Rail Industry News
Politicians, rail experts back passenger rail for southern Montana
(Source: NBC Montana, September 17, 2020) MISSOULA, Mont. — Politicians and rail experts are backing the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority spearheaded by Missoula Commissioner Dave Strohmaier. Full story: NBC Montana
Houston residents pursue wrongful death lawsuit against Union Pacific where cancer cluster identified
(Source: Houston Chronicle, September 17, 2020) HOUSTON — Regina Martin-Morgan, 51, has spent the last decade taking care of her family. First, it was her mother: colon cancer diagnosed in 2011. Then, her father: prostate cancer. Her brother: Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Full...
NS monitors Hurricane Sally remnants
(Source: Norfolk Southern service alert, September 17, 2020) NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern is actively monitoring the remnants of Hurricane Sally as the storm moves across the southern portion of our network. NS’ operations in its Mobile, Alabama, yard have resumed....
Amtrak OIG report: Amtrak has improved, but more needs to be done to cut service disruptions
(Source: Railway Track & Structures, September 17, 2020) NEW YORK — Amtrak has built a more disciplined process to plan and coordinate major track outages, but more steps could be taken to reduce service disruptions and maximize the amount of time it has access to...
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending September 12, 2020
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, September 15, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 12, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was...
Fargo man accused of trying to derail train near Casselton faces life in prison
(Source: Inforum, September 17, 2020) FARGO, N.D. — A Fargo man could face life in prison if convicted of trying to derail a train near Casselton, N.D., in May, a federal prosecutor said. Full story: www.inforum.com
Repairs underway near Hope, B.C., after 60-car CP derailment
(Source: Canadian Press, September 17, 2020) VANCOUVER, B.C. — CN Rail says work is now underway to recover the 60 freight cars from a CP train that derailed off a bridge Monday about 100 kilometers east of Vancouver. Full story: www.cbc.ca
Federal grants awarded to improve freight rail and multimodal traffic flows
(Source: Freight Waves, September 16, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Expanding local freight rail networks and facilitating multimodal access were among the goals of several projects that have been awarded competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of...
UP failed to accommodate hearing-impaired conductor
(Source: Business Insurance, September 16, 2020) CHICAGO — A railroad failed to reasonably accommodate a hearing-impaired conductor who was terminated, a federal appeals court said Monday, in overturning a lower court ruling and reinstating his disability...
AAR: North American rail freight down 10.5% through 37 weeks compared to 2019
(Source: Railway Age, September 16, 2020) NEW YORK — The Association of American Railroads now has 37 mostly painful weeks of traffic data. The decline, driven by a sputtering global economy suffering from the impacts of COVID-19, the worst health crisis since the...
Q&A: Acting for impaired Railroad Retirement beneficiaries
(Source: Railroad Retirement Board press release, July 31, 2020) CHICAGO — According to Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) policy, every annuitant has the right to manage his or her own benefits. However, when physical or mental impairments make a railroad retirement...
In Austria, a hydrogen train is set to travel on challenging alpine routes
(Source: CNBC, September 14, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rail passengers in Austria are set to take part in a trial of a hydrogen fuel cell train, as the rollout of technology that could change the way public transport systems operate continues at a steady pace. Full...
CP, Maersk ink deal to develop Vancouver transload and distribution facility
(Source: Freight Waves, September 15, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Canadian Pacific and Maersk have agreed to build a “world-class” transload and distribution facility at CP’s intermodal facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, that will be ready to serve customers in...
New NJ Transit bridge eliminates one more headache for commuters, Murphy says
(Source: www.nj.com, September 15, 2020) NEWARK, N.J. — As two NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line trains lumbered across the 112-year-old Raritan Bay bridge Tuesday morning, Gov. Phil Murphy got an up-close look at why the bridge is being replaced. Full story:...
Financially struggling Metra launches marketing blitz to coax riders back onto trains
(Source: Streetsblog Chicago, September 15, 2020) CHICAGO — The pandemic is obviously a challenging time for public transportation systems, and Metra has probably had the worst luck of any Chicagoland transit agency. Since its normal clientele is heavily made up of...
Grain shippers brace for tight rail market
(Source: Freight Waves, September 15, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — As U.S. grain producers prepare for the 2020-21 crop year, one concern is that the Class I railroads won’t have enough network capacity to handle the double whammy of a bountiful harvest and higher...
Hurricane Sally expected to douse crucial east-west roads and railroads
(Source: Supply Chain Dive, September 15, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Road and rail along the east-west artery of Interstate 10 is at high risk for disruption, and aftereffects from eastern Louisiana to Pensacola, Florida, may last several days depending on the extent of...
Indiana Rail Road cancels 2020 Santa Train
(Source: Progressive Railroading, September 14, 2020) The Indiana Rail Road Co. (INRD) announced last week that it has canceled the 2020 run of its Santa Train due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Full story: Progressive Railroading
CP opens new multi-commodity transload facility in Montreal
(Source: Canadian Pacific Railway press release, September 14, 20202) CALGARY — Canadian Pacific will officially open its new multi-commodity transload facility in Montréal tomorrow. The new facility will offer transloading services and supplementary intermodal...
BNSF completes Drano Lake bridge replacement installation
(Source: The Columbian, September 14, 2020) DRANO LAKE, Wash. — Eighteen days after being transferred to a barge and departing Vancouver, the newest bridge on the BNSF Railway’s Columbia River Gorge line is now installed in its new home, carrying trains across the...
BLET News
FRA issues safety advisory help prevent yard switching fatalities and injuries
Yesterday, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a safety advisory to the railroad industry in an effort to help prevent employee injuries and fatalities when working between rail cars during switching operations.
Open enrollment begins November 1, 2011 for BLET Short Term Disability plan
Open Enrollment for 2012 under the BLET’s Short Term Disability insurance plan begins on November 1, 2011 and runs through December 15, 2011.
Brown reelected Minnesota State Legislative Board Chairman
David K. Brown was reelected by acclamation to a second term as Chairman of the Minnesota State Legislative Board at their quadrennial meeting in Bloomington, Minn., September 27-29, 2011.
BLET to conduct final Secretary-Treasurer Workshop of 2011
The BLET’s Education & Training Department will hold an expanded Compliance Workshop for Secretary-Treasurers in Cleveland from December 11-14. It will be the BLET’s final Education & Training workshop of 2011.
Important health care announcement: Annual open enrollment for BLET members & families
Beginning September 26, 2011, Railroad Enrollment Services will begin mailing the annual enrollment packages to eligible Railroad employees for coverage under The Railroad Employees National Health and Welfare Plan (H&W Plan). Enrollment in the H&W Plan will provide coverage for Railroad employees and their eligible dependents effective January 1, 2012. The enrollment period for the H&W Plan will begin on October 3, 2011 and run through November 4, 2011. Per Railroad Enrollment Services, the completed open enrollment form must be postmarked no later than November 4, 2011.
Obama appoints PEB 243 to investigate BLET contract dispute
President Barack Obama today established Emergency Board (PEB) No. 243, to investigate and make recommendations for settlement of the current disputes between the Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition (RLBC) and five other unions, and the National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC). The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is one of the 6 unions that comprise the RLBC.
97 percent of BLET members authorize strike
An overwhelming 97 percent majority of BLET members have voted to authorize a strike when a mandatory 30-day cooling off period under the Railway Labor Act comes to an end later this week.
Brown elected General Chairman of BNSF GCA (C&S, CRI&P, FWD)
Bobby J. Brown of BLET Division 574 (Amarillo, Texas) was elected General Chairman of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (former C&S, CRI&P, FWD) General Committee of Adjustment at their quadrennial meeting in Amarillo, Texas, September 15-16, 2011.
Senate confirms Walt Barrows to RRB Labor Member post
On September 26, the U.S. Senate confirmed Walter A. Barrows to serve as the Labor Member of the Railroad Retirement Board.
Online option added for strike authorization vote
The BLET National Division and TrueBallot, Inc., have added an online voting option to enable members to bypass the telephonic voting system in the strike authorization vote that is currently underway.
