WASHINGTON — Senators put Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw in the hot seat today during a hearing on improving railroad safety in the wake of the toxic derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Shaw once again apologized for the East Palestine derailment, said the railroad is taking steps to improve safety, and will continue to support […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific announced today that it had reached agreement with eight unions on paid sick leave, bringing to nine the number of UP unions with such agreements. The agreements, effective April 1, cover the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers; Brotherhood of Railway Carmen; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; International […]
MONTREUX, Switzerland — Concerns over excessive track wear have led the innovative Swiss Golden Pass Express trains that switch from meter gauge to standard gauge to be temporarily restricted to meter-gauge operations. The Golden Pass Express, or GPX, trains, began operating late last year on the route between Montreux and Interlaken [see “Swiss gauge-changing Panoramic […]
WASHINGTON — The conductor of a Norfolk Southern train was killed earlier this month when the freight car he was riding in a shoving move and a dump truck “simultaneously entered” a private grade crossing at a Cleveland steel mill, pinning the conductor between the railcar and dump truck, according to the National Transportation Safety […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — A track subgrade consisting of soft, saturated peat with poor drainage likely led to a sudden failure of that subgrade, triggering a derailment of 53 cars of a Canadian Pacific grain train near Ignace, Ontario, in May 2020, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada indicated in an accident report released Tuesday. Operating […]
NEWARK, N.J. — An NJ Transit engineer whose career was ended by injuries suffered when he passed out in the cab of a locomotive with non-functioning air conditioning was awarded $11.6 million by a jury, NJ.com reports. Scott Lupia, 47, filed a Federal Employer’s Liability Suit after a July 21, 2020, incident in which he […]
PORT COSTA, Calif. — No injuries were reported after an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train struck a downed tree and derailed this afternoon, disrupting traffic on the San Jose-Auburn, Calif., route. The derailment was reported 3:25 p.m. PDT about a half-mile east of Port Costa, according to the Crockett-Carquinez Fire Department. Fifty-five people were on board; […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — VIA Rail Canada has apologized to a Muslim man and “the entire Muslim community” after an incident Monday in which the man was told he could not pray at the station in Canada’s capital city. CTV News reports that the Toronto man was waiting for a delayed bus. He told the news organization […]
WASHINGTON — The pressure release valves on some of the tank cars carrying vinyl chloride in the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment of a Norfolk Southern train may have been compromised, the National Transportation Safety Board said today. The valves maintain internal pressure at safe levels by venting material to reduce the potential for a catastrophic […]
KANSAS CITY — Kansas City Southern de Mexico is battling congestion in key terminals thanks to a combination of stronger than expected traffic growth and a shortage of train crews. The congestion, which began in December, now threatens to gum up Kansas City Southern’s U.S. network less than four weeks before Canadian Pacific gains control […]
The John Emery Rail Heritage Trust has announced the award of 19 grants totaling $250,000 for rail preservation projects as part of its annual award program, after considering some 29 applications seeking a total of almost $875,000 in funding. The Emery Rail Heritage Trust was founded by longtime Chicago resident John Emery, an avid rail […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the March 4 derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train in Springfield, Ohio, is focusing on the performance of wheelsets, the board said in a preliminary report. Four days after the derailment NS began removing from service 517 steel coil cars made by National Steel Car […]
