BLET News

(Source: Editorial in the Columbus Dispatch, April 23, 2023) The nation’s attention has waned, but the needs of the people impacted by the derailment persists. So has the call to strengthen regulations to prevent other tragedies as trains get bigger and longer and the size of the crews on board manning them diminish. Norfolk Southern…

(Source: Trains Magazine, April 24, 2023) The publicly traded U.S. Class I railroads are putting more of an emphasis on service and volume growth in the annual incentive plans they offer to their executives. It’s a clear sign, analysts say, that the railroads are shifting into growth mode after years spent concentrating on reducing their…

(Source: CNN, April 26, 2023) Norfolk Southern said a February derailment that released massive amounts of toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, cost the railroad $387 million. That dragged profit lower by about a third. The Atlanta-based company reported it earned $466 million last quarter, down from the $703 million it earned in the same…

(Source: Yahoo Finance, April 25, 2023) Canadian National Railway Co. said the flow of consumer goods across its network is slowing down to the point that executives now believe North America is in a “mild recession.” Full story: Yahoo Finance

(Source: www.mlive.com, April 17, 2023) Michigan Senate Democrats are working to put more regulations in place for the state’s roughly 3,600 miles of railways as a way to increase public safety after numerous reports of blocked traffic and train derailments. Michigan Senate Bills 100 and 139 would require at least two people to staff a train transporting freight…