General Information
Virgin Trains USA calls off IPO
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/13/2019) Virgin Trains USA, formerly known as Brightline, has shelved a previously announced plan for an initial public offering (IPO). “As we explored a public offering, a number of alternative financing sources became available that allowed us to keep the company private and meet our growth strategies,” the company said in a…
Read MoreOpinion: Pushing the envelope with autonomous freight trains?
(Source: Railway Age opinion column by Robert L. Peterson, SMART TD Local 303 and 951, February 12, 2019) NEW YORK — According to the most recent earnings reports, North American Class I railroads are producing record-low operating ratios and posting record-setting earnings. These results strongly suggest that the current operating format of two-person train crews…
Read MoreUP cuts 250 employees; Another 450 are furloughed
(Source: Omaha World-Herald, February 12, 2019) OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific on Tuesday said it cut its workforce by about 250 people, according to a memo sent to employees and obtained by the Omaha World-Herald. The company also said it had furloughed about 450 employees in the railroad’s mechanical department as more than 1,000 locomotives…
Read MoreShippers group calls for increase in twin-trailer standard
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/12/2019) The Americans for Modern Transportation (AMT) is calling on Congress to increase the national twin-trailer truck standard from 28 feet to 33 feet. In a letter sent last week to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, AMT Executive Director Randy Mullett said the “modest five-foot increase” in twin-trailer truck standard would represent one…
Read MoreTransit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act enters House
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/12/2019) Yesterday, U.S. Reps. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and John Katko (R-N.Y.), and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced the Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act (H.R. 1139). The bill would require U.S. transit-rail agencies to develop a rail operations worker assault risk reduction program in two years. Agencies would need to conduct a…
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