The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) commends the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for issuing a decision on NITL’s proposal on competitive switching. The STB has proposed a substantial revision of its reciprocal switching rules, under which rail shippers can seek to obtain single-line pricing from railroads that do not directly serve their facilities. The STB’s proposal is in response to the Petition for Rulemaking filed by The National Industrial Transportation League on July 7, 2011. READ MORE

The Surface Transportation Board today proposed new regulations to improve the availability of reciprocal switching.  The proposed rules allow a shipper served by only one railroad to gain access to a second railroad, if the shipper makes certain showings.  Today’s action is an outgrowth of a petition for rulemaking submitted by The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) in July of 2011, which the Board is granting in part. READ MORE

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) announced a proposed rule today that would permit shippers without access to other transportation options to request that their freight be moved to a competing rail line if another Class I railroad is reasonably accessible. The proposed reform, referred to as competitive switching, was envisioned by the Staggers Rail Act more than three decades ago, but it has never been allowed at the STB. READ MORE

Freight rail industry leaders asked the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to recall its proposed rule mandating two-person crews, saying the agency has offered no data to support its position and that rail safety has improved over time even as crew sizes have decreased. READ MORE

Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) hailed this week a Congressional Budget Office assessment that confirms the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 is fully paid for and even saves taxpayers $6 million over 10 years. READ MORE

The Canadian federal government is proposing to regulate, for the first time,  air pollutant emissions from locomotives.

The proposed regulations are being developed under Canada’s Railway Safety Act and are intended to improve health and the environment, according to Transport Canada. READ MORE

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has filed comments urging the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to withdraw its proposed rule mandating two-person crews on railroads. READ MORE

Federal representatives joined California officials June 17 for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to mark the opening of the freight movement-enhancing Nogales Street Grade Separation Project in Los Angeles County. READ MORE

With the implementation date for new container weighing requirements just around the corner, Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Mario Cordero said the time has come “for ocean carriers to embrace the obvious solution to achieving compliance that marine terminal operators can offer.”

Specifically, Cordero said the weight of export containers, as determined by terminal operators, can and should be classified as the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) of the container. READ MORE

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finalized June 21 the first operational rules for routine commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones.

The FAA said its action opens pathways towards fully integrating drones into the nation’s airspace. READ MORE