Rail Industry News
BNSF reports Q3 2024 results
BNSF Railway’s profits, revenue, and volume all increased for the third quarter, thanks to surging intermodal and agricultural shipments.
FRA proposes automated track inspection regulations
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes applauded the proposed ATI rule.
FRA aims to tighten rules for waivers that allow railroads to experiment with safety technology
The proposal also seeks to preserve union jobs: It says the FRA will take a dim view of safety waiver requests that seek to reduce employment levels or the number of inspections performed by track and car inspectors.
FRA awards $2.4 billion in grants to 122 projects
This announcement is part of a series of investments the Biden-Harris Administration has made in nearly 300 rail projects and dozens of emerging passenger rail corridors across the country through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded FRA grant programs.
CN reports Q3 2024 results
CN today reported its financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, including operating income of $1.515 million.
CPKC reports Q3 2024 results
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) today announced its third-quarter results, including revenues of $3.5 billion.
Union Pacific reports Q3 2024 results
Union Pacific Corporation today reported 2024 third quarter net income of $1.7 billion, or $2.75 per diluted share. This compares to 2023 third quarter net income of $1.5 billion, or $2.51 per diluted share.
Norfolk Southern reports Q3 2024 results
For the quarter, income from railway operations was $1.6 billion and the operating ratio was 47.7%.
CPKC, CSX receive STB approval to create Mexico-U.S. rail link
The two railroads received approval from the Surface Transportation Board for their acquisition of rail lines operated by Genesee & Wyoming’s Meridian & Bigbee Railroad, also known as MNBR, resulting in the new direct interchange connection in Alabama.
CSX reports Q3 2024 results
Net earnings were $894 million compared to $828 million in the same period last year.
NJ Train regulation bill advances in state senate
A New Jersey state senate committee has approved a bill that would require two-person crews for freight trains and set a maximum length of 8,500 feet for “dangerous hazardous trains.”
NTSB: Improper coupling, excessive in-train forces caused March 2023 NS derailment
Contributing to the accident was the misidentification of couplers without alignment control during the NS’ inspection process, according to an NTSB report issued Sept. 22.
CSX’s former Clinchfield largely unrecognizable after historic flood
With roadways out of service and railroad washouts prohibiting inspections and repair, CSX’s Blue Ridge Subdivision and much of its Clinchfield are likely to remain out of the service for the foreseeable future.
Q&A: RRB financial reports
As of September 30, 2023, total railroad retirement system assets, comprising assets managed by the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust (NRRIT) and the railroad retirement system accounts at the Treasury, equaled $26.5 billion.
UP explains absence from early contract agreements with organized labor
UP has sought to renegotiate the scheduling deal it reached last year with the BLET, under which engineers work 11 days and then have four days off. That prompted the union to sue the railroad this summer because it had yet to implement the scheduling agreement systemwide.
NTSB identifies probable cause of close-clearance death of CSX conductor trainee
“In this accident, a conductor trainee was fatally injured when he rode a shoving movement through a close clearance — a 7-inch gap — between his train and a series of parked locomotives. The conductor, riding a different ladder on the same railcar through the same gap, was not injured,” the NTSB said.
STB urges BNSF and UP to be prepared for West Coast container surge
Specifically, Primus asked the railroads for their plans to provide reliable service, how they will allocate resources to West Coast ports, and how the railroads are sharing information with port officials.
Biden-Harris administration calls on Class I freight railroads to guarantee paid sick leave and get to 100% worker coverage
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Department of Labor Acting Secretary Julie Su today sent letters to the CEOs of three Class I freight railroads – CPKC, CN, and CSX – calling on them to guarantee paid sick leave to all of their employees.
Regulators scrutinize trends on second day of rail growth hearings
At the opening of today’s Surface Transportation Board hearing on the lack of rail freight volume growth, Vice Chair Karen Hedlund said she was still struck by what she heard the day before from analysts and shippers and Class I railroad executives.
Railroads and regulators must address the dangers of long trains, report says
The report said there is a clear correlation between the number of derailments related to in-train forces and the long trains that routinely measure more than a mile or two long.
BLET News
Goodbye railroad, hello retirement: Metra and Union Pacific honor BLET’s Doug Davidson
Then and now: Davidson in the cab of a C&NW locomotive in the late 1980s (left) and Metra's C&NW heritage locomotive on March 31, 2025 (right). ____________________ Both Metra and Union Pacific gave the BLET’s Director of Arbitration Doug Davidson a nice send...
BLET UP-Southern Region GCA conducts training for new Local Chairmen
The BLET Union Pacific-Southern Region General Committee of Adjustment (GCA) held a training session on March 25-26 in Burleson, Texas, for recently elected or newly appointed Local Chairmen. The session was specifically designed for those taking office for the first...
Reminder: Deadline to apply for Teamsters Scholarship Fund is May 1
BLET members are reminded that the Teamsters Scholarship Fund (TSF) will award 600 one-time $2,000 awards for the upcoming school year. To apply, please visit the TSF website (aim.applyists.net/TSF) and create an account. The deadline is May 1. For more information,...
BLET members ratify quality of life agreement with Belt Railway of Chicago
For the first time, BLET members will have paid sick days and access to the company’s 401k program under the new quality of life agreement.BLET members ratified a new quality of life agreement with the Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC) in late March. ____________________...
Arizona: Excessive train length a factor in recent train heists, President Hall says in television interview
In a recent television interview, BLET National President Eddie Hall said excessive train length is a factor in the ongoing problem of train robberies in the American southwest. In an interview with television station Fox 10 News in Phoenix, President Hall said that...
Texas: BLET delivers expert testimony on grade crossing separation bill
BLET Texas SLB Chairman Ben Wright prepares to deliver testimony in favor of Texas Senate Bill 1555. ____________________ The BLET is working with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Texas to make railroad grade crossings safer following the death of a Houston high...
Nevada: BLET State Legislative Board Chairmen wrap up 50th annual meeting
Members of the BLET’s National Association of State Legislative Board Chairmen (NASLBC), meeting in Las Vegas, concluded their 50th annual meeting On April 3rd. The NASLBC has met each year since 1975 to hear from each State Chairman about railroad-related safety and...
Wisconsin: BLET and Teamster-backed judge Susan Crawford wins election
Susan Crawford, center, speaking at an election night event. ____________________ On April 1, pro-union candidate Susan Crawford won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, securing a 3-2 pro-worker majority. A proven labor advocate, Crawford is committed to protecting...
Two injured in CSXT remote control collision in Baltimore
A remote control incident in July 2024 caused a CSXT locomotive to crash into a residential neighborhood in Niagara Falls, N.Y. ____________________ Baltimore television station WBAL reports that a collision between two CSXT trains at the Curtis Bay Yard in Baltimore...
Follow-up on CSXT’S zero-to-zero plan: Field reports from BLET members document safety flaws with Trip Optimizer
As documented by a BLET member, Trip Optimizer’s handling of a train caused excessive slack action, which resulted in a violent separation that ripped out this drawbar and initiated an emergency brake application. ___________________ As reported in March, the BLET...
