General Information
Feds, states and railroads team up to boost grade crossing safety
(Source: Progressive Railroading January 2019) By Julie Sneider, Senior Associate Editor Although fatalities resulting from train-vehicle collisions at grade crossings are much lower than they were decades ago, a leveling off of those statistics in recent years has federal, state and railroad industry officials calling for new strategies to further drive down the number of crossing…
Read MoreU.S. Rep. Blumenauer introduces short-line tax credit bill
(Source: Progressive Railroading 1/15/2019) A bill that aims to make the short-line tax credit permanent was introduced in the U.S. House late last week. U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) introduced H.R. 510, which calls for permanently extending the Section 45G tax credit for short lines and regionals that invest in track maintenance and other railroad infrastructure.…
Read MoreBLET to host Local Chairman class in March 2019
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, January 10 — The BLET Education and Training Department will host a Local Chairman training class from March 31 through April 5, 2019, at the BLET National Division headquarters and Training Center in Independence, Ohio. The class is designed to help Local Chairmen develop and hone the skills necessary to provide the best…
Read MoreU.S. rail carloads, intermodal volumes rose in Week 1
(Source: Progressive Railroading 01/10/2019) U.S. railroads posted a 4.8 percent increase in carload and intermodal units during January’s first week compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data. U.S. roads’ carload activity rose 6.2 percent to 221,759 units, while intermodal volume climbed 3.4 percent to 214,344 containers and trailers for…
Read MoreUP must pay $2.3 million in settlement of civil environmental case
(Source: Herald News, January 9, 2019) SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson announced on Jan. 7 that as part of a multi-jurisdiction prosecution, Placer County Superior Court Judge Alan Pineschi has ordered Union Pacific Railroad Company to pay more than $2.3 million in the settlement of a civil environmental case.…
Read More