Eastern Railroad Discussion > OPED publish crude oil train schedules?

http://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/09/15/train-transparency-bill-exposes-jersey-new-threats/670206001/

Posted from Android

The author opposes a proposal to publish a time table for CSX crude oil trains. A published schedule is a terrible idea not that CSX is likely to follow it. It is amazing what the folks in Bergen county want.

What often happens is oil and ethanol trains sit in the corral at Selkirk until the NJ or Philly refineries are ready. That minimizes waiting in less secure places.

Idiots!

Posted from Android

They should consider CSX's handling of Amtrak's schedules.
But CSX/Amtrak does get passengers to their stations on the day promised, which is about all a freight schedule accomplishes.
On a more sensible level, having the railroad(s) notify local public safety agencies in privileged information that they will be running a flammable or other hazardous train within the next 12 hours would break the public's perception that they are "keeping secrets" and might serve as background for watch commanders or others in case trouble is reported.

It would not be possible for a freight railroad to have a schedule, much less be able to follow it...

With all the money in some of those boroughs on the NJ side of the state line, you would think that someone would buy a lot up in NY State with a view of the CSX track, install a rail cam, and rent it out to a group such as Virtual Railfan. Thus, anyone with access to the Internet could see what was heading south into NJ.

John

railstiesballast Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They should consider CSX's handling of Amtrak's
> schedules.
> But CSX/Amtrak does get passengers to their
> stations on the day promised, which is about all a
> freight schedule accomplishes.
> On a more sensible level, having the railroad(s)
> notify local public safety agencies in privileged
> information that they will be running a flammable
> or other hazardous train within the next 12 hours
> would break the public's perception that they are
> "keeping secrets" and might serve as background
> for watch commanders or others in case trouble is
> reported.

Then the RR runs the risk of having some special interest groups trying to sue the local municipalities for said info under the Freedom of Information act. This whole bill and idea is nuts to begin with.

Russ

All this fuss, over trains that have pretty much stopped running.

Posted from Android

bioyans Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All this fuss, over trains that have pretty much
> stopped running.
>
> Posted from Android

Then the focus will go to all the chemicals hauled by rail or "bad" coal.....

It just will NEVER stop..........!!??!!

PES at Philly has not received a crude train in about 4 months. They did unload one stored there and the empties went out. There are probably ethanol trains to Sewarren, NJ but that has been going on for a decade or more. If the price of crude gets in the mid-fifties per barrel maybe some crude trains form the Mid-West will resume. But right now, even with the weather related shutdowns of some Gulf Coast refineries it appears this is unlikely as gasoline demand drops now. There are 6-8 Suez and Afra's at Big Stone and offshore stuffed with crude from many origins. The folks in these upper class neighborhoods have to learn, no matter their income, location, or political party ( I feel most are right) that the railroad is there to serve the public with all commodities, has been for almost two centuries, and if they are too ignorant to know that then tough. YOU can move, the RR will not.

The U.S. baseline price of crude, and the world price of oil are converging. That means the $10 to $13 cost of rail from the Bakken will be a huge hurdle to overcome.

Posted from Android

DevalDragon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It would not be possible for a freight railroad to
> have a schedule, much less be able to follow it...

That isn't true.

A more accurate statement would be that scheduled railroad operation AND/OR precision railroad operation is not possible or consistent with current management of North American railroads.

TAW



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/17 13:43 by TAW.