NTSB report finds train building method, use of hand brakes on empty cars led to 2017 CSX derailment (updated)

Overhead shot of several freight cars derailed and burning.

 WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a half-dozen safety recommendations as a result of its investigation into an Aug. 2, 2017, CSX Transportation derailment in Hyndman, Pa. Thirty-three cars of a 178-car train derailed, resulting in an evacuation order covering about 1,000 residents and damage estimated at $1.8 million. The report […]

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Railroads ride intermodal surge, with strong demand expected to continue

A blue-and-yellow painted locomotive leads an intermodal train through a truss bridge and over a double-diamond.

BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, and Union Pacific all set intermodal volume records in November as imports surged, retailers continued to restock depleted inventories, and consumer spending and e-commerce remained strong. The other big Class I systems — Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Norfolk Southern — were handling intermodal volumes at near-record levels. “It’s a perfect […]

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Digest: Point Defiance Bypass service to resume in spring or summer 2021

Amtrak train passing junction

Friday late morning rail news: Washington’s Point Defiance Bypass likely to reopen in spring or summer 2021 The Washington State Department of Transportation projects Amtrak train service will return to the Point Defiance Bypass in spring or summer 2021. The website Urbanist, reporting on an online presentation by WSDOT Operations Program Manager Jason Biggs, says Amtrak will begin testing […]

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Digest: Two hurt as BNSF train derails in New Mexico

bnsflogo

Wednesday midday rail news: Two hurt as BNSF train derails in New Mexico Two BNSF Railway crew members were injured in a derailment Wednesday morning in Vado, N.M., KVIA-TV reports. The station says the derailment caused millions of dollars in damage and will require weeks of cleanup, according to the New Mexico State Police. The derailment […]

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Digest: Women charged with terrorist attack on railroad in Washington state incident

bnsflogo

Tuesday morning rail news: Two women charged with terrorist attack after disrupting BNSF signaling in Washington Two Bellingham, Wash., women have been charged with a terrorist attack and other violence against a railroad carrier after allegedly placing a shunt on BNSF Railway tracks near a Bellingham grade crossing, disrupting crossing gates. The Bellingham Herald reports Samantha […]

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