Rail Industry News
LIRR ends development of battery-electric equipment
The Long Island Rail Road has scrapped a plan to develop battery-electric multiple-unit trainsets for use on its non-electrified lines, Newsday reports, after determining retrofitting of existing equipment is not feasible.
UP plans major locomotive rebuild program
Wabtec will modernize 600 locomotives over a three-year period for Union Pacific in a deal valued at more than $1 billion, the largest such program in railroading history.
Rail labor dispute that Biden entered has been brewing for years
Rail workers across the country were set to walk off the job on July 18 before President Joe Biden intervened, the latest development in a contentious saga that has been brewing for years.
Railroads, unions clash over reasonable pay
Members of the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) began hearing presentations on Sunday from carriers and labor unions as they look to bring an end to a roughly two-and-a-half-year contract dispute.
Freight rail service is deteriorating
Containers are piling up around the country and trains are waiting for longer stretches at depots, frustrating industrial shippers and exacerbating delays across U.S. supply chains.
STB sets hearing dates in CP-KCS merger case
The hearing will be held Sept. 28, 29 and 30 at the board’s offices in Washington, D.C.
How BNSF corralled U.S. Class I volume growth
Sometimes big stories hide in plain sight. One of them is the jaw-dropping way BNSF Railway has outgrown the other three big U.S. Class I railroads.
UP redesigns locomotive paint scheme
Union Pacific is making the biggest change to its locomotive paint scheme in more than 20 years.
STB may seek to continue collecting expanded railroad performance data
Some of the more detailed metrics the Surface Transportation Board has begun collecting as it tracks the rail industry’s service issues could become part of the STB’s regular regulatory oversight, board member Patrick Fuchs said Tuesday.
Deadly Amtrak collision with dump truck in Missouri caused $4 million in damages, NTSB reports
The deadly collision last month between an Amtrak train with 282 people on board and a fully loaded dump truck in Missouri caused $4 million in damage, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday.
Dockworkers back rail unions in labor talks
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Coast Longshore Division announced on July 19 that it stands in solidarity with the Rail Unions and they workers they represent as they seek what they would consider a fairer contract that reflects the vital work they do nationwide.
Higher attrition rates dampen CSX plans for operational rebound
Although a higher than anticipated attrition rate in the second quarter is slowing the pace of operational improvements, CSX still expects to continue to improve its service metrics in the third and fourth quarters.
STB denies California poultry producer’s request for extension of UP emergency service order
The Surface Transportation Board on Wednesday denied a California poultry and feed producer’s request for an extension of an emergency service order covering Union Pacific grain trains.
UP reports second quarter 2022 results
Union Pacific Corporation today reported 2022 second quarter net income of $1.8 billion, or $2.93 per diluted share. This compares to 2021 second quarter net income of $1.8 billion, or $2.72 per diluted share.
UP profit up 2% to $1.84 billion in second quarter of 2022
Union Pacific’s second-quarter profit improved a bit, but the railroad’s expenses jumped as it tried to reduce the delivery delays that have left its customers waiting for trains at times.
Appeal to customers crucial to rebound from service issues, UP says
With car velocity dropping and inventory climbing earlier this year, Union Pacific engaged in some “difficult conversations” with customers, Eric Gehringer says. The railroad’s executive vice president of operations is well aware for whom they were more difficult.
CSX reports Q2 2022 income
CSX Corp. today announced second quarter 2022 net earnings of $1,178 million, or $0.54 per share, compared to $1,173 million, or $0.52 per share in the same period last year. Second quarter 2022 operating income was $1.70 billion compared to $1.69 billion in the prior year period.
KCSM to invest in Celaya rail line, exclusivity rights extended in Mexico
Kansas City Southern today announced its affiliate Kansas City Southern de Mexico has reached an agreement with the Mexican Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) to fund a new investment in the Celaya-NBA Line Railway Bypass and other infrastructure.
CSX profit grows 5% in Q2 2022 even with ongoing delivery delays
The freight railroad’s revenue jumped 28% to $3.82 billion in the period as CSX increased shipping rates and charged customers more fuel surcharges in response to soaring diesel prices.
Trouble shipping grain and feed via rail far from over, concerns now growing about possible rail worker strike at harvest
Just how bad is it? Some feed users report being just days away from running out of feed.
BLET News
BLET reaches tentative agreement with Long Island Rail Road
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative agreement with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) governing rates of pay, benefits and work rules for nearly 500 locomotive engineers.
BLET prevails in injunction hearing
Following a June 11 hearing, a federal judge in El Paso, Texas has issued a Preliminary Injunction against Union Pacific Railroad (UP) to reverse the unlawful suspensions of a group of six members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET)
Career opportunities: BLET seeks applicants for National Legislative Office positions
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is announcing two open full-time positions for employment in BLET’s Washington, D.C. Legislative office.
INVEST Act clears T&I Committee after railroads’ attack falls short
Early this morning, the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act (INVEST Act) was passed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by a 38-26 vote.
BLET backs two-person crew, rail safety provisions of INVEST Act
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is endorsing the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act (INVEST Act), which is expected to be marked-up in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 9. The bill would authorize $547 billion in spending over five years on surface transportation, would mandate two-person crews on freight trains, and would triple funding for Amtrak.
Deadline approaches for BLET’s Austin regional meeting, July 12-16, 2021
Those planning to attend the BLET’s regional meeting next month in Austin, Texas, are reminded that the deadline to make hotel reservations is next week — Friday, June 18, 2021.
BLET honors the memory of Jose Hernandez III, son of BLET member, killed in VTA mass shooting
All men and women of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) send their deepest condolences to Brother Roy A. Benbow, his family, and friends. Brother Benbow is a member of BLET Division 839, whose step-son Jose Hernandez III was killed in the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) mass shooting in San Jose, California, on May 26, 2021. Jose was one of nine victims in the tragedy. He was just 35 years old.
Federal court orders UP to put BLET officers, member back to work
A federal judge in El Paso, Texas has ordered Union Pacific Railroad (UP) to reverse the unlawful suspensions of a group of six members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) — five of whom are elected officers of Division 192 in El Paso. The judge ruled that all these union members had been wrongfully suspended by the UP in violation of the Railway Labor Act (RLA).
Former BLET Vice President Stephen D. Speagle, 1946-2021
Stephen D. Speagle, former National Vice President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, passed away on May 26, 2021. He was 74 years old.
Memorial Day 2021
By Dennis R. Pierce, BLET National President Each year, on Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the men and women who have given their lives serving in our military, and we honor them for defending our country and our way of life.
