In Chicago, Norfolk Southern apologizes for ‘bait truck’ operation
Norfolk Southern apologized after a controversial anti-theft operation in Chicago sparked outrage in the community.
Freight
Ready for the cold?
Extreme cold doesn’t have to have an extreme effect on railroad operations and maintenance. As published in the August 2018 issue of Railway Age, following are several examples of how the supply industry has warmed up to the task.
All-public funding ‘groundbreaking’ for Illinois short line project
Culminating a dozen years of planning, the City of Rochelle, Ill., broke ground on a $7 million expansion of the City of Rochelle Railroad.
NTSB cites retrofit tank cars in preliminary report on Iowa derailment
A June derailment that spilled crude oil in Iowa involved older tank cars retrofitted to newer safety standards, federal investigators found.
KCS opens second Laredo Customs station
Kansas City Southern and U.S. Customs and Border Protection celebrated the completion of the Secondary Examination Station at the KCS Laredo rail yard Aug. 10 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
SLSI picks Cotton for key post
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has named Sam Cotton as Senior Manager, Safety and Operations, replacing Mike Long, who recently accepted a position with the Federal Railroad Administration. Cotton will be responsible for management of SLSI’s Safety Culture Assessment program, a “voluntary, non-punitive and confidential five-to-ten-day onsite process with a rigorous methodology that includes an online survey of staff, discussions with management, and observations of a railroad’s daily practices.”
CEMR Pine Falls Subdivision Enhancement Project under way
The Central Manitoba Railway (CEMR, owned and operated by Cando Rail Services) Pine Falls Subdivision Enhancement Project is an 8.8-mile infrastructure upgrade between CN’s Symington Yard (Beach Junction) and the Imperial Oil terminal at Birds Hill. The project “invests in Canada’s sovereign trade corridors and improves speed and reliability of trade, safety, and supporting short line railway operations in Manitoba.”
GE: Big Data for a big port
A pilot project utilizing advanced analytics software from GE Transportation is under way at the Port of Long Beach, Calif., the busiest port complex in North America. Designed to improve container movements at three of the port’s six container terminals—Long Beach Container Terminal, Total Terminals International and International Transportation Service—the two-month project incorporates GE’s Port Optimizer™ software to access data to move containers more efficiently.
RAC 2018 Safety Award winners
The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) on Aug. 8 announced the winners of its annual Safety Awards, which recognize RAC member-companies’ initiatives “that help to ensure our country’s rail network remains among the safest in the world.” Canadian Pacific, VIA Rail, Cando Rail Services and Genesee & Wyoming received awards for their “outstanding safety leadership” in 2018. Winners will receive their awards at an RAC ceremony in November.
BNSF settles Montana derailment lawsuit
BNSF Railway will pay nearly $1 million to settle a federal lawsuit over damages to a national park following a 2011 derailment in Montana.