Trump administration restricts Mexican train crews

Washington. President Donald Trump’s administration said Friday it will impose restrictions on Mexican train crews operating in the United States after inspections raised safety concerns.

The Federal Railroad Administration issued letters Friday to Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited after inspectors found that incoming crew members appeared to have difficulty interpreting bulletins and communicating safety requirements in English to inspectors.

The department announced Friday that crews from Mexico cannot operate into the United States 10 miles (16 kilometers) further than their point of entry, and non-certified crews must stop at the customs inspection point and interpreters must be certified under safety standards.

The Day requested CPKC, Ferromex and the Mexican Railway Association (AMF), separately, for a comment on the restrictions imposed by the US government, but there was no response. For its part, Union Pacific did not issue a position on the issue until closing.

Unions reject big merger

The proposed $85 billion merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads has lost the support of two unions representing more than half of its workers over concerns that it would jeopardize safety and jobs, raise shipping rates and consumer prices, and cause major disruptions.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Machinists and the Brotherhood of Division of Track Maintenance Employees are among the most prominent critics of the agreement to create the first transcontinental railroad in the United States, union sources revealed.