Archive for January 2018
Opinion: Safety, translated from planes to trains?
(Source: Railway Age opinion column by Art Miller, January 30, 2018) NEW YORK — Amtrak is “adopting a safety management system approach used by commercial aviation” as it responds to the Dec. 18, 2017 derailment of Amtrak Cascades train 501 that killed three people and injured more than 60, a railroad spokesperson told me Jan.…
Read MoreBLET picks Cornerstone to manage its Short Term Disability plan
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, January 30 — The BLET is pleased to announce that Cornerstone Benefits Management and their affiliates have been selected as the Third Party Administrator for the BLET Short-Term Disability (Part A and B) Benefit with MetLife, which was created pursuant to Article IV, Part A, Section 5 of the December 16, 2003 National…
Read MoreWashington Gov. Inslee accepts permit rejection for crude-oil terminal
(Source: Progressive Railroading 01/30/2018) Washington Gov. Jay Inslee yesterday announced that he has accepted the state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council‘s recommendation to reject a permit for Vancouver Energy’s proposed crude-oil terminal. Inslee’s decision followed a lengthy evaluation by the council, which voted in November 2017 to deny a permit for Tesoro Savage Petroleum Terminal LLC — also known as…
Read MoreAmtrak 501 wreck: Engineer “missed” approach sign
(Source: Railway Age 01/27/2018) Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief The engineer of Amtrak Cascades 501, which derailed on Dec. 18, 2017 in DuPont, Wash., has told the National Transportation Safety Board that he does not recall seeing an approach sign with a speed restriction placed two miles before the 30-mph curve upon which the derailment occurred. The 55-year-old…
Read MoreUP taps former CSX exec Sanborn as regional VP of transportation
(Source: Progressive Railroading 01/29/2018) Union Pacific Railroad has hired former CSX executive Cindy Sanborn as UP’s regional vice president of transportation for the West. Sanborn, who will begin her new job on Feb. 16, will succeed Richard Castagna, who will retire after nearly 25 years of service, UP officials said in a press release. Sanborn will lead rail operations…
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