Archive for May 2020
Brake defects plague Canada’s aging grain cars
(Source: Railway Age, May 15, 2020) NEW YORK — Hard-to-detect braking system defects have rendered Canada’s aging fleet of grain hoppers a safety hazard, says a former director of derailment investigations for the country’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB), the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. NTSB. Ian Naish, who retired from the TSB in 2009, in…
Read MoreTeamsters denounce new trucker Hours of Service rules for threatening safety
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, May 14, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Teamsters are taking aim at new truck driving hours-of-service rules released today by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), saying they would lead to reduced roadway safety for drivers and the traveling public at large. Effective 120 days from now, the…
Read MoreRail safety expert warns of more mountain crashes due to faulty brakes if Transport Canada doesn’t act
(Source: CBC News, May 15, 2020) CALGARY — When Canadian Pacific Railway’s doomed Train 301 left Calgary in early February 2019 heading into the B.C. mountains bound for Vancouver, crew members had no idea it was on a death ride. Full story: www.cbc.ca Friday, May 15, 2020
Read MoreU.S. freight railroads log another dramatic decline in traffic
(Source: Progressive Railroading 05/14/2020) U.S. freight-rail traffic plunged 22.1 percent to 412,549 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending May 9 compared with the same week a year ago, Association of American Railroads (AAR) data shows. Railroads logged 185,144 carloads, down 28.4 percent, and 227,405 containers and trailers, down 16 percent. None of the 10 carload…
Read MoreCP Rail to upgrade testing of train brakes after deficiencies found
(Source: Calgary Herald, May 13, 2020) CALGARY — CP Rail will upgrade testing of train brakes on grain cars following a derailment that killed three workers and in light of research showing defects in the process, the company said Wednesday. Full story: Calgary Herald Thursday, May 14, 2020
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