Category Archives: Carmen Division

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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FRA Rules Against Rail Labor in Brake Safety Standards Opposed by TCU Carman Division

On January 15, 2020, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued an extensive Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) entitled “Brake System Safety Standards.” The NPRM proposed sweeping changes to brake inspections standards, and incorporated into the regulations, a large number of waivers it has issued to railroads and railroad associations. Among these changes, are modifications to

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