Archive for March 6, 2019
Public Hearing of HB 2970 Two Person Crew Bill in Oregon
On March 4, 2019, in Salem, Oregon I had the pleasure of attending the Joint Committee on Transportation public hearing of HB 2970 or as it is commonly known as the Two-Person Crew Bill with Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Oregon State Legislative Chairman Brother Scott Palmer, BLET Members, SMART-TD (Sheet Metal, Air,…
Read MorePort of Vancouver USA rail project recognized for engineering excellence
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/04/2019) The Port of Vancouver USA won a 2019 Engineering Excellence Grand Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Oregon for a rail expansion project. The West Vancouver Freight Access project (WVFA) was an effort to invest $251 million into freight-rail infrastructure and increase rail traffic by 40 percent through the port and along…
Read MoreSenators to reintroduce grade crossing safety act
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/05/19) U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) announced they will reintroduce a bill to fund improvements to “dangerous” grade crossings. The announcement comes nearly a week after a fatal accident involving two MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) trains and a car at a crossing in Nassau County, New York. …
Read MoreMore growth planned for UP-CP Can-Am corridor
(Source: Railway Age, March 4, 2019) NEW YORK — The past two decades have been a time of steady growth for Union Pacific’s only route to the Canadian border, running from Hinkle, Ore., north through Spokane, Wash., to Eastport, Idaho. Capacity improvements performed over the past several years, and more scheduled for 2019, are evidence…
Read MoreWashington state safety bill would set lower pressure standards for trains carrying oil
(Source: The Spokesman-Review, March 5, 2019) SPOKANE, Wash. — Trains carrying crude oil through Spokane and the rest of the state to Washington refineries would have to keep it under lower pressure under a bill supporters say will reduce the chance of catastrophic accidents. The bill requires the oil in the tanks be loaded, unloaded…
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