BLET News
BNSF train inspector helps rescue trapped crew in Kootenai River derailment
(Source: Television station KHQ, January 9, 2020) SPOKANE, Wash. — Adam Reeves was the first one to get the call when a BNSF freight train partially derailed into the Kootenai River. Reeves works for BNSF and is a volunteer with the Boundary County Search and Rescue team. The night when the BNSF train went into…
Read MoreForecast for 2020: More oil trains and the rise of LNG by rail
(Source: Desmog Blog, January 7, 2020) NEW YORK — As 2019 drew to a close and the new year ramps up, a number of signs point to the growing risks of transporting oil and gas by rail, with little government oversight to speak of: from increasing oil train traffic into the U.S. to fiery oil…
Read MoreRailroads want price-fixing lawsuits in one venue
(Source: Freight Waves, January 8, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Class I railroads that have been named in numerous lawsuits alleging price fixing are seeking to move those lawsuits to one court, according to a recent court filing. The railroads want the lawsuits transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia or…
Read MoreNTSB to add new members Graham, Chapman
(Source: Progressive Railroading, January 3, 2020) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will add two members this weekend, bringing the board to its full complement of five members for the first time since February 2019. Michael Graham and Thomas Chapman were nominated by President Donald Trump and were confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Dec.…
Read MoreClass I railroads embrace PSR to mixed results in 2019
(Source: Supply Chain Dive, December 29, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — In 2019, almost every Class I railroad transitioned to its own version of precision-scheduled railroading (PSR) — an operating strategy coined by the late CSX CEO Hunter Harrison. The hallmarks of PSR are longer, faster and fewer trains, network reductions, staff reductions, and in theory,…
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