Category Archives: Carmen Division

UPDATE: BNSF Petitions FRA to Expand its Wayside Detector Pilot Program Yet Again

On April 12, 2019, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) granted the BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) a test waiver to conduct a pilot program to “demonstrate that the use of wheel temperature detectors (WTD) to prove brake health effectiveness (BHE) would improve safety, reduce risks to employees, and provide cost savings to the industry.” This regulatory

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UP Requests Relief to Combine Two Existing and Operating Trains without Additional Inspections

On March 9, 2021, the Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requesting a waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad safety regulations contained at 49 CFR parts 215 (Railroad Freight Car Safety Standards) and 232 (Brake System Safety Standards for Freight and Other Non-Passenger Trains and Equipment;

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Another Carrier Petitions FRA for Relief from “Hands-on” Periodic Refresher Training

In April 2021, the Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a system wide waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad safety regulations regarding periodic refresher training for all UP’s Transportation employees. Specifically, UP proposed to create a 3-D simulation using web-based software as a third alternative

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NTSB Blames Union Pacific for Fatal Wyoming Train Crash; Air brake Tests Could have Prevented Accident

The National Transportation Safety Board determined on Jan. 25 that an airbrake failure caused the fatal, Oct. 4, 2018, collision between two Union Pacific trains in Granite Canyon, Wyo. The collision occurred when the air brakes on an eastbound UP freight train failed while descending a hill. The NTSB determined an air-flow restriction in the brake

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