Safety
FRA 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…
Read MoreTwo women charged with train terror attack in Washington
(Source: Progressive Railroading 12/03/2020) Two Washington state women have been charged with a terror attack and violence against BNSF Railway Co. after they allegedly placed a “shunt” on the railroad’s tracks near Bellingham, Washington, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced this week. Samantha Frances Brooks and Ellen Brennan Reiche, both of Bellingham, Washington, were arrested Nov. 28 in…
Read MoreFRA: PTC operating on over 99 percent of required route miles
(Source: Progressive Railroading 11/18/2020) All railroads subject to the federal positive train control (PTC) mandate are currently operating PTC systems in revenue service or in advanced field testing, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced today. As of Sept. 30, PTC technology remains yet to be activated on about 223 required route miles, based on railroads’ third-quarter 2020 PTC progress…
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