News Archive
BNSF adds new safety rules for crude oil trains
OMAHA – BNSF Railway Co. has started taking additional safety measures for crude oil shipments because of four recent high-profile derailments in the U.S. and Canada, the railroad said Monday. Under the changes, BNSF is slowing down crude oil trains to 35 mph in cities with m [...]
New Construction Starts Rise In 2015
New construction starts in the month of February grew by 16 percent over the previous month due to some large scale projects that took off in Texas, Louisiana and California. According to Dodge Data and Analytics, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were up 34% [...]SMART General President Nigro to retire April 30
Joseph J. Nigro is retiring as general president of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART), effective April 30. He is stepping down in order to fully focus on recovering from a series of recent surgeries. The SMART General [...]House Passes Passenger Rail Reform, Investment Act
The United States House of Representatives March 4 overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation that will provide critical investments in our nation’s passenger rail system. H.R. 749, the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 (PRRIA) will ensure that our national p [...]Train-crew bill passes Minn. Senate committees
A bill that would require two-person crews aboard Amtrak and most freight trains operating in Minnesota passed out of two Senate committees last week. The safety measure is a top legislative priority of theUnited Transportation Union, which represents about 70,000 workers in [...]L.A. Metrolink train hits car, 22 hurt
Los Angeles firefighters say nearly two dozen people suffered injuries, mostly minor, when a commuter train struck a car near downtown Los Angeles and partially derailed. Fire Department spokesman Shawn Lenske says 21 people on the train were hurt in Saturday’s crash. H [...]Former UTUIA Field Supervisor Tom Anziano dies
Retired former United Transportation Union Insurance Association Field Supervisor Thomas R. Anziano Jr., 73, of Local 1373 at Philadelphia, died Mar. 26 after an extended battle with cancer. Anziano began his railroad career with CSX Transportation and worked as a conductor a [...]