Rail Industry News
New cross-border trucking rule will protect Teamster drivers
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, April 15, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Teamsters are hailing the U.S. International Trade Commission’s (ITC’s) issuance of a final rule implementing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement’s...
LIRR to test battery power on Oyster Bay branch
(Source: Intelligent Transport, April 20, 2021) NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road will test battery-powered trains on a shot branch of its network, with a view to rolling the technology out more widely if it is successful. Full story: Intelligent Transport
Union Pacific agrees to start collecting fares again on Metra trains
(Source: Streetsblog Chicago, April 19, 2021) CHICAGO — Just when I was starting to wonder if Union Pacific Railroad was ever going to return to collecting fares on the three commuter rail lines it operates for Metra, today both entities confirmed that conductors will...
Biden budget would spark “second great rail revolution”
(Source: Progressive Railroading, April 19, 2021) President Joe Biden last week presented to Congress his fiscal-year 2022 discretionary budget request, including $25.6 billion for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Full story: Progressive Railroading
Families of railroaders killed in 2019 runaway derailment sue CP Rail and Ottawa
(Source: CBC News, April 19, 2021) OTTAWA — As CP Train 301 rolled away from where it sat, parked on a mountain slope just west of the Alberta border — one of the most dangerous stretches of rail in North America — the doomed crew hopped aboard, believing they would...
CN statement on proposed takeover of KCS
(Source: Canadian National Railway press release, April 20, 2021) MONTREAL — CN today announced that it has made a superior proposal to combine with Kansas City Southern (KCS) in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $33.7 billion, or $325 per share. Together, CN and...
CN makes $33.7 billion rival takeover bid to challenge CP Rail’s plan to buy Kansas City Southern
(Source: Canadian Press, April 20, 2021) OTTAWA — Canadian National Railway Co. made a rival takeover offer Tuesday for Kansas City Southern in a cash-and-stock bid valued at US$33.7 billion. The offer tops a proposal made last month by Canadian Pacific Railway and...
Five Midwest mayors urge DOT, FRA to support Amtrak expansion
(Source: The Capital Times, April 15, 2021) MADISON, Wisc. — Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and the mayors of Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis urged federal officials to support extending Amtrak’s passenger rail line through the upper Midwest. Full...
Downeaster returning to pre-COVID-19 schedule
(Source: Associated Press, April 19, 2021) PORTLAND, Maine — The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority is ready to restore the Amtrak Downeaster's pre-COVID-19 schedule this spring. Full story: www.usnews.com
Midwest mayors seek extension of Amtrak Hiawatha route
(Source: Progressive Railroading, April 16, 2021) Five Midwest mayors are urging federal transportation officials to support a proposed extension of Amtrak's passenger-rail line through the upper Midwest. Full story: Progressive Railroading
U.S. infrastructure plan spurs talk of Las Vegas-LA rail service
(Source: Associated Press, April 18, 2021) LAS VEGAS — Proposed federal infrastructure funding for rail projects has transportation planners taking another look at a Los Angeles-to-Las Vegas passenger route that Amtrak stopped in 1997 and at a high-speed rail line...
STB forms passenger rail working group
(Source: Railway Age, April 16, 2021) NEW YORK — The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has established an in-house Passenger Rail Working Group to ensure it can meet its PRIIA obligation to assess Amtrak on-time performance data, which the Federal Railroad...
GOP lawmakers seek end to federal funds for California high-speed rail project
(Source: Progressive Railroading, April 16, 2021) A dozen Republican congressmen — led by House Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Ranking Member Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) — are asking U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to justify federal...
Using operating ratio to assess transportation companies has its pros and cons, say experts
(Source: Freight Waves, April 18, 2021) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Operating ratio (OR) is a way for investors to compare the financials of one company against its peers. Investors use OR to gauge whether a company is generating sufficient profits. The formula to calculate...
Union Pacific cuts almost 60 jobs in Palestine, Texas
(Source: KLTV, April 16, 2021) PALESTINE, Texas — Union Pacific notified workers at the Palestine Car Facility that 57 positions will be eliminated mid-June. Currently, the Palestine Union Pacific workforce is 60 people. Full story: www.kltv.com
UP finalizing steps to pull out of Palestine
(Source: Palestine Herald, April 15, 2021) PALESTINE, Texas — Union Pacific Railroad met with Palestine staff Thursday and told them they have 60 days until the Palestine Car Facility closes June 14, according to longtime employee Brad Henry. Full story: Palestine...
Texas high-speed rail opponents file suit against FRA, DOT
(Source: www.kbtx.com, April 15, 2021) WACO, Texas — Texans Against High Speed Rail, several landowners, and six Brazos Valley counties are suing the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in an attempt to stop a privately...
CSX starts sale for Virginia’s $3.7 billion rail initiative
(Source: Railway Age, April 15, 2021) NEW YORK — CSX Corp. has closed the first phase of its $525 million rail agreement with Virginia for the commonwealth’s $3.7 billion initiative to improve passenger and freight rail capacity and relieve automotive traffic...
Teamsters reach agreement in principle with Allegiant Air
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, April 14, 2021) LAS VEGAS — The Teamsters have reached an agreement in principle for 415 mechanics and related classifications at Allegiant Air. After the agreement in principle is finalized between the...
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending April 10, 2021
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, April 14, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 10, 2021. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 513,724...
BLET News
Call Congress on Valentine’s Day: Tell members to stop heartless cuts
This Thursday, February 14th, we encourage Local Unions, Joint Councils, and your members to join in the national call-in day to tell Congress to have a heart and reject any cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as the across-the-board cuts affecting working families that will take place under sequestration.
Rail Conference pushes for stronger whistleblower protections
Representatives from the Teamsters Rail Conference supported improved whistleblower protections for railroad workers during the final week of January when they spoke before the Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C.
Members in Virginia: Call your legislators and tell them to vote for Amtrak funding
BLET members in Virginia are encouraged to call, write or email their state legislators, and urge them to fully fund regional Amtrak service by supporting the Inner-City Passenger Rail Operating Capital Fund.
Day of Action planned for Wednesday, January 30
All BLET members are being urged to participate in a Day of Action on Wednesday, January 30, to let Congress know that we do not support cuts to Railroad Retirement, Social Security, Medicare and education.
Update from BLET Tax Compliance department
Internal Revenue Service regulations require the BLET National Division to inform its members that a certain portion of your National Division dues are not tax deductible as a miscellaneous itemized deduction on your personal tax returns.
Secretary-Treasurer, Local Chairman workshop are full: Waiting lists created for upcoming classes
The BLET Education & Training Department announced today that waiting lists have been established for upcoming Secretary-Treasurer and Local Chairman workshops. The Secretary-Treasurer Workshop near Baltimore (February 10-14) and the Local Chairman Workshop at the University of Illinois-Champaign (March 17-23) are full.
OSHA hits ‘home run’ for rail workers
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today that the agency has signed an accord with BNSF Railway Co. (BNSF), under which the railroad has agreed to voluntarily revise several personnel policies that OSHA alleged violated the whistleblower protection provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) and discouraged workers from reporting on-the-job injuries.
Ballots mailed in tentative BLET-Missouri & Northern Arkansas agreement
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Missouri & Northern Arkansas (M&NA) Railroad, BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce announced. Ballots are being mailed today to active members of the BLET employed by M&NA who are eligible to vote in the ratification of this agreement.
BLET Division 266 hosts Marty Kinder Benefit
The members of BLET Division 266 (Savannah, Ill.) are hosting a benefit for Brother Marty Kinder who suffered a severe on-duty injury last month.
Union Plus scholarship deadline is January 31
College-bound children of BLET members are advised that the deadline to apply for Union Plus scholarships is just over two weeks away on January 31, 2013.
