Rail Industry News
CP Rail acquires Central Maine & Quebec Railway
(Source: Transport Topics, January 6, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Canadian Pacific closed its acquisition of the Central Maine & Quebec Railway, the Alberta-based rail company said in a Dec. 30 news release. Full story: Transport Topics
CN Senior Office Reardon sells 6,295 shares of company stock
(Source: Riverton Roll, January 8, 2020) NEW YORK — Canadian National Railway Senior Officer Donald K. Reardon sold 6,295 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23. The shares were sold at an average price of C$119.53, for a total...
Virginia Career Works, City of Roanoke partner to help furloughed NS employees
(Source: Television station WDBJ, January 8, 2020) ROANOKE, Va. — More than 200 workers have been furloughed from Norfolk Southern’s Roanoke locations over the past 12 months. Now, Virginia Career Works, the City of Roanoke and Norfolk Southern itself are teaming to...
Wabtec acquires locomotive repair company RELCO
(Source: Wabtec press release, January 8, 2020) PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Wabtec Corporation announced today it has acquired RELCO Locomotives, a long-established player in the locomotive overhaul and maintenance industry. The acquisition expands Wabtec’s freight services...
Alstom’s new train awaits permit for cross-country trip to test track
(Source: The Evening Tribune, January 8, 2020) HORNELL, N.Y. — U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer on Wednesday urged the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to approve Amtrak’s permit application for a one-time movement of its just-constructed Next Generation...
CN and CP move record 15.4 tons of grain in Q4 2019
(Source: Canadian Press, January 6, 2020) CALGARY — Canada's two largest railways moved a record 15.4 million tons of grain in the final three months of 2019. Calgary-based Canadian Pacific set a new quarterly record by moving 7.9 million tons of grain and grain...
Opinion: Is there room for optimism in 2020?
(Source: Opinion column by Jim Blaze in the International Railway Journal, January 2020 issue, January 8, 2020) NEW YORK — A stagnant North America freight market is set to continue in 2020. However, technological advances and potential growth in intermodal and...
Forecast for 2020: More oil trains and the rise of LNG by rail
(Source: Desmog Blog, January 7, 2020) NEW YORK — As 2019 drew to a close and the new year ramps up, a number of signs point to the growing risks of transporting oil and gas by rail, with little government oversight to speak of: from increasing oil train traffic into...
Before Florida’s Brightline became nation’s deadliest railroad, its owners rejected safety fixes
(Source: Florida Bulldog, January 9, 2020) TAMPA, Fla. — The owners of Brightline, the nation’s only privately funded and operated train, have been on notice for years that they weren’t doing enough to prevent fatalities on their tracks. Now, in just its third year of...
BNSF train inspector helps rescue trapped crew in Kootenai River derailment
(Source: Television station KHQ, January 9, 2020) SPOKANE, Wash. — Adam Reeves was the first one to get the call when a BNSF freight train partially derailed into the Kootenai River. Reeves works for BNSF and is a volunteer with the Boundary County Search and Rescue...
Railroads want price-fixing lawsuits in one venue
(Source: Freight Waves, January 8, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Class I railroads that have been named in numerous lawsuits alleging price fixing are seeking to move those lawsuits to one court, according to a recent court filing. The railroads want the lawsuits...
Yellow brick road: Photo of corn covered railroad tracks goes viral
(Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune, January 8, 2020) CRYSTAL, Minn. — The corn lay as smooth as a yellow brick road between the railroad tracks in the picture that went viral on social media, but, skeptics asked, was the picture real? Full story: Minneapolis...
Amtrak suspended between Portland and Seattle due to landslide
(Source: The Oregonian, January 7, 2020) PORTLAND, Ore. — Train travelers between Portland and Seattle will have to make other plans, as Amtrak service between the two cities has temporarily been suspended because of a landslide blocking the tracks, officials said...
KCS train speeds clocked by police in Decatur
(Source: Westside Eagle Observer, January 8, 2020) DECATUR — Recent fervor over the number of times passing Kansas City Southern freight trains blow their whistles at night has sparked an interest in the speeds they maintain as they transit through Decatur. In 1970,...
Operation Lifesaver releases new PSA targeting risky behavior on railroad tracks
(Source: Operation Lifesaver press release, January 7, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), the national nonprofit rail safety education organization, is launching a new public service announcement (PSA) campaign that brings attention to the...
West Virginia legislators seek meeting with NS execs in effort to salvage intermodal complex
(Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail, January 7, 2020) CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A legislative interim committee is calling for a meeting with Norfolk Southern railway officials to discuss ways to save the state’s $18 million investment in the $32 million Heartland Gateway...
Editorial: Expert dismayed at NJ Transit progress
(Source: Editorial published at www.nj.com, January 6, 2020) NEWARK, N.J. — Whenever lawmakers try to make sense of our state’s longest-running tragicomedy, New Jersey Transit, the first person they usually summon is a former divorce attorney from Scotch Plains who...
NJ Transit commuters one step closer to escaping “pit” at Penn Station
(Source: www.nj.com, January 7, 2020) NEWARK, N.J. — The pain of waiting for trains in the crowded “pit” in Penn Station New York during rush hour is a step closer to some relief. Full story: www.nj.com
Seven killed, 30 injured in Mexico bus crash with train
(Source: Reuters, January 7, 2020) MEXICO CITY — Mexico's largest railroad operator Ferromex said on Tuesday that at least seven people were killed and more than 30 injured after a bus collided with one of its cargo trains in the northern border state of Sonora in the...
Strike at CN linked to plunge in Canada’s trade volumes
(Source: Freight Waves, January 7, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The strike by Canadian National rail workers helped bring down Canada’s trade volumes during November, Statistics Canada reported. Full story: Freight Waves
BLET News
BLET members must call Senators today to support Amtrak!
BLET members are urged to contact their U.S. Senators today and ask them to support the Lott-Lautenberg amendment (#2360) to the Budget Reconciliation being considered tomorrow.
November 14 deadline set for Katrina relief
The Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund has established a deadline of November 14 for requests for funds from victims of Hurricane Katrina.
FRA emergency order missing critical elements
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has set a November 22 deadline for an emergency order mandating that Union Pacific, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Norfolk Southern, CSX and all other railroads take specific and immediate steps to fix a growing safety problem which has lead to an increasing number of train accidents, resulting in nine serious train crashes, ten fatalities and injuries to more than 600 people since January, 2005.
President Bush agrees to reinstate Davis-Bacon protections for Gulf Coast workers
At a meeting today with leaders of the Republican Main Street partnership, President Bush promised to reinstate Davis-Bacon protections for workers in the Gulf Coast region starting November 8. The provision requires contractors on federally funded projects to pay workers the prevailing wages and benefits of the region.
Rail carriers’ toxic brew: Hijackings, chemical explosions, security threats
Numerous security and safety breaches this month on the nation’s railways, including a man who allegedly hijacked a train with a bow and arrow, reinforce the findings of the Teamsters Rail Conference report, “HIGH ALERT: Workers Warn of Security Gaps on Nation’s Railroads.”
Space remains for December 4–7 S-T Workshop
Space is still available for members interested in attending the Education & Training Department’s Secretary-Treasurer Compliance Workshop in Cleveland from December 4-7.
Senate Committee to hold NTSB confirmation hearing
The Senate Committee on Science, Commerce and Transportation will hold a confirmation hearing for Kathryn Higgins to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board, on Tuesday, November 1.
Election Supervisor issues first report to BLET
As a result of its merger with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the BLET will take part in the IBT convention following the BLET National Convention in June 2006. The rules for electing IBT officers and delegates to the IBT convention are significantly different from BLET rules; therefore, the Election Supervisor for the IBT elections has issued its First Report to the BLET to help BLET officers and members familiarize themselves with these new rules and procedures.
Moates new CSX (Western Lines) General Chairman
Don Moates was elected General Chairman of the CSX Transportation-Western Lines General Committee of Adjustment at meetings in Jacksonville, Fla., on August 1. He is a member of Division 782 (Etowah, Tenn.).
Davis elected General Chairman of NS (Northern Lines)
Cole W. Davis, a member of BLET Division 86 in Moberly, Mo., was elected the new General Chairman of the Norfolk Southern-Northern Lines General Committee of Adjustment at meetings held in Cleveland from September 12-14.
