Safety
Runaway one-man train crash in Western Australia contributed to US$600 million loss in productivity
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald, January 22, 2019) SYDNEY, Australia — Mining giant BHP has revealed a freight train derailment in Western Australia, a plant outage in South Australia and a copper mine fire in Chile have led to a $US600 million ($838 million) hit to productivity for the first half of the 2019 financial year.…
Read MoreFeds, 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 MoreWashington, Ohio agencies OK grade crossing projects
(Source: Progressive Railroading 08/27/2018) Agencies in Washington and Ohio have approved upgrades to railroad crossings. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) approved a $19,084 grant from the Grade Crossing Protective Fund to improve a grade crossing on Walnut Street in Bingen, Washington. BNSF Railway Co., which owns the track, has agreed to the request and will complete…
Read MoreFRA publishes railroads’ second quarter 2018 PTC data
(Source: Federal Railroad Administration press release, August 24, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today released the 2018 Quarter 2 status update on railroads’ self-reported progress toward implementing positive train control (PTC) systems. The latest data, current as of June 30, 2018, shows that 15 railroads have installed…
Read MoreHomendy takes seat as NTSB member
(Source: Progressive Railroading 08/22/2018) Jennifer Homendy was sworn in Monday as a National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) member. The board now has all five member positions filled. The NTSB operated with four members from April 2014 to December 2017, and with three members from January to early August 2018, when Bruce Landsberg was appointed vice chairman. Homendy previously…
Read More