Weekly Digest Number 7 - February 16th, 2021 |
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Path Opens for Return of Daily Amtrak Service |
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The Biden Administration has called on Congress to pass a final COVID-19 relief bill to fund vaccine distribution and help state and local governments maintain essential services. Senate leaders, who have said transportation and transit will benefit from this legislation, are targeting passage by the end of March 2021.
Based on conversations with congressional allies, Rail Passengers believes this legislation will allow us to restore daily service to Amtrak's long-distance routes, maintain Amtrak's State-supported and commuter trains, support the Northeast Corridor, and provide a critical lifeline for public transit agencies across the U.S.
We need your help! Please call your member of congress asking them to support passenger rail and bring back service!
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Railroaders Launch Social Media Groups Around Important Rail Safety Issues
(Editor's Note: This is a great development to see other rank and file workers independent of either RWU or the rail unions start up Facebook Pages and Twitters handles like this. We encourage all rails to get involved!)
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This group was founded in 2019 and has 9.4K members. This is in support of a nationwide effort to guarantee two people on every freight or passenger train. Hopefully this site can spread news and ideas for how to keep our communities and rail lines safe. This group is open to anyone looking to further the message that two people are needed on every train.
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Coalition Against Longer Trains
This is new on Twitter in the last week! The Twitter handle is @NoLongerTrains. As North American freight carriers continue to lengthen trains to absurd proportion, safety and efficiency of the railroad is compromised. We have concerns that longer trains create long delays at grade crossings and may pose safety risks to train crews and the public. Crossings that are blocked for a significant period of time block emergency response vehicles from crossing the tracks and reaching people that need them, and can prompt unsafe pedestrian behavior (such as climbing through stopped trains). Braking and other train crew operations are made more complex, and the loss of radio communications among railroad workers can result in service delays.
Have an opinion on this? Get involved!
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ROADWAY WORKERS FATALLY INJURED BY TRAINS OR ON-TRACK EQUIPMENT IN MULTIPLE TRACK TERRITORY |
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FAMES, as of the date of this publication, has analyzed 89 individual cases, of which, 46 involved trains or on-track equipment where two or more tracks were present. Below is the breakdown of the hazards and statistics pertaining to those accidents. There are unique hazards while working on or near multiple tracks that increase the risks for Roadway Workers. The FAMES committee has observed the following conditions through the investigation of numerous fatal accidents:
Movements of trains and on-track equipment occurred on tracks not expected.
A watchman's warning may not be for the train you can see and expect.
Impaired vision and hearing makes it difficult to distinguish the direction and number of movements on multiple tracks. Watchman/Lookouts failures.
Fouling the track when not necessary or without on-track protection.
Of the 46 fatalities in multiple track territory analyzed by FAMES, 22 accidents (47 percent) were found to occur in territories involving more than two tracks. This is a disproportional accident ratio, when compared to the entire rail network, as multiple track territory only accounts for 13 percent of the rail network.
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Amtrak Looking at Major Expansion in Cleveland, with Possible Service to Columbus, Cincinnati |
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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Amtrak is developing what it’s calling a “visionary plan” to expand rail service across the United States, including the possibility of a major expansion in Cleveland that could link the city to Columbus and Cincinnati via train.
* New service linking Ohio’s largest cities, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, plus Dayton, known as the 3C corridor; Cleveland to New York City, via Buffalo and Albany; Cleveland to New York City, via Pittsburgh; Cleveland to Detroit, via Toledo; and Cincinnati to Chicago, via Indianapolis.
The proposed new routes were part of a report from Amtrak to Congress last year that included a Corridor Development Plan, which proposed numerous high-potential routes of 750 miles or fewer .
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Upcoming Webinars of Interest This Week |
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Passenger Rail Advocacy, Politics and More
Join us on Wednesday, February 17th as Rail Passengers President & CEO sits down with special guest Mayor John Robert Smith, Chairman of Transportation for America. In this special edition of our ongoing webinar series, these two industry leaders and long-time advocates will talk and answer your questions about passenger rail, advocacy, politics, and more. Be sure to register, submit your questions, and share the event.
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What the Rail Industry Can Expect from the New Congress and the Biden Administration
Join the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and Railway Age on February 16 as we discuss key take-aways from the 2020 elections and their impact on freight rail. We will discuss how the November elections outcome will impact congressional action on important rail policies in the next Congress as well as the incoming Biden Administration. You will hear from industry lobbyists and Congressional staff on timely policies issues and other key milestones to monitor in the 117th Congress.
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RRB Plans Improved Access to Toll-Free Service |
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The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has developed two changes to the agency’s nationwide toll-free telephone system that should improve customers’ access to agency staff and services. The changes will take effect on February 15.
To address lengthy wait times for callers on our toll free number 877-772-5772, the RRB is adding a virtual hold function and increasing our total hours of availability beginning with the week of February 15, 2021.
Customers also have other options that are available 24 hours a day to obtain select services without the need to talk to an agency representative. By calling 877-772-5772 and using the automated menus or visiting myRRB, the following information and services are available:
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Fire Breaks Out At Train Derailment Site |
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Crews braved zero-degree weather on Sunday to extinguish a fire that broke out in the debris of a major freight train derailment near Uptown Normal.
The fire began before 9 a.m. Sunday in a semitrailer that was part of the derailed train, near Vernon and Hester avenues, the Normal Fire Department said. Normal fire crews appeared to have it under control by about 11:15 a.m., according to a WGLT reporter on scene.
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Nevada DOT Advancing Rail ‘Blueprint’ for Nevada |
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(Editor's Note: Each state is requited by federal law to submit a state "rail plan" every 4 years. While this often is a perfunctory task given little consideration, Nevada appears to be taking it more seriously this round, with what might be a blueprint for others to follow.)
The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is finalizing the state’s freight and passenger rail plan that will set recommendations on enhancing rail service and serve as the basis for federal and state investments.
NDOT brought together more than 270 rail, economic development and government stakeholders to analyze current and future shipping and transportation needs, and draft the 2021 Nevada State Rail Plan (NVSRP). (Download Executive Summary below.) NDOT’s rail plan advisors, Strategic Rail Finance (SRF), played a key role.
NDOT described described the plan as an update of a 2012 initiative “with a new approach to public-sector transportation planning that:
• Engages with the economic development community and the private sector from the outset to create and implement commercially relevant plans.
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Putting Passengers Before Profit: Welsh Rail Franchise Now in Public Ownership |
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Wales' move to bring railways back into public hands is welcomed by nationalization campaigners.
(Editor's Note: RWU has contemplated the pros and cons of nationalization of the major freight rail system in North America for nearly a decade now. Given the discontent of passengers, shippers and workers in recent years, perhaps rail workers need to take a closer look).
The Welsh government has officially taken the Wales and Borders rail franchise into public ownership. The move poses the question – could UK and Scottish Transport learn from their example? Transport for Wales is operating the Wales and Borders rail services under a subsidiary, ‘Transport for Wales Rail LTD.’ The public takeover began on February 7, 2021.
According to a statement issued by the Welsh government, the move is designed to protect services, safeguard jobs, and deliver infrastructure improvements. Proposals of a public takeover were first announced in October 2020, amid a significant reduction in passenger numbers. By putting the rail services in public ownership, Wales hopes to bring longer term financial stability to the service, vital in securing plans to make infrastructure improvements.
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Germany's High Speed Rail System Explained |
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