News

Below are the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as published on their website. On December 18, 2017, at 7:33 a.m., Pacific standard time, southbound Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) passenger train 501, consisting of a leading and trailing locomotive, a power car, 10 passenger railcars and a luggage car, traveling at…

In response to a petition of reconsideration filed by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) of the final rule that requires training, qualification and oversight for safety-related railroad employees, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to delay the implementation of the rule for an additional…

Phyllis Reed of Florence, Ky., passed away Wednesday, January 3, 2018, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Florence. Phyllis was born Aug. 17, 1939, to the late Victor and Mary Osborn. She married former B&O General Committee General Chairman J.T. “Terry” Reed in 1962, he preceded Phyllis in death on March 5, 2013. Phyllis was self…

Most railroad retirement annuities, like Social Security benefits, were scheduled to increase Jan. 1 on the basis of the rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the third quarter of 2016 to the corresponding period of 2017. The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) reports that Tier I benefits, like Social Security benefits, will increase by…

Brother Nicholas A. Vosejpka, of Hampton, Minn., a switchman with SMART TD Local 1614, died while on duty Dec. 30, 2017, as he worked as a yard foreman at Union Pacific’s Hoffman Yard in St. Paul, Minn. Vosejpka, 35, was walking in the yard performing an air-test in temperatures well below zero with gusting wind at approximately 7:30 p.m. CST, Local 1614 Chairman Brad Nelsen reported. A student and new-hire switch…