Weekly NTI Update

BNSF and SMART-TD have reached a tentative agreement addressing how BNSF handles work schedules for train conductors and other related union members.

Sixteen environmental groups have filed a rulemaking petition with the EPA asking for the federal agency to require coal train operators to have Clean Water Act permits when moving coal.

This AskWaves article looks at how a U.S. federal government shutdown would affect freight rail operations and proposed rail safety and economic rulemakings.

Declaring East Palestine, the town impacted by a Norfolk Southern train derailment, as the site of a public health emergency would allow area residents to have long-term access to Medicare, Ohio’s senators said in a letter to the EPA.

Two Florida East Coast Railway terminals will gain access to Norfolk Southern’s network, and NS and FEC will use a steel wheel interchange in Jacksonville, Florida, which will bolster access to Midwest markets.

Cincinnati voters will determine on Nov. 7 who should own the Cincinnati Southern Railway, which is currently owned by a group affiliated with the city. The city wants to sell it to Norfolk Southern for $1.62 billion.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s CRISI program for rail infrastructure projects awarded a record $1.4 billion to 70 projects across the U.S.

DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy says Atlas rail car system has undergone final testing, while Minneapolis-based Thermo King introduced its next-generation temperature-controlled slimline rail unit.

Although U.S. rail volumes may still be sluggish, Greenbrier received orders for 15,300 new rail cars in its latest fiscal quarter. The orders have an aggregate value of $1.9 billion.

President Joe Biden wants Norfolk Southern and federal agencies to stay involved in recovery efforts in East Palestine, Ohio, where an NS train carrying hazardous materials derailed on Feb. 3.