Rail Industry News
GAO: Interoperability issues a concern for PTC deployment
(Source: Progressive Railroading, August 5, 2019) Amtrak, commuter and freight railroads continue to make progress on positive train control (PTC) implementation, but significant work remains to achieve interoperability among the railroads' individual PTC systems,...
BNSF sees slight uptick in Q2 2019 revenue
(Source: Freight Waves, August 5, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Second-quarter revenue for BNSF, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK), rose 0.3 percent despite lower volumes for agricultural products, consumer products and industrial products, the railroad’s parent company...
OmniTRAX plan would double Port of Cleveland traffic
(Source: Crain’s Cleveland Business, August 4, 2019) CLEVELAND, Ohio — Roughly 13 million tons of cargo moves through Cleveland Harbor annually, supporting 20,000 jobs and creating $3.5 billion in economic activity. Full story: Crain’s Cleveland Business
Amtrak matches $750,000 Oregon DOT grant for Northwest rail infrastructure efforts
(Source: Transportation Today, August 5, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Building on a $750,000 grant application with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Amtrak declared last week that it would match that contribution to restoring an out-of-service siding...
Contura is winning bidder for Eagle Butte, Belle Ayr mines
(Source: Gillette News Record, August 4, 2019) GILLETTE, Wyo. — Nearly 600 Blackjewel LLC coal workers in Wyoming and West Virginia may see a monthlong forced layoff end soon after the company has agreed to sell a trio of mines to Contura Energy Inc. Full story:...
UP EVP Knight sells $1.55 million in company stock
(Source: Trent Times, August 2, 2019) NEW YORK — Union Pacific Co. EVP Robert M. Knight, Jr. sold 8,620 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.04, for a total value of...
Train hits washout in South Dakota; 2 crew members rescued
(Source: Associated Press, August 4, 2019) NEW UNDERWOOD, S.D. — Two crew members had to be rescued when a freight train derailed after hitting a washout in southwestern South Dakota. Pennington County authorities say the eastbound Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern...
Residents allowed to return home after CP derailment forces evacuation of Irvine, Alberta
(Source: CTV News Calgary, August 3, 2019) IRVINE, Alberta — A number of CP train cars derailed near the hamlet of Irvine on Friday afternoon and an evacuation order that was issued for a seven kilometer radius around the area has been lifted. Full story: CTV News...
Norfolk Southern lays off 20 workers from rail yard in Williamson, W.Va.
(Source: Herald-Dispatch, August 5, 2019) HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Norfolk and Southern recently furloughed 20 of its employees work worked at the rail yard in Williamson. The company laid off 10 workers at the Williamson yard as recently as 2012 and 200 positions in total...
CP Rail moves record amount of grain
(Source: Troy Media, August 2, 2019) CALGARY — Canadian Pacific Railway moved more Canadian grain and grain products during the 2018-2019 crop year than any year in its history. Full story: Troy Media
Documentary about George H.W. Bush funeral train to air on Discovery
(Source: Union Pacific press release, August 1, 2019) OMAHA, Neb. — The story of George H.W. Bush's funeral train "Uniting America: The President's Final Journey" will have its first airing Sunday, Aug. 11 at 8:30 a.m. ET/PT on Discovery. Led by Union Pacific's...
Sen. Wyden introduces bill to improve oil train safety
(Source: Press release from the office of Senator Ron Wyden, August 1, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., yesterday introduced legislation that would address safety concerns regarding the transport of oil via railways and to better prepare and...
Man killed unloading rail car in Aurora, Ill.
(Source: Aurora Beacon-News, August 1, 2019) CHICAGO — A 19-year-old man was killed when wood panels he was unloading from a rail car in Aurora Thursday morning fell on him, police said. Andy Williams, a spokesman for the railroad police, said the man who died worked...
Blackjewel bankruptcy could set off ripple effects for freight rail
(Source: Freight Waves, August 1, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The bankruptcy of private coal company Blackjewel could result in ripple effects across the freight rail industry. Blackjewel’s bankruptcy reminded the broader industrial sector of the vulnerability of U.S....
Senate witnesses: PTC still faces hurdles
(Source: Freight Waves, August 1, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Passenger and freight railroads are scrambling to meet a December 31, 2020 deadline to fully implement positive train control (PTC) technology on their locomotives and their networks, but software challenges...
Why BNSF is bucking the PSR trend and adding logistics centers
(Source: Supply Chain Dive, August 1, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — In contrast to the majority of Class I railroads shedding lines and closing yards under the precision-scheduled railroading (PSR) philosophy, BNSF is adding logistics centers to serve customers in...
BNSF aims to sustain its profit streak as rivals grow wary
(Source: Bloomberg, August 1, 2019) NEW YORK — Warren Buffett’s purchase of BNSF Railway Co. was an “all-in” wager on the U.S. economy that has reaped rewards for his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Now, it’s the economy that is tempering expectations for the business....
AAR reports rail traffic decline for week ending July 27, 2019
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, July 31, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 27, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 534,498...
BNSF cited by Oklahoma police for blocked crossings
(Source: The Oklahoman, August 1, 2019) EDMOND, Okla. — The Oklahoma Corporation Commission announced Wednesday it has set a hearing before an administrative law judge on two citations a local law agency issued to BNSF Railway that accuses the railroad of blocking a...
Bombardier posts loss, lowers 2019 profit forecast as rail woes persist
(Source: Reuters, August 1, 2019) NEW YORK — Bombardier Inc. on Thursday lowered its full-year core earnings and free cash flow forecasts, and reported a quarterly loss, as the Canadian plane and train maker wrestles with challenges in its important rail division....
BLET News
Hahs talks Teamsters at IWC opening ceremony
More than 200 BLE members and their families gathered here this morning and heard opening remarks by BLE International President Don Hahs at the 63rd annual International Western Convention.
Advisory Board to vote on Teamsters
The BLE’s Advisory Board will meet in Cleveland on July 9-10 to review and vote on finalized documents relating to the proposed merger with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Members ratify agreement on MBCR
Amtrak General Chairman Mark B. Kenny reported that members on the new Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad (MBCR) have overwhelmingly ratified a collective bargaining agreement.
Flat Rock, Mich., becomes 18th city to pass remote control resolution
Flat Rock, Mich., has become the 18th U.S. city to pass a resolution opposing the use of remote control locomotives.
Last chance for EUMA hotel reservations
The deadline for hotel reservations at the Eastern Union Meeting Association has been extended to June 1, EUMA Chairman Fred Cox reported today.
Appeals court rules for engineer
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has reversed and remanded to trial an Americans with Disabilities Act decision by a lower court in the case of a locomotive engineer from the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad.
Memorial Day statement from BLE International President Don M. Hahs
The following is a statement by BLE International President Don M. Hahs regarding Memorial Day.
Hahs responds to Kaufman column
I must object to the broad generalizations made by Lawrence H. Kaufman in his column published in the May 12 issue of Traffic World.
Court denies Hours of Service case
On May 12, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion on the Hours of Service Act, which may have far-reaching effects on railroad crew members.
Deadlines approaching for EUMA 2003
Hotel rooms are going fast for next month’s Eastern Union Meeting Association conference in Baltimore and reservations should be made as soon as possible.
