Rail Industry News
Unanswered questions linger over Mobile’s Amtrak commitment
(Source: www.al.com, December 20, 2019) MOBILE, Ala. — Costly rail line improvements, a new train station and interference with freight trains loomed Thursday as the chief concerns that could derail efforts to bring passenger trains back to Mobile. Full story:...
Cenovus aims to squeeze more oil onto trains with application to build diluent recovery unit
(Source: Financial Post, December 19, 2019) CALGARY — As persistent pipeline delays choke Canadian oil exports, Cenovus Energy Inc. and other energy companies are investing in new technologies to squeeze more crude onto trains bound for refining markets in the U.S....
Editorial: MBTA must get on board with calling CRRC to task for abuses
(Source: Editorial in the Boston Herald, December 20, 2019) BOSTON — Our tax dollars would never be used to support human rights abuses, child labor or market manipulation by a foreign government, right? Wrong! In November, NBC News released findings from its yearlong...
UP to report Q4 2019 results on January 23, 2020
(Source: Union Pacific press release, December 19, 2019) OMAHA, Neb. — You are invited to listen to Union Pacific Corporation’s fourth quarter 2019 earnings release presentation that will be broadcast live over the Internet and via teleconference on Thursday, January...
CN pulls air brake requirement on overpass just weeks after derailment
(Source: Winnipeg Free Press, December 19, 2019) OTTAWA — CN Rail has removed a safety requirement for the Lagimodiere Boulevard overpass just six weeks after grain cars leaned over the edge after a derailment. In a notice obtained by the Free Press, CN told all its...
CN says network performance recovered after TCRC strike
(Source: CN press release, December 19, 2019) MONTREAL — CN announced today that less than a month after the end of the 8-day labor action, performance indicators have normalized to pre-strike ranges indicating that train movements have recovered. The 8-day work...
Major Amtrak, VRE expansion set under $3.7 billion Virginia-CSX deal
(Source: Television station WTOP, December 19, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the biggest boost in decades to train travel in the D.C. area, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and CSX announced a $3.7 billion agreement Thursday for the state to buy 225 miles of track and build...
Approximately 30 BNSF employees in Sioux City furloughed
(Source: Sioux City Journal, December 19, 2019) SIOUX CITY, Iowa — NSF Railway, one of the largest freight railroad networks on the continent, has furloughed some of its Sioux City workers. In an email, BNSF spokeswoman Amy McBeth reported that "fewer than 30" railway...
Trump expected to sign off on 2020 transportation spending bill
(Source: Freight Waves, December 20, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump is expected to avoid a replay of last year by signing off on a $1.4 trillion fiscal year 2020 spending package that averts a government shutdown had Congress failed to meet a Dec. 20...
FRA NPRMs address track, brake inspection requirements
(Source: Railway Age, December 19, 2019) NEW YORK — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Dec. 19 issued two Notices of Proposed Rulemakings (NPRMs), one updating current Track Safety Standards (TSS), the other updating existing Brake System Safety (BSS)...
TCRC seeks rare court action against CP Rail to cap working hours
(Source: Reuters, December 20, 2019) MONTREAL — A Canadian union is taking the unusual step of pursuing contempt-of-court charges against Canada’s second-largest railroad, in a previously unreported case that escalates the debate over working hours for railroad...
AAR reports rail traffic decline for week ending December 14
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, December 18, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 14, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was...
Ford cancels Hamilton light rail project
(Source: Railway Age, December 17, 2019) NEW YORK — Doug Ford, the Province of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Premier, has axed Hamilton’s DBFOM (design, build, finance, operate, maintain) B-Line light rail project, only months after he said publicly that the...
Amtrak revamps cars in West Quincy
(Source: Television station KHQA, December 18, 2019) WEST QUINCY — Some local Amtrak train cars, ranging from 30 to 40 years old, are getting a makeover. The project has provided a dozen local residents with work this holiday season. Full story: www.khqa.com
Officials fight Union Pacific lawsuit that threatens East Texas jobs
(Source: Television station KLTV, December 18, 2019) PALESTINE, Texas — The City of Palestine moved on Tuesday to file an initial response to a lawsuit involving Union Pacific. In the suit, Union Pacific requests a court invalidate an 1872 pact that keeps a certain...
Washington’s Metro teams up with TSA to test anti-explosive detection system
(Source: Washington Post, December 17, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The images on the screen looked like the infrared bodies you see on ghost hunting shows, but the green figures that flashed on the screen at the Pentagon City Metro station Tuesday in Arlington, Virginia,...
CSX to announce Q4 2019 results on January 16, 2020
(Source: CSX press release, December 19, 2019) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corp. will release fourth-quarter financial and operating results after the market close Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. This will be followed by a conference call and live webcast hosted by the...
Metra’s on-time performance is slipping, but one train line is late more often than any other
(Source: Chicago Tribune, December 11, 2019) CHICAGO — Your Metra train was more likely to be late this year, primarily due to signaling and switching problems, along with weather delays, according to the commuter railroad. Full story: Chicago Tribune
Rail traffic needs a holiday miracle
(Source: Railway Age, December 18, 2019) NEW YORK — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ended Dec. 14, 2019, and, for this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 520,589 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.5%...
Canadian crude by rail shipments to surge, spurring investment
(Source: Bloomberg, December 18, 2019) CALGARY — Canadian shipments of crude by rail are poised to surge next year, spurring investment in new export infrastructure. Crude-by-rail capacity in Alberta is expected to grow by 100,000 barrels a day in December after the...
BLET News
RRB update: Rail workers affected by Hurricane Katrina
Many railroad workers have been laid off because of Hurricane Katrina and need to file applications for unemployment benefits with the Railroad Retirement Board.
Judge orders unions to cross AMFA picket lines
The Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio — Eastern Division, has issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and UTU, ordering both unions to “notify their general chairpersons, local chairpersons, and employees under their jurisdiction that this Court has ordered that AMFA’s picket lines be crossed” at CSX and Norfolk Southern.
Relief Fund established for BLET Southern Region General Committee members
Members of the BLET’s Grand International Auxiliary (GIA) in the Houston area have established a Southern Region BLET General Committee Relief Fund to benefit all BLET members in the New Orleans area that have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Labor Day 2005
Labor day is the one day each year that we honor our nation’s workers. It is a day for all Americans to unite in celebration of the workers that have made this country great.
President Hahs statement on Hurricane Katrina
Facing the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States, it is time for all BLET members to come to the aid of their Brothers and Sisters who have been impacted by this tragedy.
Disaster Relief Fund ready to assist Teamsters affected by Katrina
The Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund is accepting applications for assistance from members in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.
Teamsters Disaster Relief fund offering assistance in Wyoming
The Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund recently received a disaster alert notice for the state of Wyoming, due to a tornado on August 12.
BLET members reject Division size initiative
BLET members have rejected an initiative that would have created larger local divisions within the Brotherhood.
What really happened at Via Rail
In an attempt to rebut the latest UTU spin-doctoring, here is what really happened concerning the operating crafts at Via Rail.
Would anyone be proud of the UTU?
Bribes and kickbacks? High-priced management spin doctors on the payroll? Engineer only operations on freight trains? Yep. Eugene V. Debs would certainly be proud of an organization like the UTU.
