More Tuesday morning rail news:
— Amtrak says it and its state partners will need $1 billion in assistance as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reports. The passenger railroad, which said last week that bookings were down 50% and cancellations were up 300%, continues to cut service in light of reduced demand. The passenger railroad said it will need the additional funding “to make up for the unprecedented loss of ridership and revenue and to minimize employee and service impacts.”
— The Missouri House of Representatives’ draft budget would retain two round trips of the Missouri River Runner, although it does not propose how to pay for the second trip. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith had proposed a budget that would have paid off an outstanding debt of $6.5 million to Amtrak and funded one train, but the committee voted 19-16 to override that amendment, the Jefferson City News Tribune reports.
— The Sasaktoon StarPhoenix looks at the rules imposed on trains carrying hazardous materials in Canada after a February derailment [see “Canadian government ordes speed restrictions for trains with hazardous materials,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 6, 2020, and “Trains News Wire Digest for Tuesday, Feb. 18.”]. The newspaper quotes Transport Canada spokesman Simon Rivet as saying the agency is still determining what rules will be in place when the temporary restrictions expire March 31
— The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association is “examining options” for its 2020 convention, scheduled for May 2-5 in Grapevine, Texas. In a letter to members, ASLRRA President Chuck Baker said no decision has been made on the status of the conference, and that the organization is in conversation with the host hotel and its insurance carrier “to come up with the best possible option for our members and our association.”
— David Freeman, whose 19 years in the rail industry most recently include a position as executive vice president at BNSF Railway, is joining the board of directors of Loram Holdings, parent company of Loram Maintenance of Way. Freeman is a member of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance Association with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering.
