MONTREAL — Unifor, Canada’s largest union, has opened bargaining with Canadian National for a new contract, the union said Wednesday. The union says it represents about 3,600 workers at CN terminals and headquarters across Canada, including mechanics, crane operators, machinists, electricians, and clericial, administrative, and customer-support workers. The current agreement expires on Dec. 31. “The […]
BALTIMORE — Residents of Baltiimore’s Curtis Bay area have filed a class action lawsuit against CSX Transportation over the Dec. 30, 2021, explosion at the railroad’s Curtis Bay Coal Piers, claiming negligence led to the blast that released “poisonous and carcinogenic chemicals” including lead and arsenic. WJZ-TV reports the residents are seeking $5 million in […]
LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — The Canadian government has set new dates for public consultation on hydrology and mitigation in its deliberate process of building a rail bypass around Lac-Mégantic. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Wednesday that online consultation will be held Oct. 24 to Nov. 25, along with three public information sessions: — An in-person, invitation-only […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has issued its cybersecurity directives for freight and passenger railroads, a move greeted positively by the Association of American Railroads. The 14-page directive requires railroads to submit a cybersecurity implementation plan to the TSA for approval with 120 days. That plan must address measures to prevent operational disruption […]
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic ended a five-week stretch in negative territory, edging up by 0.7% for the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Overall volume included 500,304 carloads and intermodal units. That included 237,263 carloads, up 3.2%, and 263,041 containers and trailers, down 1.6%. Coal […]
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada says in a statement to Trains News Wire that the addition of unoccupied cars at the rear of trains with its heritage stainless steel equipment was recommended by the third-party engineering firm it hired to conduct inspections. The move — to provide protection in case trains collide — was made […]
ORNEVILLE, Maine — Three locomotives and six cars of a Canadian Pacific train derailed early this morning (Wednesday, Oct. 19) in Orneville, an uncorporated area also known as Southeast Piscataquis. WABI-TV reports the incident occurred about 3:15 a.m. and is attributed to a washout. The crew was not injured and no public safety issues have […]
PITTSBURGH — Rail Development Corp., the Pittsburgh-based company which includes part ownership of the Iowa Interstate Railroad and a wide range of freight, logistics, and passenger operations in South America and Europe, is the newest member of the RailPulse coalition. RailPulse is working to bring widespread use of GPS and other telematics technologies to the […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit has agreed to upgrade five of its stations to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey has announced. The settlement covers the New Brunswick, Newark Penn, Princeton Junction, Metropark, and Trenton stations. While all five are considered wheelchair […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — There are plenty of barriers to be faced in equipping the U.S. freight car fleet with telematics, the use of GPS equipment and other sensors to provide real-time information about car location and all sorts of additional information. One is just getting all parties to agree on the benefits, and what […]
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The fatal collision and derailment of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief appears to have spurred action by officials in Missouri to address grade-crossing safety. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Missouri Department of Transportation is seeking $50 million from the state’s general budget to address grade-crossing improvements. Currently, the state budgets about $1.5 […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad has had to cancel more excursion trains because of riverbank erosion along its route. All trains but the Cleveland Dinner and Event Train, which will operate on an abbreviated route, have been cancelled through Nov. 6. The dinner train will continue to run on Fridays through Oct. […]
