According to some railroads CEOs it has no influence on traffic flow, but …
And the other side of that coin
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/r-slow-pace-of-rail-recovery-stirs-fear-of-future-woes-2014-15
from Down-under.
People are never happy are they. If they don’t like all those oil trains causing delays then build the Keystone pipeline OR put all that oil on tanker trucks and clog up the highways with pollution pumping semis.
Without getting into politics I think we can all see the benefit of shipping this oil by rail. The passenger trains will just need to be worked into the schedule.
To me it is very interesting how many nuances play into all this and how the different aspects trickle out by drips and drops (no pun intended!).
For instance this morning the Chair of the Canadian Transport Safety Board - she’s retiring next week after the final report on the Lac Mégantic disaster gets published - was interviewed on CBC Radio and one of the items that came up was “black boxes” on trains, the first recommendation for which was published by the TSB back in 2003. Her guesstimate when they will go into usage in approx. two years from now.
Why the delay? Apparently there is a difference of opinion between the TSB and the railways. The TSB intends them to be used solely as an investigative tool - just like the airlines.
The railways OTOH would like them used for disciplinary matters and rule enforcement, in clear text, as one more tool to "spy"on their train crews.
And there the matter sits for eleven years (and counting). Hmmmm…
Hans, big brother is watching. The new company vans we are getting come equipped with GPS trackers. Now my supervisors know where all the techs are, how fast they drive, and even if they idle the van for any length of time. It won’t be long before someone gets disciplined for being chronically late, driving too fast, or idling the van too long.
In the US, I thought we already had the black boxes on trains. Of course I could be wrong.
All of the UP locomotives have data recorders on them. They record data on where the controls are placed, speed, air pressure, etc. They also record the views from the crossing camera and on some locomotives, the crew cameras.
The “unofficial” report on the Lac Mégantic disaster outlining the regulatory failures.
Warren Buffet owns Burlington RR, he’s against the Keystone pipeline. Wonder why?
Jerry Barnes said:
Warren Buffet owns Burlington RR, he’s against the Keystone pipeline. Wonder why?
Don’t be daft. He cares about the environment, of course. 
More on the same topic
http://www.naturalgasintel.com/articles/99504-large-oil-transfer-site-proposed-for-north-dakota
BTW the daily through put results in 104 DOT111 tankers. Here’s hoping they limit the trains to 52 cars.
Could they regulate that by stating “the explosive potential is not to exceed xxx.”