BNSF main line still closed after Idaho derailment

BNSF_Derailment_IdahoPolice

BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — BNSF Railway’s main line to the Pacific Northwest is still closed, more than a day after a derailment sent a locomotive into a frigid Idaho river. On Wednesday night, a westbound manifest freight derailed on BNSF’s Kootenai River Subdivision near Katka, about 10 miles east of Bonners Ferry. Three locomotives and […]

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STB rejects shippers’ appeal on fuel surcharges NEWSWIRE

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WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has dismissed a complaint from a coalition of rail shippers taking issue with what they characterized as unfair fuel surcharges. The STB’s decision to deny the petition for reconsideration on Dec. 30 is the latest in a long-brewing conflict over fuel surcharges. Railroads say they are simply trying to […]

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FRA proposes changes to rail, brake inspection rules NEWSWIRE

Trains_Washington_Watch

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration issued two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Dec. 19 which would allow railroads to change how they inspect track and train brake systems. Officials say the changes will “promote safety innovation and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens.” “It’s time to modernize existing regulations to permit methods of inspecting, testing, […]

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Illinois, Michigan Tech programs win NRC educational grants NEWSWIRE

NRClogo

WASHINGTON — Programs at the University of Illinois and Michigan Tech are the 2019 recipients of the National Rairload Construction and Maintenance Association’s Educational Grant Program. The Rail Transportation and Engineering Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign plans to use its grant funds for outreach and recruiting of grade K-12 students that demonstrate […]

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CN says operations have returned to normal after strike NEWSWIRE

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MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway reports it has returned to normal operation, catching up on the backlog created from an eight-day strike in Canada in November. The railroad cited performance indicators showing the railroad is within normal operational ranges. The Nov. 19-27 strike by members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference reduced the railroad to […]

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AAR: Rail traffic mostly down, again NEWSWIRE

Dec14Table

Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Dec. 14, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 520,589 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.5% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Dec. 14 were […]

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