and fire of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio. WKBN-TV reports that on Tuesday, Chase and Cheri Kinder, entities Bird Dog Hill Kennels and Stonybrook Kennel, and Pamela Taas field a lawsuit late Tuesday against NS in […]
PIERRE, S.D. — A state legislative committee has endorsed funding for a project to help rebuild the Sisseton-Milbank Railroad, moving the appropriation bill forward, KELO-TV reports. The Senate Transportation committee unanimously approved the bill that would provide $6.25 million from the state’s general fund to help rebuild the railroad from its current state, which limits […]
WASHINGTON — Continuing the trend for the year to date, U.S. rail traffic remained down for the week ending Feb. 4, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Volume for the week was 449,586 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.9% compared to the same week in 2022. So far, traffic has […]
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The evacuation order for those living within a mile of the site of last week’s Norfolk Southern derailment and fire has been lifted, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced this afternoon (Wednesday, Feb. 8). Residents within the evacuation zone will be offered air-quality checks of their homes, the Akron Beacon Journal reports, […]
The Canadian customs agent checks your passport and gives you a puzzled look when you explain that you just landed in Vancouver so that you can head to Toronto tomorrow. The poor young chap cannot wrap his head around the concept of taking VIA Rail Canada’s Canadian 2,800 miles simply for the fun of it. […]
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The first lawsuit has been filed in the wake of last week’s derailment of a Norfolk Southern train and the subsequent fire and evacuation. WFMJ-TV reports residents and a business owner in the evacuation area have filed a class-action civil liability suit in U.S. District Court against Norfolk Southern, alleging negligence, […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has reached agreement to provide four days of paid sick leave for members of two unions, the railroad has announced. The agreements, with the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) and Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, cover approximately 5,000 workers — almost 4,000 […]
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Residents evacuated after Friday’s derailment of a Norfolk Southern train now await word when they might be allowed to return home, although Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine cautioned Monday that it would not be soon. Cleanup of the 50-car derailment involving toxic chemicals is expected to begin to move forward following Monday’s […]
CINCINNATI — Norfolk Southern initially offered little more than half of the current price of $1.2 billion for its proposed purchase of the municipally owned Cincinnati Southern Railway — and the prospect of arbitration ultimately pushed the Cincinnati Southern board to agree to the final figure, WVXU Radio reports. NS and the City of Cincinnati […]
