WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden may be known as “Amtrak Joe,” but his administration is expected to have an impact on freight railroading, too. During his campaign for the White House, Biden pledged to require two-person crews on freight trains. Rail labor unions have sought a two-person crew regulation as Class I railroads have implemented […]
More Monday morning rail news: NS coal train derails in Illinois Twenty-four cars of a Norfolk Southern coal train derailed in Panama, Ill., Sunday morning, according to a Facebook post by the Chris-Mont Emergency Management Agency. A press release from the agency says the Shoal Creek Fire Protection District was dispatched to the derailment at […]
Monday morning rail news: Canada revises rules on cold-weather speed restrictions for hazardous-material trains Canada’s Minister of Transport on Friday issued an order modifying previous rules regarding train operation in cold weather, basing the new rule on temperatures rather than a winter date range. As with the previous rule, issued in April [see “Canada issues […]
OSHAWA, Ontario – In a move that will benefit Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, General Motors Canada announced on Thursday that it planned to reopen its assembly plant in Oshawa. The plant, which stopped building pickup trucks in December, will reopen in January 2022, GM said in announcing a tentative deal with Unifor, which represents […]
NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern has reduced its number of operating divisions to six from nine, continuing an industry trend toward larger divisional territories. The move was effective Nov. 1, Chief Operating Officer Cindy Sanborn wrote in a memo to employees. The Southern Region, which previously included the Alabama, Georgia, and Piedmont divisions, is now […]
OSHAWA, Ontario – In a move that will benefit Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, General Motors Canada announced on Thursday that it planned to reopen its assembly plant in Oshawa. The plant, which stopped building pickup trucks in December, will reopen in January 2022, GM said in announcing a tentative deal with Unifor, which represents […]
WASHINGTON — Overall U.S. intermodal and carload rail traffic continued creeping upward in the week ending Oct. 31, while statistics for October as a whole showed a similar increase. Statistics released by the Association of American Railroads show a total of 520,778 carloads and intermodal units moved in the week, a 2.1% increase over the […]
Tuesday morning rail news: Evacuation lifted around KCS derailment; cleanup continues The remaining evacuation area around last week’s Kansas City Southern derailment in Mauriceville, Texas, was lifted Monday night, and local elementary and middle schools will return to class today. KBMT-TV reports that only three houses had remained inside the evacuation area before two railcars of hazardous […]
More Tuesday morning rail news: Domestic traffic boosts third-quarter intermodal volume North American intermodal volume rose 1.2% in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the same period a year earlier, thanks to the strength of domestic container and trailer traffic, according to figures from the Intermodal Association of North America. Domestic volume increased 9.8% […]
GATINEAU, Quebec — Two rail-specific issues, and others with rail connection, are on the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s Watchlist 2020 of key transportation safety issues. The agency issued the annual list, in its 10th years, on Thursday. New to the list, which includes eight items, is “unplanned or uncontrolled movement of railway equipment” [addressed in […]
More Friday morning rail news: Evacuation area reduced around KCS wreck; schools stay closed, power restored The evacuation area around Thursday’s Kansas City Southern derailment in Mauriceville, Texas, was reduced Thursday night, although some residents remained out of their homes because of five tank cars that were breached in the accident. The Beaumont Enterprise reports that four […]
Schools and residents within a 1-mile radius have been evacuated after a Kansas City Southern train derailed this morning near Mauriceville, Texas. The Beaumont Enterprise reports hazardous materials teams along with officers from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Public Safety. No injuries have been reported. The derailment was first reported about 10 a.m. […]
