General Information
Nebraska flooding wreaking havoc on railroads
(Source: Lincoln Journal Star, March 18, 2019) LINCOLN, Neb. — Historic flooding is causing huge headaches for both freight and passenger railroads in Nebraska and surrounding states. Full story: Lincoln Journal Star Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Read MoreBLET lobbies Capitol Hill, regulatory agencies for crew member safety
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, March 15 — BLET officers and staff invested a lot of legwork lobbying for rail worker safety during the early part of March 2019. The BLET lobbying effort was led by National President Dennis R. Pierce and Vice President and National Legislative Representative John P. Tolman, with invaluable support for BLET Director of…
Read MoreTrump budget slashes funding for Amtrak long-distance service
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/12/2019) President Donald Trump’s fiscal-year 2020 budget request submitted yesterday calls for “restructuring” Amtrak and slashing the railroad’s budget to emphasize shorter distance routes. Administration officials cited low ridership and large operating losses on longer distance routes for the need to restructure the national intercity passenger rail system. “The administration believes that restructuring the Amtrak system…
Read MoreIt’s taking a team effort for Union Pacific to roll out its version of PSR
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/11/2019) By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor In 2017’s latter half, Union Pacific Railroad rolled out a transportation plan designed to balance the network, boost productivity and improve asset utilization. The “Blend and Balance” plan called for operating general purpose trains by blending manifest and bulk trains, and balancing the network by running equal numbers of…
Read MoreDerailments raise concerns about the surge in oil trains
(Source: Toronto Star, March 11, 2019) TORONTO — Now that so much oil is being shipped by rail from Alberta to points south and west, the sight of a crumpled freight train on the banks of the Kicking Horse River high in the Rocky Mountains has taken on a new twist. Full story: Toronto Star Tuesday,…
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