Berkshire & Eastern Readies for PAS Operations

Nearly 18 months after CSX acquired Pan Am Systems, Inc. and its short line subsidiaries, Berkshire & Eastern Railroad is set to take over as operator of Pan Am Southern LLC (PAS).

Class I Participation in FRA C3RS Still Pending

The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO has written letters to all six Class I railroads (download below) urging them to join the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) voluntary Confidential Close Call Reporting

(Union Pacific Photograph, via Twitter)

Ratified: UP, SMART-TD Paid Sick Leave Deal (UPDATED)

Union Pacific (UP) on Aug. 2 reported ratifying an agreement with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) to provide up to eight paid sick leave days

(BNSF Photograph)

BNSF, BLET Reach Tentative Agreement

BNSF and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) on Aug. 1 reported agreeing to a tentative deal on paid sick leave and other work/rest options for approximately 7,500 railroaders.

NTSB-provided photographs from the July 6, 2023, Norfolk Southern derailment in Virginia: Derailed gondola cars (left) and a wheelset with a burned-off bearing (right) from unit coal train 814V404. (Sources: NS, left; Federal Railroad Administration, right.)

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report on NS Coal Train Derailment

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report for the investigation of Norfolk Southern’s (NS) July 6, 2023, coal train derailment near Elliston, Va. The agency said future activity will focus on the wheelset and reconditioned bearings of the 71st railcar of the 105-car train; NS’s use of hot bearing detectors (HBD); and NS’s operating rules for defective equipment detectors.

On June 26, 2023, a CSX conductor trainee was killed during a shoving movement at the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Md. Shown above: an illustrated aerial view of the accident scene. (Source: Google Earth; Courtesy of NTSB)

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report on Shove Movement Investigation Following Trainee Fatality

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report for its ongoing investigation of the June 26, 2023, accident involving a CSX conductor trainee, who was killed while riding the lead railcar during a shoving movement at the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Md. The terminal is managed by Ports America, and the track is owned and inspected by Canton Railroad.

FGA operates on 430 route miles of track in Florida generally running east west along the Interstate 10 corridor between Baldwin and Pensacola, with a branch line from Tallahassee to Atapulgus, Ga. It connects with AN Railway and CSX.

FGA Railroaders Vote to Join BLET (Updated)

The train and engine service employees at Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad (FGA) will become the newest members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET), following a recent vote.

90% of BLET Members Ratify Quality of Life Agreement With UP

The six Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) General Chairmen announced June 29 that 90% of the union’s divisions representing locomotive engineers on Union Pacific (UP) have ratified an agreement with

UP, BLET Reach Paid Sick Leave Agreement

Union Pacific (UP) on June 5 announced that it has reached an agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) to provide paid sick leave to the approximately 5,600 locomotive engineers employed by the railroad.

Minnesota Enacts Two-Person Crew Size Legislation

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on May 24 signed a two-person crew bill into law, making his state the 12th to do so. The requirement, introduced earlier this year by State Rep. Jeff

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