Railroaders for Public Safety
@railroaderspac.bsky.social
We support a common sense agenda and independent politics to win real solutions for working people. Rooted in western Nebraska.
In 1976, we had 63 major railroads in the U.S. Today, there are only 7 major railroads left in North America. Over the same period, railroads have abandoned nearly 100,000 miles of track, leaving many cities and regions with a single monopoly carrier, or no service at all.
Are We Getting Railroaded? | Washington Monthly
A train merger and the threat of monopolism on the tracks.
buff.ly
January 22, 2025 at 12:16 PM
In 1976, we had 63 major railroads in the U.S. Today, there are only 7 major railroads left in North America. Over the same period, railroads have abandoned nearly 100,000 miles of track, leaving many cities and regions with a single monopoly carrier, or no service at all.
Small farmers are the first to suffer from rail service cuts or higher rates. In states such as Montana and the Dakotas, where most farmers have to rely on a single monopolistic railroad, they pay twice the rate of those in areas where competition still exists.
https://buff.ly/3DdaGrq
https://buff.ly/3DdaGrq
Are We Getting Railroaded? | Washington Monthly
A train merger and the threat of monopolism on the tracks.
buff.ly
January 6, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Small farmers are the first to suffer from rail service cuts or higher rates. In states such as Montana and the Dakotas, where most farmers have to rely on a single monopolistic railroad, they pay twice the rate of those in areas where competition still exists.
https://buff.ly/3DdaGrq
https://buff.ly/3DdaGrq
Farmers and other producers of heavy, lower-value commodities who rely on railroads have concerns about further railroad consolidation. Consolidation combined with Wall Street-driven cost cutting has resulted in diminished railway capacity and cut or degraded service. https://buff.ly/3DdaGrq
Are We Getting Railroaded? | Washington Monthly
A train merger and the threat of monopolism on the tracks.
buff.ly
January 6, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Farmers and other producers of heavy, lower-value commodities who rely on railroads have concerns about further railroad consolidation. Consolidation combined with Wall Street-driven cost cutting has resulted in diminished railway capacity and cut or degraded service. https://buff.ly/3DdaGrq
"[Union Pacific] will have their East Palestine soon unless they correct these issues and return to a normal maintenance program.”
Regulators Blast Union Pacific for Running Unsafe Trains
The nation’s largest freight rail carrier failed to fix and continued to use faulty equipment, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Managers reportedly pressured inspectors to leave the…
buff.ly
January 5, 2025 at 12:16 PM
"[Union Pacific] will have their East Palestine soon unless they correct these issues and return to a normal maintenance program.”
"Congress has known for decades of the railroad industry’s propensity for hiding and lying about worker injuries [...] Congressional staffers found government reports that identified 'a long history' of railroads underreporting injuries, deaths and near misses."
https://buff.ly/48nbnIL
https://buff.ly/48nbnIL
When Railroad Workers Get Hurt on the Job, Some Supervisors Go to Extremes to Keep It Quiet
Railroad officials have lied, spied and bribed to keep workers’ injuries off the books. “Don’t put your job on the line for another employee.”
buff.ly
January 4, 2025 at 3:31 PM
"Congress has known for decades of the railroad industry’s propensity for hiding and lying about worker injuries [...] Congressional staffers found government reports that identified 'a long history' of railroads underreporting injuries, deaths and near misses."
https://buff.ly/48nbnIL
https://buff.ly/48nbnIL
At least 130 worker deaths and other injuries were alleged to have happened on the job at the nation’s largest freight carriers in the past 15 years. But they were never reported to regulators.
What’s Missing From Railroad Safety Data? Dead Workers and Severed Limbs.
Thanks to government loopholes, rail companies haven’t been scrutinized by the Federal Railroad Administration for scores of alleged worker injuries and at least two deaths.
buff.ly
January 4, 2025 at 12:16 PM
At least 130 worker deaths and other injuries were alleged to have happened on the job at the nation’s largest freight carriers in the past 15 years. But they were never reported to regulators.
"If you keep reporting these track defects, you will no longer have a job at Union Pacific."
Union Pacific Fired Him Rather Than Heed His Warnings of Dangerous Rail Conditions
Time and again, Johnny Taylor’s duty to keep the rails safe from disaster conflicted with his employer’s desire to keep its trains running as fast and as frequently as possible, putting his career…
buff.ly
January 3, 2025 at 12:16 PM
"If you keep reporting these track defects, you will no longer have a job at Union Pacific."
CSX Corp donated $988,489 to candidates in 2024 and spent $1,511,260 on lobbying. What do you think they got for that kind of money?
OpenSecrets:
OpenSecrets:
CSX Corp Profile: Summary
CSX Corp organization profile. Contributions in the 2024 cycle: $988,489. Lobbying in 2024: $1,511,260. Outside Spending in the 2024 cycle: $0.
buff.ly
January 2, 2025 at 3:31 PM
CSX Corp donated $988,489 to candidates in 2024 and spent $1,511,260 on lobbying. What do you think they got for that kind of money?
OpenSecrets:
OpenSecrets:
How to get a big bonus as a railroad company CEO: ignore safety concerns, layoff employees, raise prices, and only serve the customers who aren’t driven out of business by your increased rates.
January 2, 2025 at 12:16 PM
How to get a big bonus as a railroad company CEO: ignore safety concerns, layoff employees, raise prices, and only serve the customers who aren’t driven out of business by your increased rates.
To squeeze the most money out of every minute, the companies are going to dangerous lengths to avoid disruptions — even those for safety repairs.
“Do Your Job.” How the Railroad Industry Intimidates Employees Into Putting Speed Before Safety
Railroad companies have penalized workers for taking the time to make needed repairs and created a culture in which supervisors threaten and fire the very people hired to keep trains running safely.…
buff.ly
December 30, 2024 at 3:31 PM
To squeeze the most money out of every minute, the companies are going to dangerous lengths to avoid disruptions — even those for safety repairs.
Limiting rail capacity worsens climate change. In 2008, the Millennium Institute estimated that a $500 billion investment in rail infrastructure could move 83% of long-haul trucks off the road in two decades, which would greatly reduce carbon emissions.
Are We Getting Railroaded? | Washington Monthly
A train merger and the threat of monopolism on the tracks.
buff.ly
December 24, 2024 at 12:16 PM
Limiting rail capacity worsens climate change. In 2008, the Millennium Institute estimated that a $500 billion investment in rail infrastructure could move 83% of long-haul trucks off the road in two decades, which would greatly reduce carbon emissions.
A supervisor accompanied a hurt worker into an emergency room, according to a recent complaint to regulators, and demanded, successfully, that a doctor change his discharge record so that the railroad would not have to report the injury to the government.
https://buff.ly/48nbnIL
https://buff.ly/48nbnIL
December 22, 2024 at 12:16 PM
A supervisor accompanied a hurt worker into an emergency room, according to a recent complaint to regulators, and demanded, successfully, that a doctor change his discharge record so that the railroad would not have to report the injury to the government.
https://buff.ly/48nbnIL
https://buff.ly/48nbnIL
Imagine watching the elementary school children in your community having to climb over or under trains to get to school because the crossing is blocked for hours on end. What happens when the train starts up with a child under it? These blocked crossings are dangerous.
December 21, 2024 at 3:31 PM
Imagine watching the elementary school children in your community having to climb over or under trains to get to school because the crossing is blocked for hours on end. What happens when the train starts up with a child under it? These blocked crossings are dangerous.
Rail crossings blocked by trains put lives at risk. Police officers, ambulances, and fire trucks are forced to find a way around the stalled trains. Even in a crisis, they have no authority to make the trains move.
December 21, 2024 at 12:16 PM
Rail crossings blocked by trains put lives at risk. Police officers, ambulances, and fire trucks are forced to find a way around the stalled trains. Even in a crisis, they have no authority to make the trains move.
Norfolk Southern donated $1,246,617 to candidates in 2024 and spent $1,550,000 on lobbying. What do you think they got for that kind of money?
OpenSecrets: https://buff.ly/4iroAXb
OpenSecrets: https://buff.ly/4iroAXb
buff.ly
December 20, 2024 at 3:31 PM
Norfolk Southern donated $1,246,617 to candidates in 2024 and spent $1,550,000 on lobbying. What do you think they got for that kind of money?
OpenSecrets: https://buff.ly/4iroAXb
OpenSecrets: https://buff.ly/4iroAXb
36 organizations have registered to lobby on H.R.1674, the Railway Safety Act of 2023. The top five listed on OpenSecrets? Norfolk Southern, Association of American Railroads, CSX Corp, Berkshire Hathaway, and the American Chemistry Council.
https://buff.ly/3BsAUFI
https://buff.ly/3BsAUFI
buff.ly
December 19, 2024 at 12:16 PM
36 organizations have registered to lobby on H.R.1674, the Railway Safety Act of 2023. The top five listed on OpenSecrets? Norfolk Southern, Association of American Railroads, CSX Corp, Berkshire Hathaway, and the American Chemistry Council.
https://buff.ly/3BsAUFI
https://buff.ly/3BsAUFI
In Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia's Houston, TX district, first responders have been delayed by trains more than 3,000 times since 2019.
December 19, 2024 at 12:16 PM
In Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia's Houston, TX district, first responders have been delayed by trains more than 3,000 times since 2019.
After InvestigateTV and ProPublica drew attention to the blocked crossings in Hammond, IN, Norfolk Southern agreed to help the community build a traffic overpass and pitch in $500,000… out of an estimated $14 million.
Railroaded: Blocked crossings force kids to crawl under trains to get to school
When crossings are blocked for hours, kids risk their lives to get to school by crawling through trains that could start at any moment. Ambulances and fire t...
buff.ly
December 18, 2024 at 3:31 PM
After InvestigateTV and ProPublica drew attention to the blocked crossings in Hammond, IN, Norfolk Southern agreed to help the community build a traffic overpass and pitch in $500,000… out of an estimated $14 million.
More than 30,000 reports of blocked train crossings were filed with the Federal Railroad Administration in 2022.
Which states reported the most blocked crossings? Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Which states reported the most blocked crossings? Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee.
December 18, 2024 at 12:16 PM
More than 30,000 reports of blocked train crossings were filed with the Federal Railroad Administration in 2022.
Which states reported the most blocked crossings? Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Which states reported the most blocked crossings? Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Rail crossings are the most dangerous part of our rail network, because this is where our nation’s highway and rail systems meet. Removing as many rail crossings as possible will reduce deaths and make our communities safer.
December 17, 2024 at 2:02 PM
Rail crossings are the most dangerous part of our rail network, because this is where our nation’s highway and rail systems meet. Removing as many rail crossings as possible will reduce deaths and make our communities safer.
What would happen if a freight train blocked several major intersections in your city for DAYS? That’s what happened in Birmingham, Alabama three years ago when a Norfolk Southern train stalled on the tracks.
December 17, 2024 at 12:16 PM
What would happen if a freight train blocked several major intersections in your city for DAYS? That’s what happened in Birmingham, Alabama three years ago when a Norfolk Southern train stalled on the tracks.
Are you a railroad employee? Share your story with ProPublica
Help ProPublica Report on Railroad Worker Safety
Many railroad employees tell us being injured on the job or reporting a safety concern can be fraught with consequences. Our investigative journalists want to talk with insiders in order to tell this…
buff.ly
December 16, 2024 at 5:46 PM
Are you a railroad employee? Share your story with ProPublica
“A supervisor accompanied a hurt worker into an emergency room, according to a recent complaint to regulators, and demanded, successfully, that a doctor change his discharge record so that the railroad would not have to report the injury to the government.”
When Railroad Workers Get Hurt on the Job, Some Supervisors Go to Extremes to Keep It Quiet
Railroad officials have lied, spied and bribed to keep workers’ injuries off the books. “Don’t put your job on the line for another employee.”
buff.ly
December 16, 2024 at 3:31 PM
“A supervisor accompanied a hurt worker into an emergency room, according to a recent complaint to regulators, and demanded, successfully, that a doctor change his discharge record so that the railroad would not have to report the injury to the government.”
A ProPublica investigation found that every one of America’s six largest freight rail operators have settled lawsuits with workers who alleged they were retaliated against, harassed, or fired after injuries. Of 185 suits, at least 111 were settled.
When Railroad Workers Get Hurt on the Job, Some Supervisors Go to Extremes to Keep It Quiet
Railroad officials have lied, spied and bribed to keep workers’ injuries off the books. “Don’t put your job on the line for another employee.”
buff.ly
December 16, 2024 at 12:16 PM
A ProPublica investigation found that every one of America’s six largest freight rail operators have settled lawsuits with workers who alleged they were retaliated against, harassed, or fired after injuries. Of 185 suits, at least 111 were settled.
The bipartisan Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024 would enable first responders to access data about which hazardous materials a railcar is carrying, so they can make informed decisions on how to respond to incidents. It’s stalled in Congress. What will it take to get it passed?
December 15, 2024 at 12:16 PM
The bipartisan Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024 would enable first responders to access data about which hazardous materials a railcar is carrying, so they can make informed decisions on how to respond to incidents. It’s stalled in Congress. What will it take to get it passed?