General Information
U.S. says Washington state overstepped with oil train law
(Source: Associated Press May 11, 2020) BILLINGS, Mont. — The Trump administration on Monday moved to block a Washington state law that imposed safety restrictions on oil shipments by rail in response to numerous explosive accidents. The Department of Transportation determined federal law preempts the state’s mandate that crude from the oil fields of the…
Read MoreMay 11 update and press release from the Railroad Retirement Board Labor Member; RRB pays extended unemployment benefits under CARES Act
(BLET Editor’s Note: The following is a message to Rail Labor from John Bragg, Labor Member of the Railroad Retirement Board.) CHICAGO, May 11 — As explained in the attached press release (below), I am pleased to announce that beginning on May 12, 2020, unemployment insurance (UI) beneficiaries will begin to see deposits in their…
Read MoreInjured Hiker Brought to Safety Thanks to Idaho Crews
(Source: UP Online News Article 05/08/2020) Injured Hiker Brought to Safety Thanks to Idaho Crews “Something was wrong, and we couldn’t just stand on the sidelines without doing anything.” A distressed young man walking along the tracks near Owyhee Desert in southwestern Idaho caught the attention of a local Nampa, Idaho, crew consisting of Travis Campbell,…
Read MoreInfinity launches Salt Lake City-Chicago refrigerated intermodal service
(Source: Progressive Railroading 05/11/2020) Infinity Intermodal has launched a new expedited temperature-controlled intermodal service from Salt Lake City to Chicago. The three day, door-to-door service will allow Infinity to provide refrigerated intermodal transport throughout the greater Salt Lake City market, including areas of southern Idaho, company officials announced today in a press release. With the new…
Read MoreNorth American rail volumes could dip in the double digits
(Source: Freight Waves, May 10, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — In 2020, North American rail volumes could fall roughly 15% or more compared to a year ago. This projection, amidst others for deep declines in coal traffic and a shaky environment for intermodal volumes, was divulged in a report from Moody’s Investor Service, a credit ratings…
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