Rail Industry News
Ohio governor says he expects NS to pay for costs of derailment and fire
“They’re the ones who created the problem,” DeWine said. “It’s their liability. They’re the ones who ought to pay for it.”
Norfolk Southern releases list of chemicals carried on derailed train in Ohio
The fire in East Palestine is still burning as community members figure out what the new week will bring. First responders are still waiting until it’s safe enough to head back to the scene before it can be cleared.
Amtrak crews begin training for future Gulf Coast route
Amtrak train crews this week will begin required training for future operation of its new Gulf Coast passenger-rail service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans.
NS employee seriously injured at Va. rail yard
A Norfolk Southern employee suffered a serious injury Thursday morning while working at a rail yard in Yuma, Virginia, according to a company spokesperson.
Mechanical defect eyed in massive NS derailment, fire in Ohio
Two videos obtained by the National Transportation Safety Board showed preliminary indications of a possible mechanical issue with one of the rail car axles before a Norfolk Southern train derailed Friday in East Palestine.
Officials urge evacuation near NS derailment, fearing explosion
Officials monitoring the smoldering, tangled wreckage of a train derailment in northeastern Ohio urgently warned hundreds of nearby residents who had declined to evacuate to do so Sunday night, saying a rail car was at risk of a potential explosion that could launch deadly shrapnel as far as a mile.
AAR: Last month was intermodal’s worst January in a decade
Although the number of carloads rose 2.2% to 923,696, the number of intermodal units plunged 8.1% to 919,928 containers and trailers.
TTD President testifies on state of transportation infrastructure, supply chain challenges
I’m sad to say there are those who continue to try to blame the workers for supply chain problems. Labor unions, the workers they represent, and even this administration – which signed the most consequential infrastructure and domestic manufacturing bills in generations – have all been scapegoated.
After 15-year odyssey, NS gets final OK for massive rail yard expansion near Chicago
The City Council agreed Wednesday to vacate streets and alleys to pave the way for a $150 million expansion of Norfolk Southern Railway’s intermodal yard in Englewood after the local alderperson lifted the legislative brick.
CP “ready to roll” on KCS merger
Canadian Pacific officials are upbeat about what 2023 might bring for the railway, with U.S. regulators poised to move soon on CP’s request to merge with Kansas City Southern.
CP reports new record January for Canadian grain transport
Canadian Pacific moved 2.29 million metric tonnes (MMT) of Canadian grain and grain products in January 2023, setting a new record for the month.
Teamsters honor the lessons of black history
Black history is woven into the history of the American labor movement and the history of our union. Throughout much of our nation’s existence, Black history has been long ignored or outright suppressed. That is why, during Black History Month, we honor the contributions Black Americans have made to this country and to the advancement of working people everywhere.
CP Rail reports Q4, full-year 2022 results
Canadian Pacific Railway Limited today announced its fourth-quarter results, including revenues of $2.46 billion, operating ratio (“OR”) of 59.8 percent, adjusted OR1 of 59.1 percent, diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) of $1.36 and core adjusted diluted EPS1 of $1.14.
CP Rail says it hired thousands as it awaits regulatory go-ahead for KCS merger
CP said it has added more than 1,600 conductors over the past 12 months.
Biden announces federal funds for Hudson, B&P rail tunnel projects
President Joe Biden today announced the award of $1.2 billion in grants from the new National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program (Mega) for nine projects across the country, including one to fund preparations for the Hudson Tunnel and Gateway projects.
Iowa bill seeks to limit length of freight trains
The bill would prevent railroad companies from running trains that exceed 8,500 feet in length, or about 1.6 miles. If signed into law, the rule could cost companies between $500 and $5,000 per violation.
STB issues final Environmental Impact Statement in CP-KCS merger
The Surface Transportation Board on Jan. 27 completed a final, critical step in its consideration of the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger to form CPKC.
AAR asks federal court to review STB rate dispute ruling
The Association of American Railroads has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to review the Surface Transportation Board’s recent ruling on small-rate disputes.
UP train blocks off entire subdivision in Illinois
Around 1:53 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office learned that a Union Pacific Railroad was blocking roadways for the entire Woodland Shores subdivision west of Dixon.
Brightline to begin testing trains at 110 mph in Palm Beach County
Brightline announced it will begin testing trains at 110 mph in northern and central Palm Beach County as soon as Feb. 11 and continue through March.
BLET News
Locomotive engineers at NJ Transit take contract battle to passengers and to New Jersey’s voters
BLET billboards highlighting NJT's spending “millions for penthouse views, but not a dime for train crews” are being placed around the state This week, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) launched an advertising and voter outreach campaign...
Ballots mailed for tentative Portland & Western agreement
A contract ratification vote is underway for BLET members at the Portland & Western Railroad (PNWR). Ballots were mailed this week to members to vote on a tentative on-property agreement governing rates of pay, benefits and work rules for approximately 50...
Ballots mailed for tentative Missouri & Northern Arkansas agreement
A contract ratification vote is underway for BLET members at the Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad (M&NA). Ballots were mailed this week to members to vote on a tentative on-property agreement governing rates of pay, benefits, and work rules for...
160th Anniversary: BLET builds a national headquarters
Delegates attending the Brotherhood’s convention in 1908 voted to fund construction of a union-owned headquarters building. Opened in 1911, the Engineers Building was a 13-story office building in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It housed executive offices of the union’s...
BLET members march in Toledo Labor Day parade
Members of BLET Division 4 and Division 937 had the honor of being first in line at the annual Labor Day Parade in Toledo, Ohio, on Monday, September 4. “It’s a big deal to be first out in this parade, which is one of the largest in the state,” said John Esterly,...
“Blaming workers creates the exact kind of environment where employees do not feel able to report unsafe conditions,” BLET tells DOT Buttigieg
The rail industry prefers to discipline workers rather than take their confidential input regarding safety improvements. That’s the hypocritical policy of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) in a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg...
It’s unanimous: BLET engineers at NJ Transit authorize a strike
Results show 81 percent of eligible voters returned ballots, 100 percent of those voting were in support of strike authorization BLET members at NJT are furious over the transit agency’s misplaced priorities. The agency has “millions for penthouse views, but not a...
Blame the workers: Despite previous promises, railroads resist joining confidential safety program because they want to be able to discipline workers
Photo by: Cory Rusch The major freight railroads say a disagreement over whether they will be allowed to discipline some workers has kept them from following through on the promise they made back in March to join the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS)....
BLET 160th Anniversary: Legendary BLET Member Casey Jones
Most people have heard of the brave locomotive engineer named Casey Jones through popular culture. But not everyone knows that he was, in fact, a member of our union. John Luther “Casey” Jones was a member of BLET Division 99 in Water Valley, Mississippi. He was one...
Federal judge denies NJ Transit’s frivolous nuisance motion to block BLET strike authorization vote
On Thursday afternoon, the Hon. Christine O’Hearn, a judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, denied NJ Transit’s (NJT) cynical attempt to strip members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) of their legal right to hold a strike vote under the rule of the federal Railway Labor Act.
