WASHINGTON — A section of fractured rail is being examined as part of the investigation of the March 30 derailment and fire involving a BNSF Railway train in Raymond, Minn., according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary accident report. Twenty-three cars were part of that derailment. It involved 10 cars of ethanol, some of […]
WASHINGTON – BNSF Railway and Montana Rail Link have reached a trackage rights agreement that will permit BNSF to operate three of the regional railroad’s branch lines. BNSF in March won Surface Transportation Board approval to resume operation of lines it leased to MRL in 1987. The branch lines that MRL acquired from Burlington Northern, […]
WASHINGTON – Navajo Transitional Energy Co. says BNSF Railway has violated its common carrier obligations by failing to provide adequate service for its Powder River Basin export coal trains. NTEC, in a complaint filed with the Surface Transportation Board on Friday, says BNSF has failed to provide adequate service from the Spring Creek Mine in […]
BNSF Railway and Norfolk Southern have reached paid sick time agreements with two more of the unions representing their employees. BNSF and the International Brotherhood of Railway Carmen reached their agreement as part of larger ongoing discussions about modernizing the work environment, the railway said on Monday. Building upon existing BNSF paid time off and […]
Stephen Low, IMAX filmmaker With big diesels, beautiful landscapes, and unique camera shots, the documentary Train Time takes the IMAX audience on an adventure from the crew’s point of view. Those working behind the scenes of the BNSF Railway openly share their triumphs and struggles as they battle brutal weather-related conditions, unforeseen delays, and much […]
WASHINGTON — Most chemical shippers say railroad service has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to a survey released today by the American Chemistry Council. Some 77% of ACC members surveyed said rail service was worse in January than it was in early 2020 before the pandemic hit. Some 22% said service had returned […]
Rail labor leaders welcomed the safety advisory that the Federal Railroad Administration issued last week that encourages railroads to take steps to reduce the in-train forces that can cause long trains to derail. Railroads, meanwhile, said they were reviewing the advisory to make sure their operating practices are in line with the FRA’s recommendations. “For […]
Looking for interesting uses for cabooses? If you’re of a certain age (myself included), you remember when a caboose was on the end of almost every train. Then, in the 1990s, cabooses began to disappear. Instead of a friendly wave at the end of a train, you were greeted by a blinking red light on […]
RAYMOND, Minn. — Evacuated residents have begun returning home after an early morning derailment of approximately 22 cars of a BNSF Railway train, some carrying ethanol, and subsequent fire. The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office reported at midday that the evacuation for Raymond, ordered after a derailment about 1 a.m., had been lifted, and said there […]
ANACORTES, Wash. — BNSF Railway violated terms of an easement agreement with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community by running 100-car trains of crude oil across the Swinomish reservation in Anacortes for years, a federal judge ruled Monday. The Seattle Times reports that U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik said in a written order Monday that […]
LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Legislature is placing on hold a bill that would require trains to have two-person crews while federal regulators consider the issue, the Omaha World-Herald reports. Legislative Bill 31 was introduced in January by state Sen. Mike Jacobson (R-North Platte) and was awaiting action by the legislature’s Transportation and Telecommuncations Committee. […]
Growing up in northwestern Minnesota, the two railroads I was most familiar with were Burlington Northern and Soo Line. Sure, I would see Conrail freight cars now and then. Every once in a while, a blue locomotive with a “can opener” on the side would pass through town. But as I was going through my […]
