ASLRRA to USDOT: Allow Greater Use of Tech, Skip Crew-Size Mandates

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor View article in its entirety at Railway Age. The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) is among those who have submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s draft strategic framework. Comments on the framework—which will guide USDOT’s work, including implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, over the next five years—were due … Continue reading ASLRRA to USDOT: Allow Greater Use of Tech, Skip Crew-Size Mandates

Veteran Railroader Fritz Edler Offers Recommendations

“Just because an industry CAN do something doesn't mean an industry SHOULD be doing it!” emphasized Fritz Edler, a veteran railroader with experience as a rail freight car builder and repairer. Edler has worked in many capacities, from maintaining tracks and bridges to running high speed trains. Based in Washington D.C., Edler has broad rail … Continue reading Veteran Railroader Fritz Edler Offers Recommendations

As debate rages over cross-border pipelines, U.S. analysts brace for more oil by rail

View article in its entirety at The Canadian Press. — Author: James McCarten WASHINGTON — The fierce debate over cross-border pipelines is putting more Canadian oil and gas on trains destined for the United States — a country experts fear is ill-equipped for the potential consequences. It would take an oil-by-rail calamity of a scale comparable … Continue reading As debate rages over cross-border pipelines, U.S. analysts brace for more oil by rail

Safety Can’t Be a ‘Pretext’ for Regulating Unsafe Oil Trains, Says Trump Admin

View article in its entirety at DeSmog. — Author: Justin Mikulka The federal agency overseeing the safe transport of hazardous materials released a stunning explanation of its May 11 decision striking down a Washington state effort to regulate trains carrying volatile oil within its borders. A state cannot use “safety as a pretext for inhibiting market growth,” wrote Paul … Continue reading Safety Can’t Be a ‘Pretext’ for Regulating Unsafe Oil Trains, Says Trump Admin

FRA’s Own Report Blows Hole in Arguments Against Two-Person Freight Crews

View article in its entirety at Sheet Metal|Air|Rail|Transportation (SMART). — Jeremy R. Ferguson - President, Transportation Division The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in a 41-page report released Jan. 13th by its Office of Research, Development and Technology said what railroaders already know. Researchers at the Volpe Center over a period of years performed cognitive task analyses … Continue reading FRA’s Own Report Blows Hole in Arguments Against Two-Person Freight Crews