Category: Rail

NTSB Issues Safety Alert to Subways, Rail Over Wheel Defect

The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday issued a safety alert to subway systems and commuter railroads over a wheelset problem that led to a derailment in the nation’s capital, saying the defect is difficult to detect and potentially devastating. The investigative agency released a preliminary report of its ongoing probe into the Oct. 12…


Crash at Rail Crossing Kills Three in South Carolina

NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina—Authorities say a collision between an Amtrak train and a vehicle at a railroad crossing in South Carolina has resulted in three deaths. The North Charleston Fire Department said in a statement that the vehicle was found heavily damaged when police arrived at the scene early Saturday. Three people who had been…


3 Dead After Amtrak Train Collides With Vehicle in South Carolina

Three people are dead after an Amtrak train collided with a vehicle at a rail crossing in South Carolina, authorities said. The North Charleston Fire Department said that the collision was first reported to emergency dispatchers shortly before 2:30 a.m. The three people who were killed were pronounced dead at the scene and were among…


England-Scotland Rail Line Closed as Road Bridges ‘Washed Away’ in Floods

A cross-border rail line between England and Scotland remains closed after two road bridges were “washed away” amid torrential rain. Network Rail Scotland said the bridges spanned the River Annan, north of the railway with trains unable to pass over a viaduct, closing the Dumfries to Carlisle line. It tweeted: “Two road bridges have been…


TSB to Release Report Into Possible Link Between Rail and Wildfire in Lytton, B.C.

RICHMOND, B.C.—The Transportation Safety Board was scheduled to release the results of its investigation today into the “possible relation” between train activities and a wildfire this summer in Lytton, B.C. The fire raced through the town on June 30, killing two people and leaving few buildings undamaged, after a heat wave pushed the temperature up…


Union Pacific Halts Rail Shipments From West Coast to Chicago Over ‘Significant Congestion’

Union Pacific, one of the largest freight railroad operators, said it will suspend service between the West Coast and Chicago due to congestion, according to a spokesperson for the railroad. “We believe this change will allow the transportation supply chain to begin working off the backlog of Global IV destined trains, while freeing up railcar…


Heroic Rail Worker Saved 29 People From Committing Suicide in 6 Years by Talking and Listening

A British rail worker, trained to help persons at risk of suicide on the line, has saved 29 lives since 2015, thanks to his aptitude for talking and listening. In 2015, Rizwan Javed, 30—a communications and stakeholder manager for the MTR Elizabeth Line at West London’s Ealing Broadway station—enrolled in Samaritans’ Managing Suicidal Contacts training. The…


Osaka Steps out of French Open and Onto Sport’s Third Rail

Most athletes are comfortable talking about injuries, so long as they can point to a bruise, a bandage, a cast or a spot on an X-ray. Some will even venture an educated guess at how long they might take to heal. Their mental health is a different story. Or at least it was before Naomi…


California Rail Yard Gunman Amassed Weapons Cache at Home He Torched

The transit employee who fatally shot nine co-workers at a rail yard in San Jose, California, had amassed a collection of 12 firearms, multiple Molotov cocktails, and 22,000 rounds of ammunition at his home before setting it on fire, the local sheriff said on Friday. But an FBI official said the blaze that incinerated the…


Victims of San Jose Rail Yard Shooting Identified; Police, FBI Seek Motive

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Police and federal investigators sought on Thursday to determine why a Northern California transit employee opened fire on his co-workers, killing nine people in the latest mass shooting to haunt the United States. The accused gunman shot himself as police closed in on him, minutes after gunfire erupted at about 6:30 a.m. Pacific…