Norfolk Southern and the union representing conductors have reached what they are terming a “ground-breaking, system-wide agreement” to address quality-of-life issues — not just paid sick leave, but scheduled days off, and additional pay for weekends and time away from home. NS and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division […]
SEATTLE — Light rail service in Seattle is facing a significant disruption for two weeks because of damage to the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel caused by construction at a station, Sound Transit has announced. The service change began Thursday night as a result of damage Tuesday when a ground-level construction crew broke through the roof […]
SANTA CRUZ, Calif — Two counties on California’s central coast have received almost $6 million to advance a pair of rail projects thanks to state funding announced earlier this week. The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission was awarded $3.45 million to fund a Project Concept Report for the proposed passenger rail service on the […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has significantly reduced its use of congestion-related embargoes, which last year drew scrutiny from the Surface Transportation Board and scorn from shippers. UP dramatically increased its use of embargoes last year, when it issued the vast majority of Class I railroad embargoes in order to prevent its local yards from clogging […]
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A Montana short line is suing a utility company over a November 2021 wildfire that caused significant damage to the railroad. Central Montana Rail, an 84-mile railroad based in Denton, Mont., is suing NorthWestern Energy over damage from a fire that largely destroyed the town of Denton, as well as a […]
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — In the latest twist on lawsuits stemming from the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, a prison inmate is suing Norfolk Southern and its CEO, Alan Shaw, over alleged exposure to chemicals as a result of the Feb. 3 incident. Reuters reports that Joshua Turner, incarcerated at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown, […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail operation in south Orange County has again been interrupted by a landslide in San Clemente — but not at the same location that shut down the line between Los Angeles and San Diego for months. A slight landslide occurred north of Metrolink’s San Clemente […]
DE SOTO, Wis. — Four people are now reported to have required medical treatment after a BNSF Railway train derailed along the Mississippi River on Thursday afternoon, with two cars entering the river. Spectrum News reports an ambulance service transported four patients to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries in relation to the injury. A BNSF […]
WASHINGTON — The operators of a pair of Pennsylvania feed mills have asked the Surface Transportation Board to require Amtrak to allow freight service to continue while a six-week maintenance project is under way on its Philadelphia-Harrisburg main line. Amtrak plans to shut Track 1 to all traffic starting next month, which would prevent Norfolk […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration issued a safety advisory today (Thursday, April 27) that encourages railroads to take steps to address the complexities of operating long trains. The non-binding advisory — the second FRA has issued this month — comes in the wake of three recent derailments involving trains with more than 200 cars, […]
MOBILE, Ala. — The driver of a vehicle was killed Wednesday when an Amtrak train performing crew-qualification runs for the upcoming launch of Gulf Coast service struck his car at a Mobile grade crossing. The vehicle caught fire in the collision, damaging the front of one of the locomotives. Police say they believe the driver, […]
LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan legislator has introduced bills seeking to require two-person operating crews in the state, as well as limiting train size. Both bills introduced by State Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor, Mich.) would amend the state railroad code of 1993. Senate Bill No. 100 would require freight trains to have two-person crews, while […]
