Union group calls for FRA to require Class I participation in close-call reporting system

Logo of Transportation Trades Department of AFL-CIO

WASHINGTON — The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, a coalition of 37 transportation-related unions including several related to railroading, is calling on the Federal Railroad Administration to require Class I railroads to participate in the Confidential Close Call Reporting System, a currently voluntary method of tracking and addressing near-accident situations. In a letter Thursday […]

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CP, Steelworkers in Canada reach tentative agreement

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific announced Thursday it has reached a tentative contract agreement with United Steelworkers Local 1976, which represents approximately 550 administrative support and intermodal workers in Canada. Details will not be released until the contract is ratified, the railroad said. The Steelworkers said negotiations had been in progress since November. “This agreement makes […]

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TSB investigating CP derailment in Mount MacDonald Tunnel

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

REVELSTOKE, British Columbia — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating a Canadian Pacific derailment inside the Mount MacDonald Tunnel on Rogers Pass that occurred Feb. 5, the Revelstoke Review newspaper reports. The newspaper reports that the TSB said that the train was westbound through the tunnel when 11 cars “began to lean,” leading […]

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More lawsuits filed in wake of derailment

Burned out tank cars and tank truck in muddy area

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Two additional class-action lawsuits have been filed in the wake of the derailment and fire of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio. WKBN-TV reports that on Tuesday, Chase and Cheri Kinder, entities Bird Dog Hill Kennels and Stonybrook Kennel, and Pamela Taas field a lawsuit late Tuesday against NS in […]

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Ohio to pursue funding to study Amtrak expansion

Map showing current and possible passenger rail routes in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has directed the Ohio Rail Development Commission to apply for federal funding to study adding Amtrak service on two corridors serving the state, the commission announced. The commission will seek $500,000 from the Federal Railroad Administration for studies of each corridor, a Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati route, and Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit service. Those […]

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State bill advances for project to rebuild South Dakota short line

Map of the Twin Cities & Western Railroad and its two related rail lines

PIERRE, S.D. — A state legislative committee has endorsed funding for a project to help rebuild the Sisseton-Milbank Railroad, moving the appropriation bill forward, KELO-TV reports. The Senate Transportation committee unanimously approved the bill that would provide $6.25 million from the state’s general fund to help rebuild the railroad from its current state, which limits […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic remains down

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — Continuing the trend for the year to date, U.S. rail traffic remained down for the week ending Feb. 4, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Volume for the week was 449,586 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.9% compared to the same week in 2022. So far, traffic has […]

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Evacuation order lifted in East Palestine, Ohio

Workers and equipment around burned out tank cars

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The evacuation order for those living within a mile of the site of last week’s Norfolk Southern derailment and fire has been lifted, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced this afternoon (Wednesday, Feb. 8). Residents within the evacuation zone will be offered air-quality checks of their homes, the Akron Beacon Journal reports, […]

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Ride the VIA Rail Canadian while you can: Analysis

The Canadian customs agent checks your passport and gives you a puzzled look when you explain that you just landed in Vancouver so that you can head to Toronto tomorrow. The poor young chap cannot wrap his head around the concept of taking VIA Rail Canada’s Canadian 2,800 miles simply for the fun of it. […]

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First lawsuit filed over Ohio derailment; evacuation continues

Black cloud of smoke above town

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The first lawsuit has been filed in the wake of last week’s derailment of a Norfolk Southern train and the subsequent fire and evacuation. WFMJ-TV reports residents and a business owner in the evacuation area have filed a class-action civil liability suit in U.S. District Court against Norfolk Southern, alleging negligence, […]

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