General Information
Union Pacific sued over alleged contamination of Houston neighborhood, resulting in cancer cluster and toxic groundwater plume
(Source: Press release from The Gibson Law Firm, February 3, 2020) HOUSTON — Over 80 residents in the Houston neighborhoods of the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens in Houston have sued Union Pacific Railroad Company alleging more than $100,000,000.00 in damages for contaminating their properties and groundwater with known probable human carcinogen, creosote, and other…
Read MoreSTB: Class I fuel surcharge revenues total $1 billion in Q4 2019, down 8% on quarter
(Source: S&P Global Platts, February 3, 2020) HOUSTON — Fuel surcharge revenue for the seven Class I railroads totaled roughly $1 billion in the fourth quarter, down 8% from the previous quarter and down 25% from the year-ago quarter, Surface Transportation Board data showed Monday. Full story: S&P Global Platts Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Read MoreHouse railroad subcommittee slates hearing on grade crossing safety
(Source: Progressive Railroading 01/31/2020) The U.S. House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials will hold a hearing next week on the topic of grade crossing safety. Titled “Tracking Toward Zero: Improving Grade Crossing Safety and Addressing Community Concerns,” the hearing will be held at 10 a.m. (EST) Feb. 5 at the Rayburn House Office Building in…
Read MoreFour more state legislatures introduce two-person train crew bills
(Source: Freight Waves, February 3, 3030) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Virginia, Missouri, New York and Wyoming state legislators are considering whether to require freight trains to have a minimum train crew size, which they say would make operations safer. Full story: Freight Waves Monday, February 3, 2020
Read MoreU.S. freight-rail traffic slump continues
(Source: Progressive Railroading 01/30/2020) U.S. railroads hauled 485,282 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending Jan. 25, a 6.7 percent decrease in traffic compared with the same week in 2019, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data. Six of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks on a weekly basis posted increases. They included…
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