Driver of truck in accident that killed NS conductor pleads not guilty

Diagram of grade-crossing accident

CLEVELAND — The driver of a dump truck involved in a Cleveland grade-crossing accident that killed a Norfolk Southern conductor has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter. WOIO-TV reports driver Ryan Hundley entered the plea Thursday in an appearance in Cleveland Municipal Court. Bond was set at $10,000. The March 7 accident occurred shortly after […]

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Norfolk Southern, conductors reach deal on sick time, scheduled days off, extra weekend pay

Man in orange vest climbing onto black locomotive

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 […]

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Prison inmate sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine derailment

Workers and equipment around burned out tank cars

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, […]

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Freight customers ask regulators to prevent six-week shutdown of Amtrak line in Pennsylvania (updated)

Amtrak640

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 […]

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Norfolk Southern CEO talks East Palestine, rail safety, long trains, and the importance of taking a long-term view

Trains News Wire spoke with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw after the railroad’s earnings call on Wednesday. Railroad safety has been in the spotlight since the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, and subsequent hazardous materials release. The wreck has put the entire industry under scrutiny, including the Precision […]

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Norfolk Southern earnings take hit from East Palestine, Ohio, derailment

Train of hopper cars led by black locomotive approaches curve in mountains

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern’s first quarter earnings tumbled due to expenses related to the disastrous Feb. 3 derailment and subsequent hazardous materials release in East Palestine, Ohio. The railroad’s operating income declined 34%, to $711 million, due in part to an initial $387 million charge associated with the derailment, the railroad reported today. NS CEO […]

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Management incentives at CSX, NS, and UP shift toward service and growth

Train passing grain facility

The publicly traded U.S. Class I railroads are putting more of an emphasis on service and volume growth in the annual incentive plans they offer to their executives. It’s a clear sign, analysts say, that the railroads are shifting into growth mode after years spent concentrating on reducing their operating ratios in a quest for […]

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Railroads that live ‘forever’ … on paper

Steam locomotive with train on bridge approaching tunnel

Like trilobites and brachiopods, the paper carcasses of 19th-century railroads seem forever locked away in the sediments of corporate archives and government files. They fill the pages of old Official Guides and Poor’s Manual of the Railroads by the hundreds. Nearly all of them are dormant — but some are not.   Consider the case […]

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NTSB chides National Steel Car, removes company from derailment probe

New coil steel car

WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board today removed National Steel Car from its investigation into the March 4 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in Ohio and was critical of the carmaker’s claims that its wheelsets had been ruled out as a potential cause of the wreck. “In a statement Friday, National Steel Car […]

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BNSF and Norfolk Southern reach sick time agreements with two unions

BNSF Railway and Norfolk Southern have reached paid sick time agreements with two more of the unions representing their employees. BNSF and the International Brotherhood of Railway Carmen reached their agreement as part of larger ongoing discussions about modernizing the work environment, the railway said on Monday. Building upon existing BNSF paid time off and […]

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Norfolk Southern completes soil removal under one track at East Palestine derailment site

Burned out tank cars and tank truck in muddy area

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Norfolk Southern announced Friday that it has reached a “significant milestone” at the sight of the derailment in East Palestine. NS said it has finished excavating and removing contaminated soil beneath the south track at the derailment site. It has excavated and removed more than 25,000 tons of soil and 12 million […]

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National Steel Car: Steel coil car wheelsets didn’t play role in Norfolk Southern derailment

New coil steel car

HAMILTON, Ontario – It turns out that the railroad industry’s emergency advisory sidelining 675 new steel coil cars with suspect wheelsets was a false alarm. In the wake of a March 4 Norfolk Southern derailment in Springfield, Ohio, the Association of American Railroads issued an equipment advisory recommending that the cars, built by National Steel […]

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