Rail Industry News
AAR: Rail traffic declines for 17th straight week as of June 18, 2022
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 501,207 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.5 percent compared with the same week last year. This is the 17th consecutive week that total traffic has declined.
Rail carloads rise a little, but intermodal falls a lot
Year-to-date, carloads improved an almost negligible 0.02%, but intermodal dropped 6.3%, compared to the prior-year period.
Federal Maritime Commission members urge STB to reject CP-KCS merger
Three of the Federal Maritime Commission’s five members have urged the Surface Transportation Board to reject the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, saying the deal would hurt U.S. ports.
UP to announce Q2 2022 earnings on July 21
Union Pacific Corporation will release second quarter 2022 financial and operating results on Thursday, July 21, 2022, at 7:45 a.m. ET.
CSX kicks off Chicago intermodal yard expansion project
CSX and Chicago officials earlier this week held a groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion of the 63rd Street intermodal container storage yard.
Gunman at large after shooting 2 people, 1 fatally, on San Francisco light rail train
The search continued Thursday for a gunman who shot two people, one fatally, on a packed Muni commuter train in San Francisco on Wednesday, police said.
Illinois grain shipper opposes CN request to force CP and KCS to divest Springfield Line as part of merger
Bartlett Grain Co., which opened a grain loading facility on KCS in Jacksonville, Ill., in 2013, says a divestiture to CN would end the single-line service it currently enjoys for grain shipments to Mexico.
Primus to be renominated to STB
Robert E. Primus will be renominated to continue serving as a Member of the Surface Transportation Board. Primus is a Member of the Surface Transportation Board.
Amtrak orders 50 more national network locomotives
Another 50 locomotives have been ordered by Amtrak from Siemens Mobility, which worked with Amtrak to design this locomotive series for another major investment in our long distance services, the backbone of our National Network.
Exxon joins oil majors in Qatar’s mega-LNG expansion project
In all, the North Field Expansion plan includes six LNG trains that will ramp up Qatar’s liquefaction capacity from 77 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 126 mtpa by 2027.
City of Beaumont, Rep. Ruiz pressure UP over blocked crossings
The Pass Area’s congressional representative is requesting an immediate response from the CEO of Union Pacific Railroad about the June 15 train incident in Beaumont that turned the city into a giant parking lot.
Family of Metra passenger killed in May accident files suit
The family of a Metra passenger killed in a May 11 grade-crossing accident has filed suit against the commuter agency and BNSF Railway, as well as the moving company whose truck was involved in the accident and the driver of the truck.
Analysis: How Wall Street holds railroads hostage
The U.S. Class I railroads’ recurring crew shortages, related bouts of service problems, and a lack of meaningful volume growth are intertwined. You can lay the blame for all three problems at just one place: Wall Street.
U.S. Supreme Court decision blocks Oklahoma cities from ticketing traffic-blocking trains
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Oklahoma’s effort to revive a state law setting strict time limits on trains blocking city streets.
BNSF addresses rail car backlog
For most of 2022 a freight rail backlog has left farmers and ranchers holding the bag, unable to bring their products to markets.
Texans ask for protection against Union Pacific’s cancer-causing chemicals
Houstonians boarded a bus to Austin early Wednesday morning to attend a hearing where the Fifth Ward cancer cluster will be addressed.
TTD, UP disagree over safety technology deployment
The debate about how to manage visual inspections in the face of advances in safety technology continues. This time it’s railroad carmen defending the importance of visual inspections for brake testing and maintenance.
Years of contract negotiations between railroads and unions stall
The contract talks involve approximately 140,000 railroad workers who are members of 13 rail unions. Workers are frustrated they have not received raises since 2019, and they want their pay to increase enough to offset inflation, according to union members.
Is transport of LNG by rail safe?
The debate on whether the U.S. federal government should allow the movement of liquefied natural gas by rail could come to a head this summer, with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) poised to make some big decisions.
CN maintains rail operations as IBEW strike begins
CN has implemented its operational contingency plan now that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has begun its strike. The union represents 750 CN employees.
BLET News
Leo M. Srubas, 1930-2021
Brother Leo M. Srubas, a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen for nearly 65 years, passed away on March 26, 2021, after a two and a half year battle with kidney disease. He was 91 years old.
Update from Railroad Retirement Board’s Labor Member regarding American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
The following is a message to Rail Labor from John Bragg, Labor Member of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
BLET reaches tentative agreement with St. Lawrence & Atlantic
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative agreement with the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad (SL&A). Ballots were mailed yesterday to active members of the BLET employed by the SL&A who are eligible to vote in the ratification of this tentative agreement.
BLET statement regarding CP Rail’s proposed acquisition of KCS
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen was notified over the weekend of the proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern Railway by the Canadian Pacific Railway.
BLET seeks mediation in LIRR contract talks
On March 2, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) applied to the National Mediation Board (NMB) for the assignment of a federal mediator to assist in contract negotiations with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), pursuant to Section 5, First, of the Railway Labor Act.
BLET to host virtual training for LM-2 filers
The BLET Education and Training Department will conduct a workshop for all Secretary-Treasurers who file LM-2 reports for their General Committee of Adjustment (GCA), Division or State Legislative Board. This workshop will be held virtually on March 16, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cadogan reelected Chairman of Massachusetts SLB
Daniel M. Cadogan was reelected by acclamation to his second term as Chairman of the Massachusetts State Legislative Board (MASLB) at its 7th quadrennial meeting on October 31, 2020.
Ballots mailed in tentative BLET, Illinois & Midland agreement
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative agreement with the Illinois & Midland Railroad. Ballots were mailed today to active members of the BLET employed by Illinois & Midland who are eligible to vote in the ratification of this tentative agreement.
Ninth Circuit Ruling Favors Unions and States, Rejects FRA’s Attempt to Preempt State Crew Laws
Two of the country’s largest freight railroad unions achieved a favorable decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday regarding an attempt by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to preempt legislation passed by a number of states that established a minimum of two-person operating crews on freight trains.
FRA grants unions’ request for longer-term extension to file certification petitions
In response to a series of joint petitions by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on February 11 granted a longer-term waiver, providing a 60-day extension to time limits in which certain petitions for review must be filed with the Operating Crew Review Board (OCRB). Previously, the unions had secured a series of waivers, which date back to April 7, 2020.
