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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
GIBBSTOWN, N.J. — The U.S. Department of Transportation has turned down a request for a permit to transport liquefied natural gas by rail from Pennsylvania to a terminal on the Delaware River, NJ.com reports. DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Monday turned down the special permit sought by Energy Transport Solutions, a subsidiary […]
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has joined the list of states introducing new railroad safety legislation in the wake of the East Palestine derailment and toxic chemical release, with a bill addressing train lengths, crew size, wayside detectors, and blocked crossings, among other features. The Railroad Safety Omnibus Act, HB639, was introduced earlier this month […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remains down against 2022 figures according to Association of American Railroad Statistics, with traffic for the week ending April 22 showing a 3.5% decline compared to the same week a year ago. U.S. railroads handled 483,457 carloads and intermodal units for the week, including 240,584 carloads, up 5.1%, and 239,874 […]
