Rail Industry News
Freight rail seeks ways to stay afloat amid sinking rail volumes
(Source: Freight Waves, November 24, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — As the freight rail industry looks ahead to 2020, the leaders of several Class I railroads and railroad lessors said a return to volume growth isn’t likely to appear until the second half of next year....
Santa Train packing party brings back old memories, creates new ones
(Source: Kingsport Times News, November 21, 2019) KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Community volunteers gathered Wednesday at Food City on Eastman Road in Kingsport to ready many of the more than 15 tons of gifts to be distributed from this year's Santa Train. Full story: Kingsport...
Developers say Houston-Dallas bullet train is still on track as project clears another hurdle
(Source: Television station KHOU, November 21, 2019) HOUSTON — It’s been more than 50 years since the Northwest Mall opened as Houston’s newest shopping mecca. The site would draw huge crowds again if Texas Central has its way. The private developer of the...
BNSF Railway claims California counties unlawfully charge them a higher tax rate
(Source: Legal Newsline, November 21, 2019) OAKLAND, Calif. — BNSF Railway alleges 15 California counties are assessing it a higher property tax rate than other commercial and industrial property owners in violation of federal law. BNSF Railway Co. filed a complaint...
KCS deploys CloudMoyo artificial intelligence platform
(Source: Railway Age, November 21, 2019) NEW YORK — Kansas City Southern has completed the global deployment and rollout of a cloud-based operational testing system from Bellevue, Washington-based CloudMoyo (CM), a developer of artificial intelligence (AI)...
Durbin introduces bill to improve Amtrak on-time performance
(Source: Press release from the office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, November 21, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced a bill today that helps improve Amtrak on-time performance (OTP) in Illinois and around the country by providing Amtrak...
CN strike disrupts steel, copper trade with U.S.
(Source: Industry Week, November 21, 2019) SEATTLE — Steel, copper, aluminum and zinc shipments between the U.S. and Canada are at risk from a strike at Canadian National Railway Co. In the U.S., Union Pacific Corp., the largest freight rail provider in the West...
CN strike rattles Canada’s supply chain
(Source: Freight Waves, November 21, 2019) TORONTO — Nearly three days into a strike by thousands of Canadian National rail workers, the ripple through Canada’s supply chain intensified across the country as pressure mounted on the federal government to end the strike...
Shippers shift to trucks as CN strike enters third day
(Source: Reuters, November 12, 2019) WINNIPEG/MONTREAL — Shippers scrambled to shift freight onto trucks on Thursday as a strike at Canada's biggest railroad, Canadian National Railway Co CNR.TO, entered its third day and left many goods stranded. Full story:...
Canada’s federal ministers focused on collective bargaining to resolve CN strike
(Source: National Post, November 21, 2019) OTTAWA — Federal ministers expressed faith in the collective bargaining process and would not comment on the possibility of back to work legislation, as a national railway strike continued into its third day on Thursday. Full...
TCRC: Propane shortage appears largely manufactured by CN
(Source: Teamsters Canada press release, November 22, 2019) MONTREAL — The widely reported propane shortage in Ontario and Québec appears to be largely manufactured by Canadian National Railway (CN). Despite the strike by members of the Teamsters Canada Rail...
TCRC says “no substantive progress” with CN as strike enters fourth day
(Source: Reuters Canada, November 22, 2019) MONTREAL — A strike at Canada’s biggest railroad, Canadian National Railway Co, entered its fourth day on Friday amid ongoing talks, but the Teamsters union said in a statement that “no substantive progress” has been made on...
AAR: Rail traffic down again for week ending November 16
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, November 20, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 16, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was...
KCS announces results of 19th annual Holiday Express fundraising campaign
(Source: Kansas City Southern press release, November 20, 2019) KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern (KCS) announced today its 19th annual Holiday Express will distribute $170,450 to The Salvation Army at stops along the route to provide warm clothing and other...
CP Rail to acquire railway that owns tracks involved in Lac-Megantic disaster
(Source: Canadian Press, November 21, 2019) MONTREAL — Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. says it will acquire the Central Quebec and Maine Railway, which operates the tracks at the center of the Lac-Mégantic disaster in 2013. Full story: www.cbc.ca
KCS COO Songer sells $973,652 in company stock
(Source: Financial Stocks Daily, November 21, 2019) NEW YORK — COO Jeffrey M. Songer sold 6,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total transaction of $973,652.80. Following...
Authorities identify Amtrak employee killed in industrial accident in South Loop rail yard
(Source: Chicago Sun-Times, November 20, 2019) CHICAGO — Authorities have identified an Amtrak employee who was killed earlier this month in an industrial accident at a South Loop Amtrak mechanical facility. Christopher Blaess, 61, was killed in an industrial accident...
U.S. rail volumes slump in flat peak season
(Source: Freight Waves, November 21, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Year-to-date U.S. rail volumes slipped again the week ending Nov. 16 amid industry observations that the peak season this year was muted for rail. U.S. rail traffic for the first 46 weeks of the year fell...
Pressure mounts on Canadian Prime Minister to end rail strike as effects spread
(Source: Bloomberg, November 21, 2019) OTTAWA — Pressure is mounting on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take action to end a railway strike that’s curtailing shipments of one the world’s biggest exporters of raw materials. Full story: Yahoo Finance
Canadian heavy crude weakens as CN strike halts oil shipments
(Source: Financial Post, November 20, 2019) MONTREAL — The price of Canadian heavy crude weakened as a worker strike at the nation’s largest railway curbed oil shipments, exacerbating a supply glut that’s crippled Canada’s oil industry. Full story: Financial...
BLET News
BLET to conduct advanced Local Chairman Workshop May 22 – 27 at the GMC
The Education & Training Department of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is seeking participants for an advanced Local Chairman Workshop scheduled for May 22-27.
BLET to conduct GCofA Secretary-Treasurer refresher class in April
The BLET Education and Training Department will conduct a refresher class for General Committee Secretary-Treasurers from April 12–14 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Via Rail: The straight story
Gilles Halle, President of Teamster Canada Rail Conference, called the UTU’s recent website posting about Via Rail “a total misstatement of the facts.”
FRA issues switching safety Q&As
The Federal Railroad Administration has issued more switching safety recommendations in the wake of January 6’s fatal accident in Graniteville, S.C.
A tragedy in Waycross
For more than nine years, the CSX railroad yard in Waycross, Ga., was the safest in America. But that changed when the railroad began using remote control locomotives.
Teamsters disaster relief fund offers support and asks for contributions
The Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund recently received an alert for the state of Indiana, which has been ravaged by flooding and winter storms.
Space remains for February 20 S-T Workshop in San Francisco
Space is still available for members interested in attending the Education & Training Department’s Secretary- Treasurer Workshop in San Francisco from February 20-23.
Metrolink accident kills 11; BLET Safety Task Force to help investigate
A commuter train crash and derailment killed at least 11 people, and injured more that 200 outside Los Angeles this morning. The status of the train crews has not been confirmed.
Security threat looms over nation’s railroads
The following letter to the editor by IBT General President James P. Hoffa was published in the January 26, 2005 issue of USA Today.
BLET to conduct Local Chairman Workshop in March
The BLET Education & Training Department will conduct a Local Chairman Workshop on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill, starting on Sunday, March 20, and ending the evening of Thursday, March 24.
