Rail Industry News
Denver’s OmniTRAX has quickly become a major player in the railroad industry
(Source: Denver Post, September 29, 2019) DENVER, Colo. — Tucked away in a Cherry Creek office building, in a neighborhood of financial firms and high-end retailers, is the headquarters of one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing privately held railroads....
Canada’s crude-by-rail shipments jump 12.9% in July
(Source: Kallanish Energy, September 27, 2019) HOUSTON — Crude oil-by-rail shipments in western Canada increased 12.9% in July, according to new data from the Canada Energy Regulator. July’s volume was more than 9.71 million barrels (Mmbbl), an increase from 8.60...
Q&A: RRB financial reports
(Source: Railroad Retirement Board press release, August 25, 2019) CHICAGO — The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is required by law to submit annual reports to Congress on the financial condition of the railroad retirement and railroad unemployment insurance systems....
Union Pacific CFO Rob Knight to retire Dec. 31
(Source: Union Pacific press release, September 26, 2019) OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific today announced Rob Knight, chief financial officer since 2004, plans to retire Dec. 31. Union Pacific appointed Jennifer Hamann to succeed Knight, effective Jan. 1. Knight, 62,...
Texas high-speed rail project picks up speed
(Source: Transportation Today, September 26, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — A proposed Dallas to Houston high-speed rail project, with an overall estimated price tag of $20 billion, gained momentum this month when developer Texas Central announced it had signed a...
Canadian railroads see opportunity amid slowing demand
(Source: Freight Waves, September 25, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Canadian class I railroads were on hand to discuss the outlook for the industry in separate presentations at the CIBC 18th Annual Eastern Institutional Investor Conference held in Montreal. CIBC is a...
Ten states join opposition to Washington state’s new oil vapor standards law
(Source: Land Line, September 25, 2019) GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — Attorneys general in 10 states are asking the Trump administration to overturn a new Washington state law regulating the transportation of oil, claiming new oil classifications go against federal law and...
Canadian crude by rail jumps in July
(Source: JWN Energy, September 27, 2019) CALGARY, Alberta — Crude by rail traffic out of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin jumped by more than 25,000 bbls/d in July, reigniting an upward trend that had slowed the previous month. New data from the Canadian Energy...
GM, UAW battle over worker pay from temps to CEO
(Source: Detroit News, September 25, 2019) DETROIT — When handshakes opened labor talks in July, United Auto Workers President Gary Jones promised to halt what he called a “race to the bottom” and to fight against "wage loss." Full story: Detroit News
GM tells striking union members it will continue health coverage
(Source: Detroit Press, September 26, 2019) DETROIT — In a significant reversal, General Motors has told the UAW that it will continue to pay for health coverage of striking workers. Full story: Detroit Press
Former Blackjewel miners end railroad blockade in Kentucky
(Source: West Virginia Public Radio, September 26, 2019) CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The nearly two-month blockade of a Kentucky railroad track is coming to an end as unpaid coal miners end their protest in order to take new jobs, start classes, or move away from their...
Bill enhancing unionization efforts cleared by House panel
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, September 26, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — A House committee yesterday approved legislation that would enhance workers’ ability to organize on the job so they can advocate for better wages and working...
AAR reports rail traffic down for week ending September 21, 2019
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, September 25, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 21, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was...
High-speed rail from Southern California to Las Vegas could be reality in a few years
(Source: CBS Los Angeles, September 24, 2019) LOS ANGELES — A high-speed train traveling from Southern California to Las Vegas might be just a few years away. Virgin Trains USA — backed by Fortress Investment Group private equity funds — is proposing to build the rail...
First shipment of solid bitumen on its way to China
(Source: Business In Vancouver, September 25, 2019) VANCOUVER, B.C. — A test shipment of bitumen oil from Alberta is on its way to China, but it didn’t get to a B.C. port by pipeline – it was moved by train through Prince Rupert in a semi-solid form commonly known as...
PTC active on Metro-North Hudson line in Dutchess County
(Source: Poughkeepsie Journal, September 26, 2019) POUGHKEEPSIE — Nearly six years after a Metro-North Railroad Hudson line train derailed as it approached the Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx, the technology that investigators say could have prevented the crash...
New MBTA Orange Line cars in the shop after door opened on the move
(Source: Boston Herald, September 25, 2019) BOSTON — That didn’t take very long. The shiny new Orange Line trains are out of service after a door opened up while the train was in motion near the Massachusetts Avenue stop, according to the MBTA. MBTA spokesman Joe...
Norfolk Southern work truck driver killed in crash with SUV
(Source: Radio station WFIR, September 25, 2019) ROANOKE, Va. — The driver of a Norfolk Southern work truck was killed today in a crash with an SUV. It happened on Jenelle Road near Blacksburg in Montgomery County. The sheriff’s office has not yet released the...
Experts: Shippers and railroads need to repair breakdown in communication
(Source: Freight Waves, September 25, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Shippers, freight railroads and the investor community must tackle the “dysfunctional” relationships between them so that they create an effective and efficient supply chain and meet future demand for...
UAW-GM strike, day 10: UAW signals that tentative agreement could be coming soon
(Source: Detroit News, September 26, 2019) DETROIT — The United Auto Workers implied Wednesday that union negotiators are prepared to bargain around the clock with General Motors Co., signaling that a tentative agreement could be coming soon. Full story: Detroit...
BLET News
New book salutes working railroaders
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen are encouraged to look into a new book from Kalmbach Publishing Co. that is a tribute to the working men and women of American railroads.
BLET Job Bank: Amtrak (Oakland, Calif.)
Amtrak has an immediate need for qualified Class 1 locomotive engineers to work out of Oakland, Calif. The closing date is April 9.
BLET Job Bank: Indiana Harbor Belt
The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Company is looking to hire approximately 10 federally certified Locomotive Engineers for current vacancies on its property.
Asbestos bill bad news for rail workers
The U.S. Senate is currently deliberating on a bill, S. 1125, which will take away railroad workers rights to sue employers for asbestos related injuries.
Mother of BLET President Hahs passes away
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen extends its deepest sympathy to the family of President Don Hahs upon the death of his mother, Neisha Hahs Humphreys, on Saturday, March 27. Mrs. Humphreys was 89 years old and was a resident of the Harborwood Nursing Home in Clearwater, Fla.
BLET continues fight for remote control safety improvements
Leadership of the United Transportation Union reinforced their reputation as a “company union” earlier this week by jointly lobbying with rail carriers to block the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen’s (BLET) efforts to improve the safety and security of remote control train operations.
San Francisco adopts resolution opposing remote control
The City of San Francisco adopted a resolution on March 16 opposing remote control locomotives and calling on the Federal Railroad Administration to develop comprehensive guidelines governing use of the technology. The same resolution was adopted by the county of San Francisco.
BLET lauds Congressman Capuano for support of rail safety, security
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), a division of the Teamsters Rail Conference, applauded Congressman Mike Capuano (D-MA) for making a statement of record in support of improved railroad safety and security measures regarding remote control locomotives.
Teamsters Rail Conference calls for added security
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Rail Conference today responded to the announcement by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to step up security in the passenger rail industry.
W.Va. AFL-CIO is 16th to endorse remote control safety
The West Virginia AFL-CIO joined 15 other state labor federations in passing a resolution condemning the implementation of remote control train operations in the rail industry.
