Rail Industry News
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.
Two coal train derailments this weekend: one on UP, the other on CN
wo separate and unrelated coal train derailments occurred this weekend.
Metrolink system would stop trains during earthquakes
The transportation rail system Metrolink announced this week it is equipping some of its trains with a new earthquake warning system that can automatically slow or halt travel during a temblor.
STB sets Q3 2022 Rail Cost Adjustment Factor
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has set the third-quarter 2022 RCAF (Rail Cost Adjustment Factor), described as “an index formulated to represent changes in railroad costs incurred by the nation’s largest railroads over a specified period of time.”
BLET News
SOFA report for November 2020: Three switching fatalities in 90 days
The Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group has published its most recent Safety Alert, reminding workers to remain vigilant in light of three switching fatalities in the 90 day period from August to November.
BLET members ratify new contract with NYS&W
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway (NYS&W).
Former BLET General Counsel Harold Ross, 1931-2020
Harold A. Ross, long-serving General Counsel of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, passed away on November 26, 2020. He was 89 years old.
Thanksgiving 2020
By Dennis R. Pierce, BLET National President As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I am extremely proud of our members who continue to work on the frontlines every day to ensure that our nation’s railroad network keeps rolling. Railroads are the backbone of the American economy and the economy would not be able to function without its hardworking locomotive engineers and trainmen. Our Nation is thankful for your sacrifice.
Gabaldon reelected New Mexico SLB Chairman
Brother Eric A. Gabaldon was reelected to his second term as Chairman of the New Mexico State Legislative Board at its quadrennial meeting, which was held on October 15, 2020.
Craver reelected to fourth term as Chairman of Virginia State Legislative Board
Brother Timothy R. Craver of BLET Division 532 (Richmond, Va.) was reelected by acclamation to his fourth full term as Chairman of the Virginia State Legislative Board at its quadrennial meeting on October 30, 2020.
GA-46000 Lifetime maximum adjusted for 2021
The lifetime maximum benefit for the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit Plan (also known as ERMA or GA-46000) will increase from $171,100 to $175,700 on January 1, 2021.
Rail Labor urges Senate leaders to support bill ending RRB benefit sequestration
The Teamsters Rail Conference and the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO are urging leaders of the United States Senate to support a bill that would end the unfair sequestration of Railroad Retirement Sickness and Unemployment benefits.
Veterans Day 2020
By Dennis R. Pierce, BLET National President We are grateful for the sacrifices our veterans have made — and continue to make — on our behalf. We are also grateful to the families of our veterans who bravely carry on with their normal lives while their loved ones are performing their dangerous duties overseas. On this Veterans Day, I ask all BLET members to join me in honoring those veterans and their families.
BLET members ratify new contract with Indiana Southern
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Indiana Southern Railroad (ISRR)
