Rail Industry News
Elgin joins fight against CP-KCS merger
The Elgin city council voted unanimously to finalize an agreement to work with seven other municipalities and DuPage County in a coalition that will work to block the merger between the CP and KCS railroads.
CP negotiating with Iowa communities about proposed KCS merger
Canadian Pacific railroad officials have started talking with Mississippi River cities in Iowa to discuss its proposed merger with Kansas City Southern.
FRA awards grant to improve Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago rail route
The Wisconsin and Minnesota departments of transportation yesterday announced a $31.8 million federal grant to fund station and rail segment improvements aimed at doubling passenger-rail service and increasing freight efficiency along the corridor that connects the Twin Cities, La Crosse, Milwaukee and Chicago.
Railroad unions keep fighting BNSF’s new attendance rules
The unions that represent roughly half of BNSF’s workers continue to fight against the railroad’s new attendance rules that they say penalizes them for missing work for any reason even though a judge has barred them from striking.
AAR: U.S. rail traffic returns to near 2021 levels
For the week ending March 5, 2022, U.S. rail traffic came in at 505,177 carloads and intermodal units, dipping 1.9% from the same week last year, based on 238,870 carloads—up 2.8% from 2021—and intermodal volume of 266,307 containers and trailers—down 5.8%, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on March 9.
CP debuts interline service from Lazaro Cardenas to Chicago
Canadian Pacific Railway Limited today announced that, working with Kansas City Southern (“KCS”) on an interline basis, it has successfully launched the first dedicated international intermodal train between Lázaro Cárdenas and the U.S. Midwest.
TCRC members vote for strike action at CP as merger with KCS looms
According to the Teamsters Canadian Rail Conference (TCRC), which represents some 3,000 conductors, engineers and train and yard personnel at CP, 96.7% of them voted in favor of industrial action.
NS derailment cripples Amtrak weekend service on Northeast Corridor
A Norfolk Southern train derailment over the weekend had Amtrak cancelling trips along the Northeast Corridor.
Stopped trains continue to plague Goshen; Mayor says NS not responsive to concerns
Drivers are stopping in their tracks or literally stopping by the tracks in Goshen, Indiana. The town’s mayor says the Norfolk Southern railroad is not being responsive to concerns of the citizens.
Utah lawmakers put bill to force clean switchers on hold
After a dust-up last week — when a House legislative leader accused Union Pacific of being an unwilling and uncooperative partner in air quality efforts and fast-tracked a bill to force the company to move to cleaner switchers by 2028 — the same legislator is pushing pause on the bill.
At hearing, Congress gets an earful about poor railroad service
A combination of Precision Scheduled Railroading and pressure from Wall Street has prompted railroads to slash costs and raise rates while providing less reliable service, rail shippers and labor told Congress on Tuesday.
BNSF paid around $2 billion to buy out MRL lease
BNSF’s financial report suggests the railroad paid MRL around $2 billion to tear up the lease well before it was scheduled to expire in 2047.
BMWED/SMART-MD encouraged by CBC’s support
The recent letter of support from the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition, comprising of 11 Rail Unions including our Teamster Rail partner the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, is encouraging and of significant importance to us as we continue to strive for an equitable and prosperous conclusion to this bargaining round with the Class I freight railroads.
Analysis: No deal-breakers emerge from barrage of comments about CP-KCS merger
Railroad merger reviews are the one time when rival railroads can try to alter the competitive landscape or settle old scores.
Ackman’s Pershing Square takes new stake in CP
Billionaire investor William Ackman has built a new stake in railroad operator Canadian Pacific, returning to one of his most profitable investments.
Chicago suburbs seek $9.5 billion to mitigate potential impact of CP-KCS merger
A coalition of Chicago suburbs says it would cost between $5.5 billion and $9.5 billion to mitigate the impact of the CP-KCS merger on their communities.
NS gets green light to raise 3 Pittsburgh bridges to run double-stacked trains
A Norfolk Southern project to increase clearances to allow double-stack intermodal operations through a Pittsburgh neighborhood awaits city council ratification after being approved by a mediator.
Biggest railroad companies profiting from supply chain crisis, watchdog alleges
Accountable.US, a nonprofit group that examines corporations and special interests, said the seven major railways, which dominate an industry that carries about 40 percent of U.S. freight, collected a record $1.18 billion in fees for freight stuck in supply chain bottlenecks in the first nine months of 2021.
CN officially asks STB for KCS line divestiture
CN has officially asked the STB “to condition any approval of a CP-KCS merger on the divestiture of the KCS line from Kansas City, Missouri to Springfield and East St. Louis, Illinois (the Kansas City Speedway) to CN, pursuant to the STB’s statutory authority to order ‘the divestiture of parallel tracks’ as a merger condition.”
Shippers back CP-KCS merger if regulators impose conditions to protect competition
Shippers say they will support the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger so long as regulatory approval of the first Class I combination in two decades includes conditions that would protect competition.
BLET News
BLET to mark 156th anniversary on May 8, 2019
On May 8, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) will proudly marked its 156th anniversary. The union was founded as the Brotherhood of the Footboard on May 8, 1863 in Marshall, Mich. In 1864, the union changed its name to Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), the name it retained for 140 years until merging with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Jan. 1, 2004, when it became the BLET. The BLET is the oldest labor union in the Western Hemisphere.
Hotel reservation deadline is May 22 for BLET regional meeting in St. Louis
As a reminder, the deadline to make hotel reservations is May 22 for the BLET regional meeting at the Hilton at the Ballpark in St. Louis, Mo. The regional meeting will be held June 24-28, 2019, and the last day to register for the meeting is May 22.
Workers Memorial Day 2019
By Dennis R. Pierce, BLET National President Each year on April 28, unions including the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) recognize Workers Memorial Day and remember American workers who were injured or killed in on-the-job accidents. We commemorate and honor these workers and renew the fight for safe workplaces.
Space remains for June 9-13 Secretary-Treasurer class
Registration is still open for the Secretary-Treasurer training class scheduled for June 9-13, 2019, at the BLET National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio.
Gary Pedigo re-elected Texas State Legislative Board Chairman
The BLET’s Texas State Legislative Board held its 15th quadrennial meeting from April 7-11, 2019, in Austin, Texas. Brother Gary R. Pedigo, BLET Division 177 (Denison, Texas), was reelected to his second term as Chairman.
Former General Chairman Bill Hausleiter, 1947-2019
Former BLE General Chairman William G. (“Bill”) Hausleiter, Jr. passed away at the age of 72 on April 16. He was the inaugural General Chairman of the Amtrak General Committee of Adjustment when it was first established in the mid 1980s.
Registration continues for BLET’s Clearwater regional meeting, July 22-26, 2019
Registration is continuing for the BLET regional meeting at the Hilton Clearwater Beach hotel in Clearwater, Fla., July 22-26, 2019. The deadline to make hotel reservations and register for the regional meeting is June 23.
Minimum crew size bill awaits vote in Washington State Senate
The BLET Washington State Legislative Board, in conjunction with the SMART-TD Washington Legislative Board, has been lobbying the Washington State Legislature in support of legislation that would require two qualified crew members on trains operating in the state of Washington. Recently, this legislation (HB 1841) passed the State Assembly and will soon be voted on by the State Senate.
BLET member killed in off-duty accident
BLET member Rene Ramos, President of Division 350 in Kingsville, Texas, was killed in an automobile accident while on his way home from work on April 7, 2019. He was 50 years old.
Train crew bill A.B. 337 brings back what Nevada already had
All day, every day, through cities, rural areas and everywhere in between, in Nevada as well as around our country, freight trains are rolling. In many cases, they’re the only practical way to safely transport hazardous chemicals, oil, hazardous waste, consumer goods, and vehicles to their intended destinations. That hasn’t changed for years.
