Safety
NTSB: Undetected cracks in tank car led to ethanol release in CSX yard
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/26/2020) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined earlier this week that an Archer Daniels Midland Co. rail tank car, while stationed at a CSX rail yard in Fredericksburg, Virginia, released denatured ethanol — a flammable hazardous material — from undetected cracks in the bottom of the tank car’s shell. About 68 gallons of the material…
Read MoreWashington State Legislature passes train crew bill
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/18/2020) The Washington State Legislature has passed a bill that would establish a minimum crew size on certain trains, rail labor unions reported yesterday. The bill, HB 1841-Establishing Minimum Crews on Certain Trains, passed out of the State House on March 10. The Senate signed off on the legislation on March 12, according…
Read MoreFor the first time in 15 years, grade crossing safety gains a hearing
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/13/2020) By Julie Sneider, Senior Associate Editor For the first time in 15 years, the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials held a hearing to address grade crossing safety. Subcommittee Chairman Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) called the Feb. 5 hearing as part of the panel’s work on legislation to reauthorize the Fixing America’s Surface…
Read MoreNorfolk Southern creates, deploys autonomous track inspection system
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/06/2020) Norfolk Southern Railway yesterday announced it achieved a “breakthrough” in track inspection technology designed to enhance railroad safety and operating efficiencies. NS officials say the Class I is the first North American freight railroad to develop and deploy an autonomous track geometry measurement system that is mounted on a locomotive. The NS…
Read MoreFRA issues ‘risk reduction’ rule for freight railroads
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/19/2020) The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a final rule that launches the Risk Reduction Program to support an increasing standard of safety for Class Is, agency officials announced yesterday. The final rule requires the nation’s largest freight railroads to develop and implement an FRA-approved risk-reduction plan that identifies and analyzes hazards and associated risks…
Read More