Rail Industry News
Union Pacific reports Q4 and full-year 2019 results
(Source: Union Pacific press release, January 23, 2020) OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific Corporation today reported 2019 fourth quarter net income of $1.4 billion, or $2.02 per diluted share. This compares to $1.6 billion, or $2.12 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter...
Metra to step up fare validation efforts
(Source: Progressive Railroading, January 21, 2020) Metra intends to increase fare collection enforcement this year, the commuter railroad announced last week. Metra police officers will join train conductors in validating fares by checking that riders have the...
Gov. Murphy says NJ Transit fares will not increase
(Source: www.nj.com, January 21, 2020) NEWARK, N.J. — Commuters will be spared from a fare hike in fiscal year 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday morning. Murphy announced fares would remain stable in his next proposed state budget, setting the stage for a third...
Amtrak faces wobbly future in Mobile
(Source: www.al.com, January 21, 2020) MOBILE, Ala. — The fate of Amtrak’s return into Mobile could boil down to a crucial vote next Tuesday by the City Council on whether future financial commitments for the passenger rail service are possible. Early indications for...
Union Pacific, Palestine remain deadlocked over contract
(Source: Palestine Herald-Press, January 21, 2020) PALESTINE, Texas — State, city, and county representatives, along with U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Terrell), met Monday with Union Pacific officials in an effort to keep the railroad, and its dozens of local jobs, in...
Hyndman residents want CSX lawsuit certified
(Source: Altoona Mirror, January 22, 2020) ALTOONA, Pa. — Hyndman residents evacuated from their homes 29 months ago due to a derailment of a CSX Transportation Inc. freight train are asking a federal judge to reconsider his December opinion dismissing their class...
Union Pacific addresses suspected cancer cluster as activist Erin Brockovich attends meeting
(Source: Television station KHOU 11, January 21, 2020) HOUSTON — Attorney and environmental activist Erin Brockovich was invited to a community meeting in Houston 20 years after Julia Roberts played her in a namesake motion picture. She joined the chorus of concern...
Amtrak apologizes to civil rights activist after conductor asked her to give up her train seat
(Source: ABA Journal, January 21, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak has apologized to Sherrilyn Ifill, the president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, after she tweeted that a conductor asked her to give up her train seat for other people who would be...
NJ Transit graduates another class of locomotive engineers
(Source: Insider NJ, January 21, 2020) KEARNY, N.J. — Governor Phil Murphy, Department of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, and NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett today recognized NJ Transit’s latest locomotive engineer training class for...
Freight transportation stakeholders grapple with big uncertainties
(Source: Freight Waves, January 22, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Stakeholders participating in today’s global supply chain must grapple with three big themes: the growing impact of e-commerce, evolving global trade stances, and the rise of automation and other advanced...
Amtrak feels the heat after high-profile flubs
(Source: Politico, January 21, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — It was a rough weekend for the railroad, which came under fire from a senator and other high-profile figures for two incidents that went viral. Sherrilyn Ifill, the president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund,...
New figures show North Dakota oil production held steady in November
(Source: Bismarck Tribune, January 17, 2020) BISMARCK, N.D. — New figures released by the state show that oil and gas production in North Dakota held “pretty much steady as she goes” in November, according to a top oil regulator. A notable shift in oil transportation...
LIRR on-time performance rose to three-year high in 2019
(Source: MTA press release, January 20, 2020) NEW YORK — MTA Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng today announced that the LIRR’s on-time performance increased 2 percentage points in 2019, rising to 92.4%, the best performance in three years. The LIRR recorded 44%...
Editorial: NJ Transit just had its best week in years
(Source: Editorial published at www.nj.com, January 21, 2020) NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit was covered in just 20 sentences of Gov. Murphy’s State of the State address Tuesday. He proposed a 10-year strategic plan and a 5-year capital plan, applauded a new class of...
Grain groups in Canada want assurances for rail option
(Source: Freight Waves, January 21, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Canadian grain groups are taking a fresh look at pressing government officials to enact legislation that would address how the country can continue shipping grain and grain products in the event of a...
Opinion: CSX’s dismal Q4 results could be a harbinger of things to come
(Source: Opinion column at Seeking Alpha, January 20, 2020) NEW YORK — CSX reported Q4 revenue of $22.89 billion and GAAP EPS of $0.99. The company missed on revenue but beat on earnings. The company expects flat to declining revenue in 2020. Full story: Seeking...
Senator Duckworth calls Amtrak’s $25,000 quote for disabled passengers outrageous
(Source: Huffington Post, January 20, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) called reports that Amtrak wanted to charge a group of disabled passengers $25,000 for rail tickets that usually cost $16 apiece “outrageous,” requesting a meeting with the...
Amtrak to drop $25,000 ticket price for two wheelchair users after complaints
(Source: National Public Radio, January 20, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak has reversed course — at least partly — on its plan to charge two wheelchair users $25,000 for a short train ride, after hearing criticism, including from a U.S. senator. On Monday, two senior...
In Canada, railways report more accidents with dangerous goods
(Source: Winnipeg Free Press, January 20, 2020) WINNIPEG — The number of rail accidents involving dangerous goods more than doubled in Canada in 2018. There were 25 accidents involving dangerous goods in 2018, involving one death, according to Transport Canada data...
Sheriff honors those involved in BNSF Kootenai River derailment rescue
(Source: Kootenai Valley Times, January 17, 2020) BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — In a ceremony Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Dave Kramer presented Search and Rescue (SAR) member and BNSF track inspector Adam Reeves a Boundary County Sheriff's Office Rescue Award and Sheriff’s...
BLET News
Space remains for LM-2 S-T Workshop in Wisconsin
If you are a Secretary-Treasurer who has to file an LM-2 report in the next few months, then you should consider attending the BLET’s LM-2 Secretary-Treasurer workshop in Madison, Wisc., from February 19-22.
Former GST Voyk, 81, passes away
Former BLE General Secretary-Treasurer and International Vice-President James L. “Jim” Voyk, 81, died Monday, January 23, 2006 at the Cleveland Clinic following a period of declining health. Brother Voyk lived in Brewster, Ohio.
BLET scores PNR shortline organizing win
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainman kicked off its 2006 organizing campaign with a representation election victory at the Panhandle Northern Railroad (PNR).
Civil rights movement linked to labor movement
Today, the nation comes together to celebrate the legacy and contributions of a man who, through his words and actions, impacted the course of our nation’s history. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, Americans across the country will celebrate by honoring the life and work of Dr. King, and working towards the goals which he did not achieve in his too-brief life.
Meany Center announces 2006 hazmat workshops
The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program will conduct hazardous materials transportation/chemical emergency response training programs at the George Meany Campus in Silver Spring, Md., on the following dates: May 7-12, 2006; June 4-9, 2006; and July 16-21, 2006.
ATDA files to represent UP Dispatchers
The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) has launched a representation election to organize approximately 550 train dispatchers at Union Pacific Railroad.
BLET to conduct LM-2 GCofA S-T Workshop
The BLET Education and Training Department will conduct a workshop for all Secretary-Treasurers who file an LM-2. The workshop will be held at the School for Workers, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Pyle Center, Madison, Wisc., February 19–22. The class will start at 7 p.m. on Sunday, February 19, and conclude at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22.
Resolutions to change bylaws due February 17
The deadline is quickly approaching for BLET Divisions planning to submit resolutions to change the Bylaws of the BLET National Division.
BLET to conduct 2006 Local Chairman Workshop
The BLET Education & Training Department will conduct a Local Chairman Workshop on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., from March 19-23.
Rail Labor secures positive Family and Medical Leave Act ruling
Rail Labor secured a major court victory for its members in a decision released by the U.S. District Court in Chicago on January 3 regarding the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
