WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the federal government to offer its view on an effort by states to regulate how long railroads can block grade crossings. The Kansas City Star reports that the invitation means the court might address Ohio’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that blocked the state’s blocked-crossing law. The […]
Type of Train: Freight
Canadian National, Unifor reach tentative contract agreements
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway and two Unifor unions, Local 100 and Council 4000, have reached tentative agreements, the railroad and Unifor announced Monday, averting a possible strike. The agreements cover approximately 3,000 CN employees in mechanical, intermodal, facility management, and clerical positions across Canada, the railroad said. Local 100 represents the mechanical workers and […]
News & Products for the week of March 20th 2023
News & Products for the week of March 20th 2023 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of March 20th 2023. […]
CSX Transportation makes operating department changes after executive’s departure
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Transportation has promoted Casey Albright to senior vice president of network operations and service design as part of leadership changes in the operating department. Albright, who headed service design, is taking on the network operations responsibilities that were handled by Brian Barr, who left CSX to become senior vice president of […]
TTX begins equipping boxcars and auto racks with GPS tracking devices
CHICAGO – TTX is beginning to equip its boxcar and auto rack fleets with GPS-based telematics so that railroads and shippers can monitor car location and status in real time. The car pooling company, which is owned by the Class I railroads, aims to equip 1,700 new and existing boxcars by the end of the […]
Canadian government to provide $23 million for expansion of transload facility
SURREY, British Columbia — The Canadian government will provide up to C$23 million in funding to expand an agricultural shipping terminal near the U.S. border, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Friday. Money provided from the National Trade Corridors Fund will expand rail capacity at Global Agricultural Trans-Loading in Surrey, B.C., by helping to pay for […]
BNSF main line reopens in Arizona
TOPOCK, Ariz. — BNSF Railway has reopened its Southern Transcon main line near the Arizona-California state line following a Wednesday derailment, the railroad said in a customer advisory today (Saturday, March 18). That derailment occurred about 7:40 p.m. Wednesday near Topock, about 11 miles southeast of Needles, Calif., on the Seligman Subdivision. It involved eight […]
Cleanup of Glendale, Ky., derailment continues
GLENDALE, Ky. — All 21 cars involved in the CSX Transportation derailment Thursday in Glendale were carrying automobiles, the railroad has confirmed. Cleanup continued today (March 17) from an incident that saw the occupant of one trackside vehicle suffer what have been described as “minor” injuries. One trackside building was damaged, along with some parked […]
CP, Canadian maintenance workers reach contract agreement
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific has reached a tentative agreement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Maintenance-of-Way Employees Division, the railroad said today (March 17). The new contract will cover approximately 2,600 workers. Details will not be released until the agreement is ratified. “By working collaboratively with our valued union partners, we’ve reached another negotiated […]
BNSF reaches paid sick days agreement with boilermakers union
FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway has reached a paid sick time agreement with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, the railroad announced today. BNSF said the deal was part of larger ongoing discussions about modernizing the work environment. Seven of BNSF’s 12 labor unions are now covered by paid sick leave agreements. Building upon existing […]
Rail safety bill introduced in U.S. House
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. representatives from Ohio — Bill Johnson (R) and Emilia Sykes (D) — today introduced the Reducing Accidents in Locomotives Act, or RAIL Act, the latest legislative response to the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment. The companion bill to the Rail Safety Act introduced earlier this month in the Senate [see “Senators propose […]
FRA issues safety bulletin on shoving moves across grade crossings
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a safety bulletin asking railroads to review with employees the dangers of pushing and shoving moves at highway grade crossings. The bulletin issued today (March 17) is clearly in response to the fatal accident involving a Norfolk Southern conductor on March 7 [see “Norfolk Southern employee killed […]