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FRA_logo_wordsWASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced the findings and recommendations from its focused safety assessment of Chicago’s Metra. The assessment finds Metra to be generally compliant with federal safety regulations, but also directs the commuter railroad to take immediate steps to enhance its safety culture, which is an area of concern, and to better utilize safety technology.

“Safety is our highest priority and after three serious safety incidents on Metra within a seven day period, we proactively intervened,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Our safety assessment identifies specific actions Metra should take to address risks to improve the safety of all passengers.”

FRA identified and prioritized specific safety concerns and actions Metra should take to mitigate them:

  • Empower conductors to prioritize the safety of operations over collecting fares, on-time performance and customer service;
  • Ensure heightened crew interactions during higher risk operations;
  • Establish new procedures to strengthen the flow of information between operating lines and Metra headquarters;
  • Add technical skills training for managers;
  • Add safety measures and procedures that would provide a level of safety redundancy to protect crossover movements;
  • Implement a Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS); and
  • Immediately prioritize the acquisition, testing and installation of Positive Train Control

(PTC) systems that monitor and control train movements to provide increased safety.

“Continuous safety improvement must be the goal of every railroad,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. “The roadmap we’ve laid out for Metra today is an opportunity for them to renew their commitment to safety and win back the faith of the traveling public.”

FRA announced the launch of the safety assessment on June 6, 2014 after three serious incidents occurred between May 27, 2014, and June 3, 2014, that resulted in the decertification of three Metra locomotive engineers. Review the entire report on Metra. Read our original announcement of the Metra Safety Assessment.

FRA’s strategy for continuous safety improvement is founded on three pillars: a rigorous oversight and inspection program based on strategic use of data; advancing proactive approaches for early identification and mitigation of risk; and capital investments and a robust research and development program.

 

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ark. – Forty-four people were injured as a passenger train collided with a freight train south of West Fork on Thursday morning (Oct. 16), according to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

Of those injured, five are in critical condition while the status of the other 30 is unknown, health officials say. Six crew members of the train were among those injured, said Rick Fahr, a representative with the Department of Emergency Management.

Read the complete story Television Station KFSM.

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Risch

ECP braking technology is part of DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) proposed ruling to make hauling crude oil safer. If passed, the proposal would require advanced braking systems, called electronically controlled pneumatic brakes or ECP technology, to be installed on trains hauling 20 cars or more of oil or ethanol.

National Legislative Director John Risch recently commented in an article by Energy Wire, stating that ECP braking technology is “the greatest advancement in safety I have witnessed in 30 years on the railroads.”

Risch went on further to say, “By instantaneously applying the brakes on all cars, ECP systems reduce in-train forces and dramatically reduce the distance a train needs to stop.”

Transportation regulators have estimated that if something is not done, the next oil train derailment could cost up to $5.75 billion, more than twice as devastating as the derailment and explosion that occurred in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.

The PHMSA’s proposed ruling also includes making oil trains safer by requiring newly designed tank cars with a thicker steel shell. The proposal has three options on the table for new tank cars. Option I is a tank car that features a 9/16 inch steel shell, outfitted with ECP brakes and equipped with rollover protection. Option II would also have the 9/16 inch steel but would not require the car to feature ECP brakes, while option III would have 7/16 inch steel and would also not require the ECP brakes or rollover protection.

In his comments to PHMSA’s proposed ruling, Risch stated, “We support Option I that features tank cars with 9/16 inch steel, outfitted with ECP brakes and equipped with rollover protection. We believe that Options II and III should be eliminated and Option I established as the standard.”

Risch has also suggested in an additional letter to the PHMSA that additional safety measures be taken. “We respectfully recommend that there be a minimum requirement of five buffer cars of sand behind the lead locomotives on all crude oil and ethanol unit cars. These buffer cars will give the crew some time to get out of the locomotive cabs and evacuate the area with their lives after a train wreck.

“During an accident, the sand buffer cars can rupture and spill sand creating a berm on the ground between the crew and draining oil. That spilled sand can also be used to help soak up the spilled oil or ethanol.

“Our nation’s railroads are an inherently safe way to transport ethanol and crude oil and accidents are rare. That being said, safety needs continuous improvement… While prevention is priority, both accidental and intentional incidents are inevitable and must be anticipated by this rulemaking.”

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Wildhaber

Laurine G. Wildhaber, 82, the mother of former Auxiliary of the United Transportation Union International President Carol Menges, died Oct. 14, at the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics. Carol is the spouse of SMART Transportation Division Missouri State Legislative Director Ken Menges.
Wildhaber was a 1949 graduate of Freeburg High School and later became the co-owner and bookkeeper for Wildhaber’s Marine Sales and Service.
She was a part-time volunteer at St. Mary’s Health Center in Jefferson City, Mo. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and assisted with the congregation’s prayer hour.
She is survived by her husband, Kenneth; sons Kenny (Diane) Wildhaber Jr. and Jim (Lisa); daughters Carol Sue (Kenneth) Menges, Mary “Dee Dee” (Don) Mehmert-Cryderman and Cynthia (Greg) Stokes; a brother; three sisters; 12 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Oct. 19 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Houser-Millard Funeral Home, located at 2613 W. Main Street in Jefferson City, with a prayer service at 1 p.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 20, at Immaculate Conception Church, with interment following at Resurrection Cemetery Mausoleum. Expressions of sympathy may be made to Goldschmidt Cancer Center or Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.
Condolences may be left for the family online at www.millardfamilychapels.com.

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After nearly three years of mediation with Great Lakes Airlines in conjunction with the National Mediation Board, SMART Transportation Division-represented airline pilots employed by the company have finally reached an agreement with the carrier.

Following several requests by the pilots’ local representatives to the NMB to be released from mediation, the affected pilots and SMART representatives reached a tentative agreement in late June.

A four-year contract with significant wage increases and beneficial work-rule changes was approved Sept. 16 with 80 percent of the ballots cast in support of the deal. GO 040 General Committee of Adjustment Vice Chairperson Diane King reports that 92 percent of all eligible pilots voted.

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Klundt

GO 040 General Committee of Adjustment Chairperson Matthew Klundt said many of the GLA pilots were exasperated by the long ordeal. “The word ‘strike’ kept coming up among our members at local meetings, but we were all relieved when we saw a light at the end of the tunnel in June. I personally thank Transportation Division President John Previsich, Vice President Jeremy Ferguson and other union officers for encouraging our members to let the process play out,” he said.

On average, airline captains will receive an immediate 20 percent pay increase, first officers an immediate 22 percent increase, and certified airline transport pilot first officers will see an immediate 50 to 55 percent pay increase, depending on what aircraft they are operating.

All Great Lakes pilots will then receive additional two to three percent wage increases each year, through 2017. Realistically, the increases will amount to about 5.5 to six percent per year with the longevity increases built into the agreement.

Other wage scales have also been negotiated for pilots operating jet airline service in anticipation of the carrier possibly purchasing those aircraft in the future.

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Ferguson

“Hopefully, this will come to fruition soon as the number of passengers using Great Lakes’ services has been steadily shrinking due to competition providing faster jet service,” Ferguson said. “The airline’s flights have also decreased due to pilot shortages created by new Federal Aviation Administration regulations which resulted in GLA pilots being recruited by larger carriers. I think this agreement is a win for both sides.”

The airline currently operates only Beechcraft 1900D and Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turbo-prop aircraft with available seating ranging from nine to 30 seats.

The new contract also contains the following provisions:

  • An increase in the daily allowance for expenses (per diem) rate from $1.35 to $1.50 per hour;
  • An improved discipline grievance procedure, allowing for formal investigations with proper notice, including written notification of the charges, time limits on the notice, time limits on when a hearing can be held, the right to cross examine company witnesses and the right to a transcript;
  • A limit on pairings or crew pairings that cannot exceed five calendar days (Airline work schedules consist of assignments called “pairings” that are a sequence of flights that begin and end at the same terminal.)
  • After two years, an increase in the minimum monthly off days from 10 to 11;
  • A requirement that pilots not released from service within four hours of his or her originally scheduled release time shall be considered “involuntarily junior assigned.” Pilots may voluntarily pick up one junior assignment, with pay, at a minimum of four hours above guarantee, but involuntary junior assignments are now paid at 125 percent;
  • Vacation accrual rates converted from hours worked per month to weeks worked per year; third-year pilots will now be entitled to two weeks of vacation instead of one, and
  • A new agreement section listing hotel/lodging conditions and establishment of a union oversight committee on lodging.

After the tentative agreement was reached in June, several issues remained open for discussion that were resolved by memorandums of understanding. That led to a delay in the ratification vote until September.

Ferguson praised General Chairperson Klundt and Local 40 (Denver) President John Nolan for their patience throughout the negotiating and mediation process. “Both Matt and John were very driven during the entire process and were a huge asset to the negotiating team and their fellow pilots. They were instrumental in getting the final negotiations across the finish line,” he said.

CN_red_logoHOMEWOOD, Ill. – Canadian National Railway Company  Oct. 14 officially opened its new employee training center in suburban Chicago. The 55,000-square-foot facility will host up to 250 CN students from across the United States every week, with hands-on training for all key railway jobs.

Claude Mongeau, CN president and chief executive officer, said: “The opening of this state-of-the-art training center is a cornerstone in CN’s workforce renewal, which this year will see the hiring of more than 3,500 employees across our North American network.

“Our training campus in Homewood, adjacent to CN’s Woodcrest mechanical shop, will enhance our railroader training programs, help us instill a strong safety culture amongst our new hires, and reinforce it across all current employees who are learning new skills or upgrading existing ones.

“The new U.S. training center is located in our busy Chicago Terminal and at the center of CN’s U.S. operations. The Chicago area is the largest freight hub in North America and suburban Homewood is home to CN’s U.S. headquarters.”

The new center will offer courses for jobs ranging from conductor to car mechanic, and from track supervisor to signal maintainer. Employees will receive hands-on training in learning laboratories with equipment such as locomotive simulators and dispatcher stations. Outdoor labs with dedicated rolling stock and other equipment for field training will also be a key focus.

CN has invested $25 million in the Homewood training campus and it is the second of two modern employee training centers to open on CN’s network this year. Last month CN marked the completion of its new training center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where up to 350 students from across Canada will train every week.

 

NORWALK, Conn. – A man who stabbed passengers on a casino-bound tour bus on Interstate 95 in Connecticut was fatally shot by state police, officials said Wednesday.

The unidentified man began attacking passengers around 10 p.m., state police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance said. The bus driver flagged down a trooper at a construction site.

Read the complete story at the Associated Press.

CSX_logoShares of No. 3 U.S. railroad CSX Corp rose nearly 10 percent on Monday (Oct. 13) following a report of a rebuffed takeover bid by Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd (CP.TO), but analysts said any such deal would face significant regulatory and other hurdles.

“You could make the argument that there is not much overlap between the two networks and between their businesses,” said Jim Corridore, head of industrials equity research at Standard & Poor’s. “But they would face significant hurdles of getting a merger passed by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB).”

Read the complete story at Reuters.

LOS ANGELES – Sheriff’s deputies were searching for a man Monday (Oct. 13) who made threats while traveling on a Metro bus through Lincoln Heights.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a man and a woman boarded the bus from Line 33 around 1:45 p.m. at Venice Boulevard and Hoover Street.

Read the complete story at CBS Los Angeles.

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Barrows

President Barack Obama announced Oct. 8 his intent to nominate Walter A. Barrows to a second term as the labor member to the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board. His nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Obama first nominated Barrows as the board’s labor member in 2011. His appointment was confirmed by the Senate on Sept. 26, 2011, and he was sworn into office on Oct. 7.

Prior to his service with the RRB, Barrows served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen from 1999 to 2011. From 2004 to 2011, he also served as a labor trustee overseeing the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust Fund.

Following the nomination of Barrows and several others to key administration posts, Obama said, “These men and women bring extraordinary dedication to their roles and will serve the American people well. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

Barrows, 56, is a native of Ohio. He started his railroad career with the Norfolk & Western Railway in 1974, holding numerous positions within the railroad’s signal department. Before being elected BRS secretary-treasurer, he served the union in a variety of local and national offices, including general chairman for the Norfolk Southern General Committee and as a Grand Lodge trustee.

He currently resides in Front Royal, Va, with his wife, Linda. They have three grown children.

Headquartered in Chicago, the RRB provides retirement, survivor, disability, unemployment and sickness benefit payments totaling almost $11 billion a year to railroad workers and their families under the Railroad Retirement and Unemployment Insurance Acts.

The agency is managed by a three-member Board comprised of a representative of rail labor, a representative of rail carriers, and a member representing the general public who serves as chairman. Barrows’ appointment was unanimously supported by 12 different international and national unions which represent employees in the rail industry.