Rail Workers Weekly News Digest
Number 9 - May 21st, 2019
|
|
Below is a series of articles compiled over the previous week.
From various sources, they are of interest to railroad workers.
_____________________________________________
|
|
2019-9 Article 1
Safety Board Cites Causes Behind Fatal Amtrak 2017 Train Wreck
An Amtrak train derailment near DuPont that killed three and injured dozens happened because the engineer lost track of where he was on the route and was going more than twice the speed limit when he hit a curve, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Tuesday.
The agency also blamed Sound Transit for not sufficiently mitigating the danger of the sharp bend, Amtrak for not better training the engineer, Washington State Department of Transportation for not ensuring the route was safe before green-lighting a passenger train and the Federal Railroad Administration for using rail cars beneath regulatory standards.
“The engineer was set up to fail,” said NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt.
NTSB staff members on Tuesday made several suggestions to improve safety moving forward. Among them:
▪ Give engineers hands-on training and ensure they are familiar with all features on the route before getting behind the controls.
▪ Educate all crew members on how to assist in the cab.
The conductor “saw his role as passive and to learn as much as he could,” Jenner said, indicating that even junior crew members could intervene if something goes wrong with a train.
▪ Enhance signs at key locations to make sure engineers can see them.
|
|
2019-9 Article 2
Governor signs two-person crew bill in Nevada
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak yesterday signed legislation requiring a minimum crew of two people on Class I and II freight trains operating in the state. Railroads that violate the law will face fines of $5,000 for a first offense, $10,000 for a second offense within three years and $25,000 for a third offense, according to a press release issued by the
SMART-TD
labor organization. Unions representing railroad workers have advocated for two-person crew legislation for years.
"Many people helped to get the word out about the public safety ramifications of this legislation," said Jason Doering, Nevada state legislative director for SMART-TD. "Those concerted efforts paid off, and now we’ve ensured that the state’s railways stay safe with two crew members in each freight train’s cab."
Read more ...
|
|
2019-9 Article 3
U.S. rail traffic slide continues in Week 19 of 2019
NOTE: While the economy is booming and record profits are being made, rail traffic is in a state of decline. Sadly, the rail industry is moving far less freight than it did in peak year 2006, nearly a decade and a half ago! If not for a recent resurgence in oil-by-rail, the numbers would be even worse. The result of the "Precision Scheduled Railroading" hoax?
The downward trend in U.S. rail traffic continued in Week 19, with railroads reporting 529,263 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.7 percent compared with the same week last year, according to the
Association of American Railroads
(AAR). For the week ending May 11, railroads registered 258,641 total carloads, down 3.1 percent, and 270,622 containers and trailers, down 4.3 percent. Three of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR follows on a weekly basis posted increases during the week. They were petroleum and petroleum products, up 2,900 carloads to 13,048; miscellaneous carloads, up 475 carloads to 9,570; and motor vehicles and parts, up 64 carloads to 16,986.
Read more ...
|
|
2019-9 Article 4
CN, Teamsters OK tentative pact for rail traffic controllers
Details of the agreement will not be made public until after the contract is ratified, which is expected by early June, CN officials said in a press release.
“With this tentative agreement covering our rail traffic controllers, we are pleased to conclude another negotiation furthering long-term labor stability,” said CN President and Chief Executive Officer JJ Ruest. "We are committed to working together with our railroaders and their representatives in a mutually beneficial manner.”
Read more ...
|
|
2019-9 Article 5
LIRR railworkers refusing overtime shifts in unsanctioned job action
MINEOLA, Long Island (WABC) -- Eyewitness News has learned that hundreds of unionized workers on the Long Island Rail Road are refusing to work overtime shifts Friday and throughout the upcoming weekend in response to the MTA's crackdown on overtime. It could force the cancellation of a broad array of projects and repairs for several days.
Privately, workers are seething over the agency's decision to post MTA police officers at worksites to monitor attendance, and they resent being blamed for skyrocketing overtime costs for projects the agency has fast-tracked. "Governor (Andrew) Cuomo commissioned all these projects, gave us a timetable, we're getting them done, and now, MTA is blaming us," said one worker, who asked not to be identified.
Read more ...
|
|
2019-9 Article 6
Despite Missteps, High-Speed Rail Lines in 3 States Point to Progress
A new era of passenger rail in the United States may finally be on the way, according to high-speed rail advocates. Despite recent confusion and negative publicity over California’s long-troubled high-speed rail venture, that project and others like it are quickly moving from drawing-board concepts to physical reality.
By the end of this year, the country may have as many as three new passenger railroad systems under construction, each promising fast service between cities in just a few years. The projects in California, Florida and Texas differ quite a bit from one another in size, scope and funding sources. But each one of those projects seems to be moving forward despite significant obstacles, something many rail proponents see as as a promising sign.
Read more ...
|
|
2019-9 Article 7
Second worker dies from tanker explosion injuries, police chief says
SAN ANTONIO
- The rail tanker explosion in south Bexar County on Friday has now resulted in the deaths of two workers.
Several workers with
Cru Railcar Services
were cleaning out crude oil residue inside the rail tanker when an explosion happened at the Alamo Junction Rail Park, which is in the 12500 block of Old Corpus Christi Road.
Officials said Gary Garza, 39, was found trapped inside the rail tanker and was pronounced dead at the scene. A second worker, who was airlifted in critical condition with severe burns and a cable impaled into his side, died Monday night at Brooke Army Medical Center, Elmendorf police Chief Marco Pena said.He was identified as Roger Noriega, 42, Pena said.
The four other workers who were injured in the explosion have since been released from the hospital, Pena said.
Read More ...
|
|
2019-9 Article 8
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Surface Transportation Board Vice Chairman Patrick Fuchs says the independent agency is ready to tackle several issues that have been languishing for years, including how reasonable rates are determined and shipper requests for reciprocal switching.
The board also is closely watching Class I railroad transitions to Precision Scheduled Railroading and wants to get to the bottom of shipper complaints about related changes to demurrage and accessorial charges.
Read more ...
|
|
Railroad Workers United
Solidarity -- Unity -- Democracy
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
