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☆ Live updates: East Palestine, Ohio train derailment Senate hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Chris Isidore | Aditi Sangal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In the lead-up to a Senate committee hearing on the toxic train derailment that spilled chemicals in the Ohio town of East Palestine last month, a bipartisan group of senators is introducing a new bill aimed at shoring up rail safety. The Railway Safety Act of 2023 will be introduced by Republican Sens. Vance of Ohio, Marco Rubio of Florida and Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Democratic Sens. It has a provision requiring “well-trained, two-person crews aboard every train.” And it boosts the maximum fines for rail carriers for wrongdoing. Data compiled by the nonprofit OpenSecrets show that Norfolk Southern, the company involved in the Ohio derailment, spent $1.8 million on federal lobbying last year.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO to tell senators how he plans to 'make it right' after Ohio derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw will tell a U.S. Senate panel Thursday how he plans to "make it right" after one of the company's trains derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, last month. Other committees in Congress are also investigating the East Palestine derailment. On Saturday, another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio, after which residents near Springfield were ordered to shelter in place. Hours after that derailment, internal emails obtained by CNBC indicated that Norfolk Southern was making broad safety adjustments to prevent future incidents.

☆ Mercuria leads funding round for engine tech firm ClearFlame
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Simon Jessop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A flag with the logo of Mercuria commodity trading house is pictured in Geneva, Switzerland, October 11, 2016. ClearFlame, whose technology allows diesel engines to run on more climate-friendly fuels, said the Series B round was also backed by WIND Ventures, the venture arm of Chile's COPEC (COPEC.SN), and existing investor Breakthrough Energy Ventures. To help accelerate the shift to a low-carbon economy, ClearFlame modifies the engine design by switching out 10-15% of the engine parts to allow it to run on a variety of fuels, including ethanol and ammonia. Diesel accounts for around 26% of carbon emissions from the transport sector, ClearFlame said, and is also responsible for particulates and black soot. Mercuria's Boris Bystrov said in a statement that its investment reflected a belief that ClearFlame's technology can "economically decarbonise the heavy-duty industry".

[1/5] Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. Rail workers, on strike since March 2, have extended their walkout until Friday. "We could have been there, we could have been on that same train," Aria Laska, 23, told Reuters. Three more railway workers were detained and accused of disrupting public transport leading to deaths, the semi-state Athens News Agency reported. "We are together in this trial," Mitsotakis said, adding that young people and their parents had "every right to be angry".

On Tuesday, a nationwide day of industrial action brought record numbers of people onto the streets against the policy change. But Olivier Gantois, the head of the French Association of Petroleum Industry (UFIP), said there was little impact on consumers for now. The logo of French oil and gas company TotalEnergies is seen at TotalEnergies fuel depot in Mardyck, near Dunkerque, as France faces the sixth nationwide day of strike and protests against French government's pension reform plan, France, March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal RossignolThe four French LNG terminals and all of the gas storage facilities also remained blocked, FNME-CGT representative Fabrice Coudour said. The next nationwide day of strikes and protests is set for Saturday.

☆ Need a nanny? Chinese school trains women to take care of newborns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Casey Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Confinement care is not new in China, where the practice of one month confinement post-birth, which traditionally included strict rules around bathing, hair washing and teeth brushing for mothers, has long been the norm. What is different today is the professionalism and expectations of those doing the caring, says Jiang Lei, a teacher at the centre. "We need professionals to do professional things for professional people," Jiang added, explaining that the centre teaches "scientific feeding knowledge, sleep cultivation and other knowledge such as early childhood education". The experience of caring for her own child made the idea of a career in childcare attractive, she said. ($1 = 6.9045 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Casey Hall; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Europe is trying to move from planes to trains. Here's how that's going
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Miquel Ros | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Aviation emissions in Europe increased an average of 5% year-on-year between 2013 and 2019, according to the EU. Not surprisingly these moves have set alarm bells ringing in the aviation industry. “For many decision-makers, banning short-haul flights and showing support to the rail industry is an easy win to gain favor with the public, especially in Europe,” Montserrat Barriga, the ERA’s director general, told CNN. “Governments continue ignoring the biggest source of aviation emissions – long-haul flights, that remain unpriced and unregulated,” says T&E’s Dardenne. Better connectivity between intercity rail and airports would also reduce the need for short-haul flights.

Air France said about 20% of short-haul flights would be canceled, but long-haul services would be maintained. The reforms will gradually increase the age at which most French citizens can draw a state pension to 64, from 62. A record 1.3 million people took part in demonstrations on January 19, which brought the country to a standstill and shuttered the Eiffel Tower to visitors. The government has said the pension legislation is necessary to tackle a funding deficit, but the reforms have angered workers at a time when living costs are rising. The legislation is currently before French lawmakers, with a vote on the final version of the text expected later this month.

LONDON, March 7 (Reuters) - India’s power generators and coal mines are being stretched to the limit to meet surging demand for power stemming from a fast-growing economy and rapid electrification. Coal units increased generation by almost 16 billion kWh (+18%) compared with a year earlier, in part to offset reduced output from expensive gas-fired units. Chartbook: India electricity and coalBut domestic mines and the rail network are struggling to keep pace with the strong demand from power producers for fuel. Mine production and coal trains despatched to power plants both increased last year by 12%, which was impressive but still below generators’ requirements. The government has also ordered privately owned generators that rely on expensive imported coal to maximise output to relieve power shortages (“India to use emergency law to maximise coal power output”, Reuters, January 30).

REUTERS/Andrew Winning/File PhotoWASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - Engineering company Siemens AG (SIEGn.DE) will announce on Tuesday it is investing over $220 million to build a rail car manufacturing facility in North Carolina, the White House and Siemens said. Busch said Siemens has a "strong foothold" in the market and sees longer term growth opportunities in high-speed rail. Siemens' rail unit will be receiving a jobs development grant from the state of North Carolina, the company said. Funding comes in part from the bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021, the White House said. The $1 trillion infrastructure law provides $66 billion for rail, an unprecedented boost in federal aid for trains.

☆ Unions seek to bring France to a halt to block pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ingrid Melander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Suburban trains are seen at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris on the eve of the sixth nationwide day of strike and protests against the pension reform in France with heavy disruption on French SNCF railway and the Paris transport RATP networks, France, March 6, 2023. "Together, on March 7th, let's put France to a halt! "People massively reject this reform," CFDT union leader Laurent Berger told France Inter radio. "The future of our pension system is at stake," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told France 5 TV on Monday. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT union, Philippe Martinez, told weekly JDD.

☆ US safety board opens probe into Norfolk Southern after derailments
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Norfolk Southern has been under fire after several derailments of its trains, particularly one on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio that caused cars carrying toxic vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals to spill and catch fire. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw is scheduled to testify on Thursday before a Senate committee on the East Palestine derailment. Since December 2021, NTSB has launched investigation teams to five significant accidents involving Norfolk Southern including a March 4 derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near Springfield, Ohio. As part of the special investigation, the NTSB will also review a October 2022 Norfolk Southern derailment in Sandusky, Ohio. "The continued safe operations of Norfolk Southern is vital to the United States.

Dinnall, 51, is a train conductor for the New York City subway system — the heartbeat that keeps the city running. Natasha Dinnall, 51, is a NYC subway conductor and earns $86,000 per year. Here's how Dinnall earns $86,000 a year as a subway conductor in NYC. She took her first job with the agency as a property protection agent and later became a station agent, conductor, train operator, and finally a conductor again. Mickey Todiwala | CNBC Make ItEmployees must go through "extensive training" to become a conductor, Dinnall says.

☆ 'Let's bring France to a halt': Oil refineries blocked and trains halted by pension reform protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Christophe Archambault | Afp | Getty ImagesStrike action over plans to raise the pension age in France caused widespread disruption on Tuesday, as trains came to a near-standstill, many schools were shut and fuel deliveries were blocked from refineries. Lou Benoist | Afp | Getty ImagesEric Sellini, a representative from the CGT union at TotalEnergies, told Reuters that a strike blocking the Gonfreville refinery in Normandy would run until Thursday. Another at the Donges refinery in western France is set to run until Friday, he added. Sameer Al-doumy | Afp | Getty ImagesThe strikes come as French workers grapple with red-hot inflation, which accelerated unexpectedly in February to hit 6.2% year-on-year. Around two thirds of the public support protests against the pension reforms, according to an Elabe survey.

☆ US natgas plunges 15% on less cold forecasts, biggest drop in 8 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. natural gas futures plunged by about 15% on Monday - its biggest one-day drop in over eight months —on forecasts for much less cold weather and heating demand than previously expected over the next two weeks. "This has translated to ... [gas] demand lost over the forecast period ... With the vast majority of that being [residential and commercial] demand," Gelber said. The gas market is used to huge price swings, which are usually related to changes in weather forecasts. When operating at full power, Freeport LNG, the second-biggest U.S. LNG export plant, can turn about 2.1 bcfd of gas into LNG for export. That compares with a monthly record of 12.9 bcfd in March 2022, before the Freeport LNG facility shut.

☆ Norfolk Southern makes broad safety adjustments after third train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An internal Norfolk Southern email sent Sunday and obtained by CNBC with a time stamp approximately 11 hours after the latest derailment indicated that Norfolk Southern was planning to reduce train length in an effort to prevent future incidents. Sources tell CNBC the email was given to Norfolk Southern yard managers, who are union workers in charge of stacking the trains. Norfolk Southern told CNBC other railroad carriers currently have this safety practice in place. "At Norfolk Southern, the safety of our crews and the communities we serve comes first," Connor Spielmaker, spokesman for Norfolk Southern, wrote via email. Norfolk Southern told CNBC it is actively reviewing all safety protocols to make sure trains are operating appropriately across the network.

☆ Greek station master detained pending trial over train crash -lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Lawyer Stefanos Pantzartzidis, who represents the station master being investigated over the fatal collision of two trains, speaks to journalists outside the courthouse, after his client was detained pending trial, in the city of Larissa, Greece, March 5, 2023. REUTERS/Thanos FloulisATHENS, March 5 (Reuters) - The station master at Greece's Larissa railway station was detained pending trial on Sunday, his lawyer said, on charges related to the country's deadliest train crash on record. On Thursday, he said that his client had assumed responsibility "proportionate to him", but other factors were also at play, without elaborating. Greek railway unions have long complained of slipping safety standards, which place both passengers and workers at risk. Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Michele Kambas; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

PARIS, March 5 (Reuters) - Industrial action in France over the government's planned pensions overhaul will cause heavy disruption to public transport again on Tuesday, the transport minister and several public transport authorities said on Sunday. Some unions, such as the hardline CGT, called for a rolling strike at refineries and at the national railway operator SNCF. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT, Philippe Martinez, told French weekly JDD. It is up to him to withdraw this reform," he said, referring to President Emmanuel Macron. RATP, the public transport operator for the Ile-de-France region around Paris, also said metro lines and suburban trains will be heavily disrupted, with some metro lines only running at peak hours.

ATHENS, March 5 (Reuters) - A Greek railway employee was jailed on Sunday pending trial over a deadly train crash that killed at least 57 people, as Greeks seethed with anger over the worst rail disaster in living memory. Clashes erupted between police and demonstrators in Athens on Sunday, after thousands rallied to protest over the crash. The 59-year-old Larissa station master faces multiple charges of disrupting transport and putting lives at risk. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis 1 2 3 4 5Railway workers say the country's rail network has been creaking under cost-cutting and underinvestment, a legacy of Greece's debilitating debt crisis from 2010 to 2018. Mitsotakis said on Sunday that if there had been a remote system in place throughout the rail network "it would have been, in practice, impossible for the accident to happen".

☆ Thousands protest in Athens after Greece's deadly train crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Alkis KonstantinidisATHENS, March 5 (Reuters) - Clashes erupted briefly between police and a group of demonstrators in central Athens on Sunday on the fringes of a protest by thousands of students and railway workers over Greece's deadliest train crash in living memory. A small group of protesters hurled petrol bombs at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades. The train, travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki, was packed with university students returning after a long holiday weekend. Railway workers' unions say safety systems throughout the rail network have been deficient for years as a remote surveillance and signalling system has not been delivered on time. Greece would soon announce action, he said, adding that Athens would seek expertise from the European Commission and other countries on improving rail safety.

☆ Despite East Palestine toxic train disaster, railroads still want single-person crews
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The rail safety legislation, introduced in Congress Wednesday with bipartisan support, would include a prohibition on single-person crews. There is no such existing law or federal regulation requiring both an engineer and a conductor to be on a train. The Association of American Railroads confirmed that its position in favor of one-person crews has not changed. “No data shows a two-person crew confined to a cab is safer, and train crew size should continue to be determined through collective bargaining,” a statement from UP. But it might have one or two provisions which are deal breakers for the unions, such as allowing single-person crews.

[1/2] Rescuers operate at the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Kostas MantziarisATHENS, March 4 (Reuters) - Rescuers continued digging through debris on Saturday at the site of Greece's worst train crash but were expected to wrap up their search operation later on the day. Tuesday's crash killed at least 57 people and injured dozens when a passenger train with more than 350 people on board careered into a freight train on the same track. The disaster in central Greece has triggered an outpouring of anger and protests across the country, as well as a sharp focus on safety standards across its railway system. The train, traveling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki, was packed with students returning after a long holiday weekend.

☆ One month after earthquake, survivors shelter in tents, rubble and trains
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Eftelya Arslan, 7, kisses her father Ahmet Arslan as he cares for his daughter Lara, 11, outside their tent in Orhanli tent city in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey. Ahmet Arslan lost his wife and two other...moreEftelya Arslan, 7, kisses her father Ahmet Arslan as he cares for his daughter Lara, 11, outside their tent in Orhanli tent city in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey. Ahmet Arslan lost his wife and two other children during the earthquake. His daughter Lara, who's physically and mentally impaired, is having a very difficult time coping. "This is no place for her, but if they take her away from us, she's going to be even worse off," Arslan says.

[1/5] Destroyed carriages are seen on the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 3, 2023. Police said 31 bodies have now been identified - almost all from DNA tests as the crash was so violent. Not long before the crash, his son had told him he would be late and would call. In school yards in Athens, students used their bags to write the words "Call me when you get there," a phrase that has become one of the protest slogans. Work continued at the crash site, where rescue staff used cranes to lift some carriages thrown off the tracks.

☆ Under the radar, Germany trains Ukrainians on advanced air defence weapon
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It is a modern system, whereas they have known the potential of the Leopard tanks for a while," said a German air force officer by way of explanation. Asked about the main differences to older Soviet-built air defences such as the S-300 or Buk, the Ukrainians cited greater effectiveness but also greater complexity. A German trainer said IRIS-T, built by German arms maker Diehl, could not be operated by "turning a switch on and off. It takes only a third of the time to set up its radar compared with the decades-old Patriot system - a critical factor, as any air defence system gives away its position once the radar is turned on. In Ukraine, the air space is closed - if anything flies there, it can be dangerous," said Dmytro.

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