UPDATE: Unions Request Hearing and Comment period Extension Regarding Mechanical Inspections in Mexico

This is a follow up to the August 10th article, regarding the Kansas City Southern Railway Company’s (KCS) petition to allow Class III air brake tests, currently required by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), to be performed at the U.S. / Mexican border by American inspectors to instead be performed by Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) at one of KCSM’s inspection locations in Mexico by Mexican inspectors.

On August 22, 2018, the Brotherhood Railway Carman (BRC) and the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) jointly filed a request for FRA to hold a public hearing and to extend the time in which comments may be filed in this docket. The unions argued that the request should be granted because hearings and comment extensions were also granted by FRA in two previous dockets where an American rail carrier attempted to move the required tests and inspections to Mexico and because KCS did not meet the statutory requirements of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

To view the BRC-TWU joint comment click here.

Also, please remember that you can also leave your own comment as well. It can be anonymous and it’s easy to do. Just click here and click on “Comment Now” to leave a comment on the docket.

You can write one yourself or you may use a draft comment available here. You may also reach out your National Representative for further information.