Safety
President Pierce urges aid for Amtrak/commuters, condemns PSR at Senate hearing
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, October 21 — BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce testified today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at a hearing titled, “Passenger and Freight Rail: The Current Status of the Rail Network and the Track Ahead.” The hearing examined the current state of America’s passenger and freight rail network,…
Read MoreCDC recommends riders, operators wear masks on trains
(Source: Progressive Railroading 10/20/20) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday issued an interim guidance strongly recommending passenger train and subway riders, operators and other crew members wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The guidance recommends people wear masks while waiting for trains or working at stations, and while traveling on trains. The guidance also…
Read MoreNTSB renews call for mandated cameras on locomotives
(Source: Progressive Railroading 09/16/2020) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday reiterated its call for federal regulators to mandate the use of inward- and outward-facing cameras on locomotives. The announcement follows the board’s investigation of a 2019 collision between two CSX trains in Ohio, in which investigators found that the engineer of one train was impaired by his use…
Read MoreAAR endorses FRA rule on continuous rail inspection technology
(Source: Progressive Railroading 09/02/2020) The Federal Railroad Administration‘s (FRA) final rule affecting continuous rail inspection technology will facilitate widespread deployment of such technology to advance safety and efficiency of the nation’s rail network, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). For years, railroads have operated continuous rail inspection technology under longstanding waivers and demonstrated the innovation’s promise…
Read MoreBMWED statement on new FRA rail inspection technology rule
(Source: Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes press release, September 1, 2020) SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — The Federal Railroad Administration has broadened the railroads’ ability to use new rail inspection technologies, officially allowing continuous rail testing to satisfy FRA inspection frequencies. The new rule would rescind the four-hour verification timeframe, which requires a follow-up, human inspection of…
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