Rail Industry News
BNSF wraps up Kansas double-tracking project, reaching milestone on Southern Transcon
The Kansas double-tracking project began in 2019 and continued the legacy of the Santa Fe, which in 1992 committed to adding a second main all the way from Los Angeles to Chicago.
STB scolds Union Pacific for lack of cooperation
The strongest words, however, come in a concurrence to the unanimous decision by Board Chairman Robert Primus.
NS makes deal with Ancora to prevent another fight for control of the railroad
Under the deal, Norfolk Southern will add another independent director to its board and work to further improve its operations.
DOT announces nearly $1.5 billion for 19 projects along Northeast Corridor
The NEC is one of the busiest and most economically significant rail corridors in the world, with hundreds of thousands of daily riders in a region that represents 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.
Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union has been unwilling to sign onto any of these early deals.
TSA proposes new cybersecurity requirements for some railroads, other transportation systems
The TSA estimates that under the rule’s criteria, 73 of the approximately 620 U.S. freight railroads and 34 of approximately 92 passenger rail and transit operators would be subject to the requirements.
Norfolk Southern rule that rail cars be inspected in less than a minute sparks safety concerns
Railroad labor unions have been raising safety concerns for several years now about rushed train inspections after the industry implemented the lean Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model and eliminated one-third of all rail worker jobs.
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.
BLET News
Texas: Remote control derailment at UP’s Davidson Yard in Fort Worth renews questions about trains operated without locomotive engineers at the controls
The scene from Davidson Yard following the derailment of a remote control train on August 31. It resulted in a hazmat release and shelter-in-place order for nearby residents. Image: WFAA-TV ____________________ Another derailment involving a remote control train...
Surface Transportation Board: Robert Primus fired
Surface Transportation Board member Robert E. Primus said on his LinkedIn profile that he received an email from the White House terminating his position on August 28. The move comes a few months before the STB is expected to receive the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern...
Pennsylvania: SEPTA halts planned Regional Rail service cuts following court order
A September 4 court order from a Philadelphia judge has stopped SEPTA from implementing a planned 20 percent cut to Regional Rail service but is allowing the agency to go ahead with a 21.5 percent fare hike. This is the latest development in the ongoing financial...
New York: Replacement ballots in LIRR strike authorization vote available as of September 8; Ballots due September 15
BLET members working for Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) should have received a mailing from the National Division regarding the union’s strike authorization vote at the commuter railroad. Members who are eligible and have not received a strike authorization packet by...
BLET engineer at the throttle as Amtrak’s “Mardi Gras” service returns to the Gulf Coast after a 20-year absence
It was a bit of a homecoming for BLET locomotive engineer Ted Graham when he pulled back the throttle to officially relaunch Amtrak’s “Mardi Gras” service along the Gulf Coast on August 19. Graham, a member of BLET Division 18, previously worked as an assistant...
Advocacy by BLET members and others appears to have stopped a gutting of the RRB’s programs — for now
Projected Congressional funding for the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is significantly higher than anticipated, thanks in part to the hard work and tenacity of the BLET and its members. Earlier this week, the House’s Appropriations Labor, Health, and Human Services...
Texas: OSHA reaffirms reinstatement of BLET locomotive engineer with full back pay, orders UP to pay significant punitive damages after injuries in an Uber ride-share called by the company
A wrongfully-terminated BLET member received more than $184,000 in back pay after the BLET got him his job back, and he was awarded an additional $150,000 in punitive damages after a federal whistleblower investigation found that the Union Pacific Railroad violated...
C3RS: Big railroads would rather retaliate than safely operate
An investigation released last week on railroad safety from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland — later broadcast on NPR, published in newspapers such as The Washington Post, and distributed by the Associated Press — quotes two...
Amtrak: Next generation Acela debuts on the Northeast Corridor
Representing BLET at the inaugural run, from left: Vince Verna, VP & NLR; Mark Wallace, National President; and Gary Best, First Vice President. ____________________ BLET locomotive engineer Earl Braxton, a member of BLET Division 482, was at the throttle as...
New York: BLET conducting strike authorization vote at Long Island Rail Road
Nearly six hundred locomotive engineers employed by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) received ballots in the mail last week from the national union seeking authorization to call a strike at the nation’s busiest commuter railroad. LIRR’s locomotive engineers, members...
