Archive for September 2018
Bipartisan group of 27 U.S. legislators urge DOT’s Chao to block KCS safety waiver that allows Mexican train crews to operate in U.S.
(BLET Editor’s Note: The following press release was issued by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.) WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18 — On September 17, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Ranking Member Michael Capuano (D-MA) sent a bipartisan letter, signed by…
Read MoreTrump officials roll back Obama-era ECP brake rule
(Source: The Hill, September 24, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration on Monday repealed a mandate that would have required trains carrying crude oil to use special brakes with new technology. The Department of Transportation’s Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said it undertook a congressionally mandated analysis of the provision in a…
Read MoreTTD: Freight rail safety, jobs must not be jeopardized in pursuit of profits
(Source: Column by AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) President Larry I Willis, September 20, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — There is little disagreement among lawmakers, frontline workers, government agencies, and even rail carriers themselves that freight rail in this country must be held to the highest safety standards and oversight rules. Yet, as we speak, the Federal Railroad…
Read MoreAFL-CIO TTD: Building pro-worker momentum
(Source: AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) press release, September 12, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Executive Committee of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), gathered today to set an aggressive agenda focused on creating and sustaining the kind of good jobs working families want and need by strengthening America’s transportation network and improving workplace safety. This…
Read MoreAAR reports rail traffic for week ending September 8, 2018
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, September 12, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 8, 2018. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 502,208 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.1 percent compared with the same week last year. Total…
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