MALAKOFF, Texas – inForney.com reported that 38 Union Pacific (UP) freight cars derailed in this small eastern Texas city on Wednesday, March 29. Authorities said that the diesel spill from two ruptured cars was contained and was not a danger to the public or to local water sources. Click here to read the entire article.
Author: amyr
Click here to read an editorial by Edward Wytkind, President, Transportation Trades Department (TTD), AFL-CIO, on the significance of federal support and investment in high-speed commuter rail. The editorial was posted March 30, 2017, by Medium.com. 
MEXICO CITY, Mexico – The Railway Gazette reported that Grupo México announced that its transportation division – México Transportes (GMXT) – reached an agreement to acquire Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) from Fortress Investment Group. The announcement was made on March 28, 2017. Read the complete article here.
President Trump’s 2018 proposed budget seeks to cut federal funding for Amtrak’s long-distance train services, which would end coast-to-coast commuter rail services and would kill regional and long-distance services, including the following popular commuter rail routes: New York to New Orleans, Chicago to Portland, and Seattle to Los Angeles. Click here to read the entire article from The Independent.
LUBBOCK, Texas – According to an AP report recently posted on KWTX.com, a thirteen-year old girl who went missing while on a family vacation in Colorado, was found safe four days later by a Texas farmer. The missing teen had apparently hitched a ride on a coal train heading south and hopped off 300 miles later when she ran out of Skittles®. The farmer called local authorities and the girl was reunited with her family. No criminal charges are expected to be filed. Read the complete story here.
BOSTON – 7 News Boston reported that the Massachusetts state legislature recently mandated that all duck boats must be operated by two-person crews. The measure came in response to a growing number of duck boat-related injuries and fatalities. Read the complete story here.
Two-person crews on duck boats makes sense – and common sense also dictates that for safety’s sake, all freight and commuter trains should also be operated by two-person crews.
Click here to voice your support of HR 233 – The Safe Freight Act, that mandates two-person crews on all freight trains in the U.S.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – The North Platte Telegraph reported that of the 4,600 Union Pacific Railroad (UP) workers that were furloughed in April of 2016, nearly 3,000 of those workers have been rehired. The jobs that were cut last year were mostly train, engine and rail yard positions.
The article also included a link to new rail jobs at UP, also based out of North Platte. Click here for more information. To read the complete article, click here.
Dayton Power & Light announced Monday, March 20, that it will shut down two coal-fired power plants in southern Ohio next year. An estimated 490 people will lose their jobs once the plants close, not to mention the jobs that will be lost in other coal-related industries as a result.
The plants sit at the heart of a region Trump vowed to revitalize with more jobs and greater economic security during his 2016 campaign. As part of his pledge to reinvigorate the area, Trump also said he would “bring back coal” jobs.
Click here to read more from CBS News.
A collective of rail unions and Michigan citizens lobbied the FRA to deny a CSX request that would discontinue use of vital safety signals along a busy freight rail line in Michigan – and won.
SMART Transportation Division, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Brotherhood of Maintenance Way Employees and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen successfully rallied the FRA to block CSX’s bid to discontinue the traffic control system (TCS) along the Michigan rail line that connects Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit.
Click here to read FRA’s letter of denial to CSX.
WASHINGTON – John Risch, SMART TD National Legislative Director, participated in hearings as a member of the Roundtable on Emerging Railroad Technologies on March 21, 2017. Discussion focused on new and emerging trends in railroad safety including train crew size, recent advancements in train brake technology, and early warning systems.
“Thank you Chairman Schuster, Subcommittee Chair Denham, and Ranking Member Capuano for inviting me to the roundtable discussion on emerging railroad technologies. With nearly 40 years in the railroad industry, I was pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the importance of maintaining minimum crew sizes, implementing Positive Train Control (PTC), and most importantly investing in the installation of Electronic Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) brakes, which are vital to safety of our railroads,” said John Risch, SMART-TD National Legislative Director.
“I look forward to working with the members of the committee to improve railroad safety as we discuss opportunities to strengthen our nation’s infrastructure,” Risch continued.
Click here to read Risch’s complete notes from the hearing.
Click here for information on participants and to view video.