Rail Industry News
Analysis: CEO’s dismissal the beginning of the end for Amtrak?
No names have yet been floated about a potential replacement for Gardner.
Amtrak CEO abruptly resigns
Gardner’s departure also arrives just weeks after billionaire Elon Musk floated the idea of privatizing Amtrak, as well as the U.S. Postal Service, at a Morgan Stanley tech conference earlier this month.
STB issues draft environmental statement on proposed Texas border crossing railroad
Green Eagle Railroad’s 1.3-mile line would be part of a 19-mile secure corridor linking Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico.
Senate confirms Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the daughter of a Teamster, as Secretary of Labor
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien recommended her for the job.
Trump taps former Pa. GOP chair to serve on Amtrak board of directors
Rob Gleason, a longtime resident of western Pennsylvania, has been an advocate for expanding rail service.
NS says route through Asheville, N.C., will reopen by March 31
Still to be addressed is the badly damaged section of track east of Swannanoa to Old Forts, the rugged Old Fort Loops segment of the line to Salisbury, N.C.
FRA personnel cuts could further delay languishing rail initiatives: Analysis
Concerned about such a prospect, the Rail Passengers Association and 22 other public transportation advocacy organizations on Friday, Feb. 28, sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, urging him to “preserve mission-critical personnel to avoid further delays in the administration of these passenger and freight projects.”
Thieves targeting freight trains in California and Arizona deserts make off with $2 million worth of Nikes
It is said the trains are so long that train crews rarely encounter the thieves.
BNSF reports Q4, full year 2024 results
For the year, BNSF’s pre-tax earnings increased 0.5%, to $6.64 billion, while revenue declined 0.5%, to $23.35 billion.
CPKC dedicates new rail bridge between U.S., Mexico
The bridge is 1,170 feet long and cost $100 million.
Washington state calls for more, faster Amtrak Cascades service
Proposed bills would establish goals for cutting travel time, increasing daily roundtrips, and boosting on-time performance from Seattle to Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Two years after East Palestine derailment, rail leaders still urge safety reforms
Rail leaders highlighted the worsening safety trends across the industry and the harmful impacts of the precision scheduled railroading (PSR) business model that prioritizes profits over safety.
Two bills addressing hazmat rail movements reintroduced in U.S. House
Previous versions of these bills did not advance out of House committees in 2023.
Trump administration shakes up funding formulas for rail projects
The order also contains provisions that would seem to threaten FRA funding for Amtrak, CRISI grants, and grade-crossing elimination projects.
Two years after derailment, toxic chemicals still roll through East Palestine
Despite an initial outcry, changes at the federal level have been bogged down.
Norfolk Southern reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
For full-year 2024, revenue was $12.1 billion and income from railway operations was $4.1 billion.
CN reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
Operating income for the full year was down 5% compared to 2023.
CPKC reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
For the full year 2024, the railroad reported that its operating ratio decreased by 60 basis points to 64.4 percent from 65.0 percent in 2023.
Union Pacific reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
The company repurchased 6.3 million shares of stock in 2024 at an aggregate cost of $1.5 billion.
CSX reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
Revenue for the full year totaled $14.54 billion in 2024.
BLET News
Advocacy by BLET members and others appears to have stopped a gutting of the RRB’s programs — for now
Projected Congressional funding for the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is significantly higher than anticipated, thanks in part to the hard work and tenacity of the BLET and its members. Earlier this week, the House’s Appropriations Labor, Health, and Human Services...
Texas: OSHA reaffirms reinstatement of BLET locomotive engineer with full back pay, orders UP to pay significant punitive damages after injuries in an Uber ride-share called by the company
A wrongfully-terminated BLET member received more than $184,000 in back pay after the BLET got him his job back, and he was awarded an additional $150,000 in punitive damages after a federal whistleblower investigation found that the Union Pacific Railroad violated...
C3RS: Big railroads would rather retaliate than safely operate
An investigation released last week on railroad safety from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland — later broadcast on NPR, published in newspapers such as The Washington Post, and distributed by the Associated Press — quotes two...
Amtrak: Next generation Acela debuts on the Northeast Corridor
Representing BLET at the inaugural run, from left: Vince Verna, VP & NLR; Mark Wallace, National President; and Gary Best, First Vice President. ____________________ BLET locomotive engineer Earl Braxton, a member of BLET Division 482, was at the throttle as...
New York: BLET conducting strike authorization vote at Long Island Rail Road
Nearly six hundred locomotive engineers employed by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) received ballots in the mail last week from the national union seeking authorization to call a strike at the nation’s busiest commuter railroad. LIRR’s locomotive engineers, members...
The power of unions: New study says unions uplift not just wages, but communities as well
A new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) details the benefits of unions to workers, communities, and democracy. The report finds a number of benefits in the 17 states with the highest union density, including higher incomes, greater access to health...
Mark your calendars for 2026: Next year’s regional meetings will be held in New Orleans and Chicago
Looking ahead to next year, the BLET’s 2026 Western Regional Meeting will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, the week of July 13. The 2026 Eastern Regional Meeting will take place in Chicago, Illinois, the week of August 24. Please make plans now to attend one or both...
TAKE ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to fully fund RRB
Members of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on July 31 considered Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) legislation, which funds the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), National Mediation Board (NMB), and Department of Labor...
BLET Auxiliary: New survival guide for railroad families still available
BLET Executive Committee members with BLET Auxiliary national officers. ____________________ Kat Bisbikis, National President of the BLET Auxiliary, said that copies of the Auxiliary’s new railroad survival guide, “Taking Charge,” remain available to BLET members and...
Like truck drivers, BLET says train crews from Mexico operating trains in the U.S. should be required to speak and read English
The BLET has been in firm opposition to allowing locomotive engineers coming out of Mexico to operate trains into the United States. Now the inability of most Mexican national train crew members to speak fluent English has become a safety and security issue. In April,...
