FRA: PTC at 92.4 percent
Based on self-reported Third Quarter 2019 (Q3) PTC (Positive Train Control) Progress Reports, which were due to the Federal Railroad Administration by Oct. 31, 2019, the majority of the 42 railroads subject
Safety
Tentative agreement reached in Canadian National strike
The Financial Post is reporting that a tentative agreement has been reached in the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference strike on Canadian National.
CN meets federal PTC requirements
Thirteen months ahead of the December 2020 deadline, CN has successfully met the federal requirement to operate Positive Train Control (PTC) on all 35 of its U.S. subdivisions required to be equipped
Bells & Whistles, Ep. 18
The top stories we were following the week ending Nov. 22: MBTA clears funding for phases 2 and 3 of Franklin Line Double Track Project. U.S. DOT pushes for increased safety
U.S. DOT wants to advance highway-rail grade crossing safety
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced significant plans to advance highway-rail grade crossing safety. The announcement comes as the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) hosted a grade-crossing safety summit, with remarks from
Kansas City Southern partners with CloudMoyo to help with safety, regulation compliance
Kansas City Southern has now deployed CloudMoyo across all of its operations in Mexico and the U.S.
BNSF coal train derails in Iowa
Radio Iowa is reporting that a BNSF coal train derailed between 20 and 30 cars as it traveled through the southwest Iowa town of Red Oak. The derailment occurred at 4 a.m.
Congress pushing back on Amtrak forced arbitration policy
Earlier this week, RT&S reported that the agreement with Amtrak that every passenger enters when they purchase a ticket now contains an arbitration clause that says, essentially, the passenger cannot sue the railroad
Industrial accident kills Amtrak worker in Chicago
CBS Chicago 2 reports that an industrial accident on Saturday night killed an Amtrak mechanical worker at the company’s yard on 1600 S. Lumber St.
Amtrak – You can’t sue us if we crash
Those who are generally disgruntled with Amtrak have another reason for wishing the rail passenger carrier would change for the better or simply go away. The agreement with Amtrak that every passenger
Norfolk Southern has restored both mainlines impacted by Friday derailment
Norfolk Southern experienced a mainline crash and derailment on Friday afternoon, Nov. 8 in Luxor, Pa., approximately 40 miles east of Pittsburgh.
AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department – PSR is gutting American freight rail system
The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO released a statement about its view of precision scheduled railroading and the impact it’s having on freight railroads in America. Below are some excerpts from
California Attorney General pushes back on regulation of trains carrying flammable oil being retained at the federal level
Several states are pushing back on the notion that regulation of crude oil trains in the United States belongs in the hands of the federal government, as opposed to being regulated by
USDOT Proposes Rule for Safe LNG Transportation
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), announced that it is publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM)
Cybersecurity on freight railroads – a regulatory matter?
Concern over computer hacking of critical infrastructure, and even of our political elections, permeates the entire U.S. The more we come to rely on digital and automated processes, the more dependent we
PTC Virtual Lab at Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern has created a virtual positive train control (PTC) lab that offers a sophisticated way to test the latest PTC technology without having to do it with live trains on the
Two Washington Metro (WMATA) trains collide after operator fails to heed a stop order
The Washington Post reports that a collision of two WMATA trains occurred on Monday, October 7 at 12:54 a.m. The collision happened outside the Farragut West station. Neither train had passengers aboard.
As safety equipment stands idle at dormant railroad crossings, Ohioans question why the state does not recycle
If it cannot be used here, reuse it somewhere else.
Truck driver suing BNSF over railcar collision
Freightwaves is reporting that the driver of a tractor-trailer truck is suing BNSF for more than $75,000 after being hit on the passenger side by a pair of “uncontrolled” rolling boxcars at
NTSB releases final report on 2018 Amtrak/CSX train collision in Cayce, S.C.
On Monday, September 30, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its final report on the head-on collision of an Amtrak passenger train with a stopped CSX freight train in Cayce, S.C.