RWU
News & Information Service
Rail Workers Weekly News Digest
Number 25 - September 10th, 2019
Below is a series of articles compiled over the previous week.
They are of interest to railroad workers.
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2019-25  Article 1

Train conductor killed in collision with semi truck


SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — The conductor of a train that was involved in a collision with a semi truck Friday afternoon has died of his injuries.

The collision happened shortly before 4 p.m. at West 70th St. and Kennedy Dr.
According to the Shreveport Fire Department, the first unit on the scene arrived to find one person trapped inside the cab of the semi truck who turned out to be the train conductor.

Firefighters had to use extrication tools to get him out of the cab, which was heavily damaged. He was taken to LSU Oschner, where officials now confirm he was pronounced dead.
The driver of the semi was able to get out of the truck, but was also injured and taken to the hospital.

SFD Training Officer Brian Watson said how the train conductor came to be inside the cab of the semi truck is under investigation.

Investigators are asking everyone to avoid the area while the investigation is conducted and cleanup can be completed.

20 19-25 Article 2

Amtrak Concedes Negligence In Catastrophic 2017 Derailment


The first of what could be many trials stemming from the deadly 2017 derailment of a Portland-bound Amtrak Cascades train began with the railway accepting liability for the crash.
“We’re here because Amtrak was negligent,” attorney Mark Landman told the jury in his opening statement at the federal courthouse in Tacoma, Washington, on Tuesday. “It never should have happened.”

The crash on Dec. 18, 2017, killed three passengers and injured 65 others, including people on board the speeding train and motorists on adjacent Interstate 5.

Amtrak’s Landman asserted the only question the jury would need to wrestle with is “what is fair and reasonable compensation.”

For the first case to go to trial, the federal court consolidated the personal injury claims brought by two rail passengers and a motorist on I-5, all of whom were badly injured when the train tumbled off a freeway overpass.

In a joint opening statement, two attorneys for the derailment victims said they will seek “full accountability” for the permanent disabilities their clients suffered. “If you break something, you have to fix it, replace it, repair it and take responsibility for it,” said David Beninger, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “The law is the same.” Read more ...

2019-25  Article 3

Amtrak’s Route Accounting: Fatally Flawed, Misleading & Wrong


A white paper issued by the Rail Passengers Association, “Amtrak’s Route Accounting: Fatally Flawed, Misleading & Wrong,” contends that Amtrak’s fully allocated cost methodology “grossly exaggerates the cost of operating the national passenger train system. This, in turn, has lead to the conclusion adopted by many elected leaders and other affected stakeholders that abandonment of key long-distance trains will save Amtrak significant sums and lead to a more financially secure national passenger operation.”

“As we have demonstrated in the white paper, this is completely contrary to RPA’s conclusion,” says RPA New Jersey Councilman Albert L. Papp, Jr. “RPA analyzes and explains the history of Amtrak accounting procedures and recommends that if a more precise, fair and avoidable cost accounting methodology is adopted by our national rail passenger carrier and applied to evaluate each route, frequency and on-board service amenities, a completely different—and more transparent—train performance calculation would be revealed. This will enable Amtrak to identify and respond to the demands of 21st century rail travelers.”
Following is RPA’s white paper summary:

“The RPA strongly believes that the ongoing debate concerning the future shape of Amtrak’s national network has been distorted by its use of fully allocated costs rather than avoidable costs as required by statute. The adverse outcome of using fully allocated costs is the widespread and incorrect perception that Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor is financially self-sufficient and that Amtrak’s need for taxpayer funding results entirely from its operation of passenger trains in the rest of the nation—the National Network, which consists of state-supported regional and federally supported long-distance routes. Read more ...

2019-25  Article 4

Workin’ on the railroad - man or machine?


Since shortly after World War II, the number of people employed by the railroad industry has trended downward. Several years saw increases in rail employment. One example was the 2014 traffic boom, led by the explosion of crude-by-rail, which left freight trains sitting on mainlines because there were no crews to run them. Overall, however, rail employment has decreased from approximately 1.5 million in 1947 to about 140,000 today.

One prime factor in the decline of rail employment was the change of motive power from steam to diesel. The number of shop forces and operating personnel required to support the general use of steam locomotives was significantly higher than the numbers needed to service and operate diesels. 

Other advances contributed to the decline of rail employment as the nation passed the mid-20th century. New signaling systems, modern communication systems, improvements in track and mechanical equipment to replace workers in track repair are just a few. Computers also played a significant role in reducing rail employment.

Historical employment levels cannot be discussed in the abstract, however.  Advances in technology have enabled railroads to work more efficiently and achieve higher productivity. Ton-miles, length of haul, and train length, to name a few, have all increased as the industry has become more efficient. Railroads are doing more work with fewer people, a trend that many other industries have experienced, as well. Read more ...

2019-25  Article 5

Norfolk Southern confirms furloughs in Roanoke


Norfolk Southern Corp. furloughed about 130 locomotive shop employees in Roanoke on Tuesday.
Norfolk Southern said through its press office that it wants “the optimal number of people and assets at every location across our system in order to operate safely and efficiently.” Due to decreased demand for locomotive repair, it said it needed to cut staff in the locomotive mechanical areas. The railroad has revealed long-term plans to operate with fewer locomotives.

About 83 workers lost their jobs at Shaffer’s Crossing and 47 to 50 at the East End Shops, said Shannon Spotswood, a Vinton-based representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union. The furloughed workers, who include electricians, machinists, laborers, pipefitters, engine carpenters and boilermakers, have a “slim” chance of being recalled to work, according to Spotswood.

Workers learned the news Tuesday, when lists of furloughed workers appeared on union bulletin boards, Spotswood said. Workers will be paid for five days and furloughs will start Sunday, he said.
Spotswood estimated the average pay is $33 an hour, plus medical insurance, which he said will continue for five months.

This is Norfolk Southern’s third employment reduction this year in the Roanoke area, Spotswood said. An April cut affected about 45 people, while a May cut impacted 10 to 15 people, he said. Read more ...

2019-25 Article 6

Nevada AFL-CIO calls for mandatory two-person train crews


At its 63rd Constitution Convention in Las Vegas last week, the  Nevada State AFL-CIO  adopted a  safety resolution  in support of federal legislation that would mandate two-person train crews.

The resolution asserts that the best way to keep railroads safe is to implement new technology while also assuring that trains continue to be adequately staffed and operated by at least two professional crew members, said  Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen  (BLET) officials in a press release.

The resolution was submitted by Matt Parker, chairman of the BLET's Nevada State Legislative Board.

In addition, the resolution is critical of the  Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) decision earlier this year  to rescind its proposed two-person crew regulation and take steps to preempt states from passing their own train-crew safety laws.

The resolution reads in part: "FRA's arbitrary and capricious action in this matter is to the detriment of the safety of the public, which the agency is responsible for protecting, therefore making the need to pass Federal legislation requiring freight train crews of at least two persons paramount." Read more ...

2019-25 Article 7

The Diary Of A Black Railroad Pioneer


The Diary of a Black Railroad Pioneer shares the exceptional journey of Jennette Spencer, the first African American woman Signal Maintainer (Engineer Department) in the United States, a profession historically governed by men yet boldly dominated by a determined female pioneer. Spencer’s insightful diary de­tails her unique voyage through life, from her painful struggles within the four walls of her family’s two-room home in South­side Chicago to the exceptional triumphs inside and outside the classroom, to the extreme pits and peaks of her life on railroads across America.

Jennette’s life on the tracks was perpetually scrutinized, as she was constantly undermined by her male counterparts, yet among the name-calling, workplace sabotage, and routine physical threats, Jennette emerged as the first “queen” of the railroad. However, her battle was never a straight path to victory. From suicide attempts to enduring multiple acts of assault to battling addictions, her will to not only survive but thrive in­spires readers from all walks of life to do more, learn more, and love more, no matter what. In a profession that failed to support an unprecedented trailblazer, Jennette serves as a prime exam­ple of independence and resilience, thus encouraging the masses to elevate, respects, and support others, regardless of gender and skin color. In The Diary of a Black Railroad Pioneer, Spencer’s impact on the countless railroad workers she encountered is immeasurable, yet her mission is to reach the masses through her story of perseverance and dedication illustrates a life unlike any other. 

2019-25 Article 8

Lac-Mégantic residents launch legal action demanding repairs to railway


A group of residents from Lac-Mégantic, Que. will seek an injunction to block the transport of dangerous goods in the region, unless defective rails identified in a recent Transport Canada report are immediately repaired.

The Lac-Mégantic Citizens' Coalition for Rail Safety sent a legal letter this week to federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau as well as Transport Canada official Jean-René Gagnon. 

In May, Gagnon told Central Maine and Quebec Railway (CMQR)  it had to fix 253 rails , some of which were in the area where the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster occurred six years ago.

Transport Canada told CBC News Thursday evening that it has received notice from CMQR that the 253 rails have been repaired. The ministry said it is now in the process of verifying the state of the tracks.

It said that a speed limit of 10 miles per hour will remain in place on certain stretches of the railway until the ministry completes its own inspections of the damaged rails. Read more ...

2019-25 Article 9

Is Intermodal Rail Stalling?


Intermodal rail—a transportation mode choice that was to take trucks off the road—is slowing down. Where is it heading? Over several decades, the premise was that railroad intermodal trailer on flat cars (TOFC) and containers mostly on double-stacked well cars (COFC) would grow in volume and therefore reduce highway truck congestion.
This is not a financial analysis to help determine whether to buy or sell railroad stock. This is about the evolving role of rail intermodal service in a market that is dominated by trucks, whose share of volume dwarfs rail.

Yes, rail intermodal has grown, and at a pace mostly above the growth rate of the nation’s gross domestic product. But the commercial message sent by the railroads has largely focused upon the financial earnings and the success of railroad company yield management using their so-called Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) business model.
As one example, CSX proudly states that “CSX has more pricing power [now] … particularly in intermodal truck-rail business …” according to Wall Street Journal business editor Paul Page (October 2018). However, on a volume and market share basis, changes in CSX’s origin-destination intermodal services have resulted in weakness in CSX’s second-quarter intermodal volume. The company reported a 10% drop year-over-year in intermodal volume. CSX also reported an 11% drop in intermodal revenue for the quarter.
Beyond this one eastern railroad, mid-August 2019 U.S. rail total carload and intermodal volumes were down 3.5% year-to-date to 16.6 million units. Of that, U.S. carloads fell 3.2% to 8.1 million, while U.S. intermodal units dropped 3.7% to 8.5 million. Read more ...

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