CLEVELAND, July 26 — The following is the official statement from Dennis R. Pierce, National President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen in response to media inquiries regarding the BLET’s reaction to the July 23 Emergency Directive issued by Transport Canada:

“The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen will have no detailed comment on Transport Canada’s Emergency Directive as we are not sufficiently familiar with the details of Canadian rail safety regulation to authoritatively address the substance of the Emergency Directive. Such questions should be directed to Teamsters Canada Rail Conference President Rex Beatty who can provide the necessary subject matter expertise.

“That said, I am encouraged that the Canadian rail safety regulator has chosen to be proactive, even though the investigation into this tragedy has not yet been completed. Our organization remains optimistic that the Canadian directive will serve as the basis for a similar Emergency Order or regulation from the Federal Railroad Administration here in the United States.”

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