OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has reached an agreement with General Committee 953 of the SMART-TD union to maintain two-person crews, the railroad announced, confirming an earlier report by the North Platte Telegraph. General Committee 953 covers workers in a 13-state area on the Union Pacific and four short lines, and in its current form […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
PTC issues cause Amtrak cancellations and delays
CHICAGO — Amtrak trains on some routes are experiencing cancellations or delays today (Friday, March 24) as a result of a nationwide server issue that is keeping the positive train control initialization process from taking place. “It is a back-office issue, and we have been working with our [PTC] vendor to resolve it,” Amtrak spokesman […]
Conrail diesel locomotive graduates
Growing up in northwestern Minnesota, the two railroads I was most familiar with were Burlington Northern and Soo Line. Sure, I would see Conrail freight cars now and then. Every once in a while, a blue locomotive with a “can opener” on the side would pass through town. But as I was going through my […]
MBTA debuts new speed restriction dashboard
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Board is now providing online information on speed restrictions on its rail transit network through on online tool launched on Thursday. The Speed Restriction Dashboard provides information on the location, speed limit, date a restriction was put in place, and the reason for the restriction, on the Red, Orange, […]
News report: NTSB considering request to expand railroad safety investigation
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board is considering a request from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to expand its current investigation of Norfolk Southern safety practices to cover all Class I railroads, the Capitol Hill news site Roll Call reports. Schumer (D-N.Y.) made the request earlier this month in a letter to NTSB Chair […]
Three suffer minor injuries in Sacramento light rail derailment
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Three people suffered minor injuries Thursday when a Sacramento Regional Transit light rail train derailed today (Thursday, March 23), the Sacramento Bee reports. The derailment occurred on the light rail Green Line at the intersection of 7th and B streets, north of downtown Sacramento in the Railyards neighborhood, about 12:30 p.m. Two […]
Norfolk Southern and union end talks over ground-based conductors
Norfolk Southern and the SMART-TD union have ended negotiations over redeploying conductors to ground-based positions. The railroad and union instead will focus on implementing other immediate quality of life improvements, NS said today. “Over the next year, SMART-TD and Norfolk Southern have the opportunity to work together to implement important predictability improvements for our conductor […]
Federal agency issues advisory calling for shippers to stop using DOT-111 tank cars
WASHINGTON – A federal agency has issued a safety advisory recommending that shippers and tank car owners stop using DOT-111 tank cars in the wake of the February derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio. “The safety advisory re-emphasizes concerns with the survivability of DOT-111 tank cars and encourages tank car owners […]
Study says Scranton-New York passenger service could carry more than 470,000 riders annually
SCRANTON, Pa. — A two-year analysis of potential rail service between Scranton and New York City estimates the service could carry more than 470,000 riders per year and generate some $111 million annually in economic benefits. The study released by Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority includes development of a sample schedule, economic […]
Charlotte commission votes for investigation of transit agency
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Metropolitan Transit Commission, the policy board for the Charlotte Area Transit System, has called for hiring an outside consultant to investigate a May 2022 light rail derailment and the transit agency’s failure to disclose significant issues revealed by that accident, as well as other problems. National Public Radio station WFAE reports […]
Amtrak releases annual funding request to Congress
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s annual funding request to Congress seeks $1.7 billion for the Northeast Corridor and $1.95 billion for its National Network needs in the coming fiscal year, as well as almost $9.7 billion in additional funding, according to the General and Legislative Annual Report and Fiscal Year 2024 Grant Request released this week. The […]
Improperly aligned derail led to BNSF derailment in Washington
ANACORTES, Wash. — An improperly aligned derail was responsible for the derailment of a BNSF Railway train on the Swinomish Reservation last week, a Federal Railroad Administration representative told a local National Public Radio station. KUOW radio reports the derail, which is mean to keep trains from proceeding when a swing bridge over a portion […]