Safety
U.S. Senate leader Schumer urges federal safety probe into all major freight railroads
By Richard Cowan and David Shepardson (Source: msn.com 03/16/2023) WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday urged a federal investigation into safety practices of all seven major freight railroads, following the East Palestine, Ohio derailment of a Norfolk Southern Corp train. In a letter, Schumer urged the National Transportation Safety Board…
Read MoreBLET President Hall statement on NTSB’s preliminary report on the East Palestine derailment
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, February 23 — The following statement is from Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) National President Eddie Hall in response to the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report released today on the East Palestine, Ohio derailment: The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has been assisting the National Transportation Safety Board…
Read MoreFRA issues face-mask mandate
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/01/2021) The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) late last week issued an emergency order that requires the wearing of face masks during all freight- and passenger-rail operations under the FRA’s jurisdiction. The order was issued to require compliance under President Biden’s recent executive order and that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which called for masks to…
Read MoreNTSB: Failed brake system led to fatal Wyoming train collision
(Source: Progressive Railroading 01/26/2021) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that an air brake failure caused a fatal collision between two Union Pacific Railroad trains in Granite Canyon, Wyoming, in 2018. In a report issued yesterday, the NTSB said the Oct. 4, 2018, collision occurred when the air brakes on an eastbound UP train failed while descending a hill.…
Read MoreSOFA report for November 2020: Three switching fatalities in 90 days
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, December 8 — The Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group has published its most recent Safety Alert, reminding workers to remain vigilant in light of three switching fatalities in the 90 day period from August to November. As a cross-industry collaboration for over 20 years, the SOFA Working Group has identified the…
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