U.S. Supreme Court asks Solicitor General for opinion in case involving injured Union Pacific engineer
The U.S. Supreme Court is asking the Biden Administration to take a position in a case involving Union Pacific that could affect the railroad’s liability for worker injuries. Reuters reports the court asked the U.S. Solicitor General’s office for an opinion on whether a train that has temporarily stopped is still “in use.” The case involves UP engineer Bradley LeDure, who was injured when he slipped on an oil slick on a locomotive while it was in a Salem, Ill., yard, suffering head, shoulder, and neck injuries. The federal Locomotive Inspection Act requires trains in use to be inspected at least once a day and that walkways be kept clear; lower cours have split over whether a train is in use when it is not moving.
Progress Rail expands tech offerings with acquisition of Brazilian software firm
Progress Rail has acquired Brazilian software and consulting company Nitryx, which offers systems focused on logistics optimization. The acquisition of the company founded in 2011 allows Progress Rail to add programs for network optimization, yard planning, crew management, and rail movement planning to its Advanced Rail Technology offerings, which already offer systems for fuel savings; predictive maintenance; event recording, fuel monitoring, and track inspection; and automatic train operations. “We are excited to welcome the Nitryx team to Progress Rail and look forward to working together to execute our ART automation strategy and further develop products with our existing team,” Paul Denton, Progress Rail senior vice president of global sales and marketing, said in a press release. “Nitryx’s intense customer focus and core values align well with our company, which will allow an easy integration into our selling process.”
UP derailment spilled 40,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid, Albert Lea officials say
Saturday’s derailment of a Union Pacific train in Albert Lea, Minn., led to a spill of about 40,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid, according to a statement from city officials. KAAL-TV reports three cars of the material were breached, with one emptying completely and the others losing half their contents. The remaining 20,000 gallons has now been removed from those two cars; workers were set to begin neutralizing the spilled chemical on Monday evening. Three cars of liquefied petroleum gas also derailed, but were not breached; they were scheduled to be uprighted Monday and have their contents transferred to trucks.
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