By William G. Jungbauer | Published October 31, 2013 | Posted in Railroad Employees | Tagged Tags: hazardous material, terrorist attack, train derailment | Leave a comment
U.S. Rails at Risk? Trains Still Terrorist Targets after Ample Warning
Starting almost 40 years ago, terrorist organizations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia have targeted railway systems as sites for their despicable attacks on the civilized world. Attacks that were fully executed have claimed hundreds of lives and injured thousands more. Some fear that attacks in Western Europe, such as the horrific Madrid train Read More
Read MoreTexting on the Train: Dangers of Distracted Conductors
With 41 states in the U.S. banning text messaging while operating a motor vehicle, it is clear that law enforcement is attempting to deal with the hazards posed by screen-obsessed motorists. Indeed, statistics indicate that texting while driving is even more unsafe than driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, primarily due to the Read More
Read MoreSecond Major Train Tragedy of the Year North of the Border
After close to 50 lives were lost only a few months earlier in a rail accident that destroyed large swaths of a tourist and logging town in Quebec, recently Canada was again rocked by a tragic railroad disaster. While the exact cause remains unknown at press time, some of the facts of this gruesome crash Read More
Read MoreKids, Trains and Hospital Bills: Child Railroad Safety
An 11-year-old Northeast Minneapolis boy is Minnesota’s latest train accident victim. The boy and his friends’ choice of a moving a train as the site of their early evening play was ill-advised, as the boy sustained a foot injury while trying to either hop on or jump off of the moving locomotive. According to one Read More
Read MoreCommuter Crash: Post-Collision Chaos Causes Injuries and Apprehension
As the nation’s second-largest public transportation system, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) provides about 1.6 million rides each day, serving Chicago and 35 suburbs in the metro area. One of the most important arteries in the CTA system is its Blue line, which serves O’Hare International Airport and also brings commuters to and from the Read More
Read MoreHigh Profile Train Accidents Raise Specter of Reform
Recent news reports have been dotted with train disasters. The horrifying nature of these accidents – especially the high causality rates – raise doubts regarding the sufficiency of current industry regulations. Reform proponents maintain that accidents such as the deadly Quebec oil tanker crash could have been prevented through stricter laws and more government oversight. Read More
Read MoreHow Will the Government Shutdown Affect U.S. Rail System?
The federal government shutdown has opened up a Pandora’s box of fear, anger, and suspicion across the nation, with no end in sight for the finger-pointing and fault-finding that has accompanied it. One thing is certain. The shutdown is inconveniencing Americans in a number of unexpected and frustrating ways. While Minnesotans recently weathered their own Read More
Read MoreAccident Predictions May Help Drivers Avoid Train Crashes
In many states, drivers transverse train crossings on an almost daily basis. While few enjoy confronting the possibility of train-motor vehicle crossing collisions, statistics indicate that there are close to 2,000 such collisions each year. For some drivers, passing through train crossings is a necessity, as the only way to reach their destination involves a Read More
Read MoreWith High Speed Rail, the Future is Now
As its name implies, high-speed rail involves trains traveling at significantly greater speeds than traditional trains. Since the launch of Japan’s “bullet train” in 1964, many countries have adopted this technology, which carries passengers at speeds well over 180 miles per hour. In 2000, Amtrak introduced the first high-speed rail service in the U.S., Acela Read More
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