Amtrak and CSX have teamed up with local police agencies in the Rochester NY area to remind drivers to take care around railroad crossings. The safety effort started this week along King Road in Chili NY near Rochester. This railroad crossing was the site of a fatal car and train crash in 2015. Investigators stated that the crossing gates came […]
Amtrak and CSX Warn Drivers to Be Cautious at Railroad Crossings
DC Metro’s ‘SafeTrack’ Plan Being Delayed
DC Metro officials this week confirmed that the final draft of their ‘SafeTrack’ repair plan is going to be delayed as metro officials continue to work with the Federal Transit Administration to meet safety guidelines. Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld announced initial draft of the huge repair plan on May 6, and promised the final draft yesterday. A track explosion […]
DC Metro Fires 20 Managers After Multiple Smoke/Fire Injuries
After several years worth of DC Metro safety incidents that have led to several deaths and dozens of personal injury lawsuits, the general manager for the trouble-plagued metro system fired 20 station managers as part of his effort to reform the system. The general manager, Paul Wiedefeld, followed through on earlier threats to fire managers in the troubled public transit […]
Train Conductor Sues Union Pacific for Injuries on Job
Union Pacific Railroad is being sued after one of its employees was allegedly thrown from a rail car in Cheyenne WY. The plaintiff filed his lawsuit on April 8 in Laramie County District Court in Wyoming. The complaint stated that he was working as a conductor on Oct. 30, 2014 when he was thrown from the car and suffered a […]
Feds Issue New Safety Orders for DC Metro
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has ordered the Washington Metrorail system to take immediate action to reduce the chances of smoke and fire problems after a tunnel fire last week that forced metro officials to close a station for the evening. The FTA has issued the new safety orders that mandate that the transit agency pinpoint power hot spots and […]
FRA Announces $25 Million Funding for Rail Safety Improvements
The Federal Railroad Administration has started to take applications from local governments, states and railroads for $25 million in grants to fund their railroad safety efforts. Applicants can ask for funds for safety upgrades to railroad crossings, tracks, tunnels, yards, bridges, etc. The grants have been made available under the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act. According to US Transportation Secretary Anthony […]
Local Government Can Now Request Railroad Bridge Safety Data
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) last month launched a new web request page for train bridge safety inquiries. Now state and local officials can request information about the safety of railroad bridges in their communities. Once the request has been filed with the FRA, the railroad has 30 days to provide a safety report. According to FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg, […]
NYC’s Metro-North Line Reports More Injuries in 2015
Metro-North, a major commuter railroad line in the New York City metro region, reported this week that both customer and employee injuries increased in 2015. Statistics show that total employee injuries are up by 9.5% from 2014. Meanwhile, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reportable injuries have increased by 1.7%. However, injuries for customers on Metro-North increased in 2015 by 30%. Metro-North […]
Worker Sues Railroad For Injuries on the Job
A man from Benton IL has sued his former railroad company, claiming that he suffered disabling injuries when he fell down a hole while on the job as a railroad conductor. The man filed the railroad lawsuit Jan. 8 in the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against the Illinois Central Railroad Company. The suit alleges that […]
FRA Scrutinizes Railroad Merger Due to Safety Concerns
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. wants to merge with Norfolk Southern Corp., but federal regulators in the US worry that mergers of large railroads could lead to railroad safety concerns. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulates rail safety in the United States, and is looking carefully at the proposed merger, as it scrutinizes safety worries that could result when such large […]