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CHICAGO — The ongoing dispute between Union Pacific and Metra over Chicago-area commuter operations has a new twist: Union Pacific has filed suit seeking to collect more than $2 million from Metra that it calls “overdue compensation owed under a binding contract.” The suit filed on Monday in U.S. District Court argues that Metra, by […]
WASHINGTON — Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have overwhelmingly approved a new contract with Union Pacific, the union announced today. IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper said the agreement “reflects a new era of partnership and progress that recognizes the important contributions of IBEW-represented railroad electricians while embracing the challenges and opportunities […]
WASHINGTON — The trade group representing chemical manufacturers says a Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger would reduce rail competition and increase freight rates, which in turn will contribute to inflation that will harm American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers. “The additional costs that are the likely result of this merger are ultimately going to hit everyday Americans,” […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has granted Metra’s request for terminal trackage rights on three Union Pacific lines in the Chicago area, addressing the commuter operator’s concerns that UP could otherwise choose to halt commuter service in the absence of an operating agreement. The ruling today [Sept. 3, 2025] ensures Metra service will continue […]
WASHINGTON — Members of the SMART Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Department, or SMART-MD, have unanimously ratified a new contract with Union Pacific, the union announced today (Sept. 2, 2025). The agreement, based on terms of deals with other freight railroads, includes annual wage increases totaling 17.5% (more than 18.75% compounded); paid vacation for new-hire employees […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — A shelter-in-place order has been lifted for Fort Worth residents living near the site of a Union Pacific derailment today (Aug., 31, 2025), according to the Fort Worth Fire Department. The Fire Department responded to the derailment at UP’s Davidson Yard southwest of downtown Fort Worth in about 10:40 a.m., and […]
What a week this was for unexpected twists and turns in the Class I railroad merger landscape. First, on Monday Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett said the company would not bid on CSX or Norfolk Southern, which had been viewed as potential merger partners for the Berkshire-owned BNSF Railway. A BNSF-CSX combination, in particular, had […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has added 15 new Focus Sites in eight states, with a dozen of the large-scale development properties located on connecting short line railroads. UP’s 39 Focus Sites generally include 125 or more acres that are suited for custom-built warehouses or industrial facilities. “Our partnerships with short line railroads are helping […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has opened a nine-mile stretch of second main track in Southern California to support premium intermodal service out of its Inland Empire Intermodal Terminal at West Colton Yard. The work, between South Fontana and Bon View, Calif., on the Alhambra Subdivision, included installation of double track, rebuilding two bridges and […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has urged federal regulators to take a closer look at the proposed Green Eagle Railroad, arguing that construction of a 19-mile cross-border line at the Eagle Pass, Texas, gateway is unnecessary and would snarl rail traffic. Green Eagle aims to build a new 19.12-mile secure cross-border corridor that includes 1.335 miles […]
NOVI, Mich. — Members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the Teamsters Rail Conference have ratified a new contract with Union Pacific. The new contract, including raises totaling 18.5% over five years, covers about 6,600 workers at UP, as well as improved vacation policies and health and welfare benefits — terms […]
Refrigerated intermodal company C.R. England Trucking and transloading and logistics firm The Transload Group on Monday announced their support for the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, citing the benefits of a transcontinental rail operator. The Salt Lake City-based C.R. England said it offered “strong support” for the merger, saying it believes the “coast-to-cost integration marks a […]
