Rail Industry News
Travelers opting for rail again as Amtrak expands options
In the post-pandemic world, while many travelers have been obsessed with airlines, ground stops, cancellations and delays, Amtrak’s ridership is bouncing back.
U.S. House committee to hold hearing on supply chain, infrastructure
A U.S. House committee said Thursday it will hold a hearing next Wednesday on supply chain and transportation infrastructure issues that will feature trucking, railroad and union groups.
Grand Central Madison brings LIRR service to the East Side, realizing decades-old dream
New York’s long-delayed plan to bring Long Island Rail Road trains to Grand Central Terminal was finally realized on Wednesday, capping a project that’s as old as the MTA itself.
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending January 21, 2023
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 467,485 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.1 percent compared with the same week last year.
Department of Justice has “serious concerns” about CP-KCS merger
The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has a long and vocal history of concern for mergers within the railroad industry.
Q&A: RRB reports performance under Customer Service Plan
The Railroad Retirement Board’s Customer Service Plan promotes the following principles of quality public service: openness, accessibility, accountability, feedback, and timeliness standards.
UP vows to improve service, craft employees’ quality of life in 2023
To counter looming macroeconomic headwinds in 2023, Union Pacific aims to boost rail service, which will include looking at how to improve the quality of life of craft employees.
CSX profit up 9% in Q4 2022 based on higher fuel surcharges, shipping rates
CSX said its revenue increased 9% to hit $3.73 billion. Increases in fuel surcharges and shipping rates drove revenue higher even though volume slipped 2%.
CSX expects volume to increase in 2023
CSX Transportation reported strong fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday and, despite signs of an economic slowdown, said it expected to gain volume this year thanks to ongoing service improvements.
U.S. rail traffic falls below 2022, 2019 levels in week ending January 21, 2023
Traffic trailed the same period in 2019 by 14%, according to Susquehanna Financial Group (SFG) Analyst Bascome Majors. It is the third consecutive week that total traffic has declined.
DOJ expresses rail competition concerns regarding CP-KCS merger
The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division on Jan. 24 reaffirmed its “support for the [Surface Transportation] Board’s review process and careful scrutiny of the competitive implications of the proposed transaction” that would merge Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS).
Port of New York and New Jersey shatters trade record
The Port of New York and New Jersey moved almost 9.5 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) for 2022, the first time in its history the port broke the nine-million container mark and another sign of its greater prominence in the global supply chain as more trade has moved away from the West Coast.
CSX announces Q4 and full-year 2022 results
For the full year 2022, CSX operating income of $6.0 billion was up 8% from the previous year.
Canadian Pacific drops amid DOJ call for railroad regulator to block KCS deal
Canadian Pacific dropped 3.2% as the U.S. Dept. of Justice reiterated that the U.S. railroad regulator should block the Canadian Pacific (CP) merger with Kansas City Southern.
Railroad workers rescue raccoon after hair got frozen to the tracks
Railroad workers were able to rescue a stricken male raccoon after it became frozen to the tracks—stuck fast by the hair on its private parts.
Rail engineers say poor working conditions behind labor shortage that stunted Wyoming coal production
Current and retired engineers with Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) told Cowboy State Daily that the companies treat their employees so poorly that few people want to work for them. Many others are quitting.
Union Pacific posts record earnings, spends more on share repurchases than on its employees
“Instead of buying back their own stock, UP should be investing in their employees by offering paid sick leave, reasonable schedules and a better quality of life for railroaders,” said Ed Hall, new president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
UP reports Q4 and full year 2022 results
Union Pacific Corporation today reported 2022 fourth quarter net income of $1.6 billion, or $2.67 per diluted share.
NS reports Q4 and full year 2022 results
Fourth quarter railway operating revenue was $3.2 billion, up 13%, and income from railway operations was $1.2 billion, up 5%.
CN announces Q4 and full year 2022 results
Diluted earnings per share (EPS) of C$2.10 grew by 23% on an adjusted basis in the fourth quarter, and operating ratio remained flat at 57.9% on an adjusted basis.
BLET News
BLET 160th Anniversary: Shoot the Strike to Pieces
The year 1877 was filled with strikes and labor unrest in various parts of the country. Engineers walked out on the Boston & Maine, the Philadelphia & Reading, Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Grand Trunk, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the St. Louis &...
Two-person crew: State legislation advances in Kansas and New Jersey – but helped needed from BLET members to get bills across the finish line
Your help is requested to support BLET’s case for two-person crew requirements in Kansas and New Jersey. In Kansas, State Legislative Board Chairman Brandon Nunnenkamp reports that the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has proposed a two-person crew...
Philadelphia: Will the last SEPTA engineer please turn out the lights? Agency should have 230 engineers but it is down to just 160 – and dropping.
The BLET continues to sound the warning bell at SEPTA. The commuter railroad serving Philadelphia and suburban areas in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey is near its breaking point due to lack of qualified locomotive engineers to run trains. Train cancellations,...
BLET 160th Anniversary: Early Masonic Influences
The early members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers had strong Masonic beliefs, as evidenced by this photo of a BLE meeting in Illinois, which was taken in the early to mid-1870s. During early Division meetings, officers wore Masonic regalia with...
Register now for upcoming RRB pre-retirement seminars in Fort Worth and Philadelphia
The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has announced its schedule of Pre-Retirement Seminars for Fall 2023. Designed for union officers and railroad employees and spouses planning to retire within five years, Pre-Retirement Seminars will familiarize attendees with...
Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad workers vote to join BLET
Train and engine service employees of the Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad (FG&A) have voted to join the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), becoming the newest members of the 160-year-old union. The election was certified on July 12 by the...
BLET 160th Anniversary: Insurance Association answers a genuine need in 1867
A most important milestone in BLE history occurred on December 3, 1867, when the Locomotive Engineers Mutual Life Insurance Association was established at Port Jervis, New York. It was patterned after the Insurance Association of the Metropolitan Police of New York...
Get involved: Join us in Myrtle Beach August 14-18, 2023
Brothers and Sisters, I want to express my gratitude following last week’s Western Regional Meeting in Milwaukee and thank those who attended. You are the Union, and I was pleased to host your meeting. I invite everyone to our Eastern Regional Meeting at the Hilton...
90% majority of BLET Divisions ratify quality of life agreement with UP
The six BLET General Chairmen reported today that 90% of BLET Divisions representing locomotive engineers on Union Pacific ratified a momentous agreement that enhances the quality of life for those locomotive engineers and their families by making it possible for them to have more predictable schedules.
BLET members ratify paid sick leave deal with Norfolk Southern
Nearly 95% of BLET Divisions representing locomotive engineers on Norfolk Southern ratified a new paid sick leave agreement with Norfolk Southern on June 19. The new deal provides NS engineers with five new days of paid sick leave per year and the flexibility to use...
