Cory Martin
Illinois State Legislative Board Chairman
Congressman Chuy Garcia
Had an excellent conversation with Congressman Chuy Garcia this morning. As you can expect, he is very squarely behind the Railway Safety legislation moving through the US Congress. I stressed to him the importance that ALL of the items and protections must stay in...
Just so you know, this is now who we have on T&I…
Nehls Leads Call for Biden Administration to Prioritize Rail Safety Over Special Interests? Washington, D.C. - Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), Chairman of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, led fellow T&I Committee Republicans in urging the...
Minnesota ISLB Quadrennial Meeting
Got some quality time with our National officers Vince Verna and Brendan Sullivan while attending Minnesota's Quadrennial meeting. Special thanks to State Chairman Joel Mueller for inviting Illinois to participate.
REMINDER ANOUNCEMENT! MAY 1st DUE DATE.
The annual ISLB Don Little Memorial Scholarships for 2023. The Illinois State Legislative Board will be awarding up to (3) $1000 scholarships to Illinois member’s children going to college. Applications MUST BE SUBMITTED by May 1st 2023. I have posted the documents in...
2023 Don Little Scholarship Applications
The BLET’s Illinois State Legislative Board is currently accepting applications for its Don Little Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was established in 2013. Up to Three (3) $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to applicants whose parent or guardian is a BLET member in...
Congratulations to the 2022 Don Little Memorial Scholarship Winners!
We proudly announce the two recipients of the 2022 Don Little Memorial Scholarships. Haley Dahl from Belvidere, IL and Jacob Harris from Pittsboro, IN. Congratulations!
Don Little Memorial Scholarship Fund
The BLET’s Illinois State Legislative Board is currently accepting applications for its Don Little Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was established in 2013. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to applicants whose parent or guardian is a BLET member in good...
Call To Action!
March 11, 2021 Brothers and Sisters, Once again, I am asking you to rise to the occasion, once again a call to action! The Illinois House Bill HB2524 – VEH CD- FREIGHT TRAIN LENGTH has been assigned to a committee and we MUST “slip” this committee as a proponent...
Train Length Legislation
February 16, 2021 Brothers and Sisters, First, a little news regarding some recent legislative developments within Illinois. SMART- TD has spear headed and introduced train length legislation in multiple states throughout the US. Small variations in the exact language...
Covid-19 Mishandling Reporting
Brothers and Sisters, Please exercise all caution during this COVID 19 pandemic emergency. I am asking you to report to me any practices at your respective railroads that are contrary to the recommendations of the CDC or Illinois Department of Public Health. I will...
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen National President Eddie Hall introduced The Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen National President Eddie Hall introduced The Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024 The following statement regarding important bipartisan rail safety legislation introduced today by Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX-22) and Rep....
NTSB releases final East Palestine report
NTSB releases final East Palestine report WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday released the final report on the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern derailment and hazardous chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio — a document finalized by the...
Norfolk Southern backs NTSB safety policy recommendations
Norfolk Southern backs NTSB safety policy recommendations Norfolk Southern Corp. on July 10 endorsed policy recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) regarding the agency’s investigation into the railroad company’s 2023 East Palestine, Ohio,...
Regulators nervous about rail freight decline
Regulators nervous about rail freight decline WASHINGTON — Federal regulators are summoning executives from the major freight railroads to a rare public hearing to explain how their companies plan to invest in and grow their business amid concern over recent negative...
FRA issues NOFO for $1.1 million in Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding
FRA issues NOFO for $1.1 million in Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding The Federal RailRoad Administration (FRA) has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for more than $1.1 billion in Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program funding....
Chicago transit officials say funding, not restructuring, is key to better service
Chicago transit officials say funding, not restructuring, is key to better service CHICAGO — The heads of Chicago’s four transit agencies argued Tuesday at a legislative hearing that financial support, not structure, is the key issue they face in trying to serve the...
Labor Leaders Urge Congress to Oppose Anti-Worker Resolutions in Congressional Review Act
Labor Leaders Urge Congress to Oppose Anti-Worker Resolutions in Congressional Review Act Today, a coalition of nearly 50 labor organizations sent a letter to lawmakers in Congress that outlines strong opposition to more than a dozen forthcoming Congressional Review...
Rail labor opposes Amtrak request for waiver to deal with ‘loss of shunt’ until testing data is shared
Rail labor opposes Amtrak request for waiver to deal with ‘loss of shunt’ until testing data is shared WASHINGTON — Three labor organizations have opposed Amtrak’s request for a waiver allowing installation of a device the company claims will prevent incidents where...
NTSB to investigate CPKC derailment, UP worker fatality
NTSB to investigate CPKC derailment, UP worker fatality The National Transportation Safety Board has launched investigations into two freight-rail accidents that occurred over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The first incident involved a Canadian Pacific Kansas...
Chicago, Ill., area transit agencies see improved ridership
Chicago, Ill., area transit agencies see improved ridership Chicago, Ill.,'s transit systems have seen an increase in ridership in a post COVID-19 pandemic timeline, as the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Northern Illinois notes May 2024 showed the highest...