Safety
NTSB 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…
Read MoreNorth Dakota adjusts oil conditioning requirement following federal oil train decision
(Source: Bismarck Tribune, August 21, 2020) BISMARCK, N.D. — State regulators changed requirements for oil conditioning on Thursday to address part of a federal agency’s decision earlier this year regarding oil trains. The North Dakota Industrial Commission voted to require that oil’s vapor pressure be conditioned to no more than 14.7 pounds per square inch,…
Read MoreTSB: ‘Ice jacking’ led to CN train derailment
(Source: Progressive Railroading 08/17/2020) Snow and ice buildup underneath a rail led to the derailment in February of a CN crude-oil train in Emo, Ontario, according to a Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) report. The train derailed Feb. 18 on a curve as it traveled from Winnipeg to Fort Frances, Ontario, on CN’s Sprague and Fort Frances…
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