VIA Rail Canada strike averted

Yellow locomotive leads blue passenger cars

MONTREAL — Averting a strike, VIA Rail Canada and the Unifor union reached a tentative agreement just ahead of the latest in a series of deadlines on Monday. VIA said the agreement will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022 and runs through Dec. 31, 2024. Both sides said details would be released only upon ratification […]

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CSX releases Environmental, Social, and Governance report

CSX logo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has released its 2021 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report, outlining its efforts to workforce, sustainability, social, and governance issues as well as its economic performance. The report documents the railroad’s progress against its 2030 environmental goals, efforts to build an inclusive workforce, and address its social and governance priorities. “By […]

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Fourth extension for VIA strike deadline (updated)

VIA Rail Canada logo

MONTREAL — The deadline for a strike against VIA Rail Canada by the Unifor union has received a fourth extension beyond the original time. Unifor says in a Twitter post that the deadline is now 11:59 p.m. tonight (Monday, July 11) as talks continue, and says it will remain at the bargaining table “as long […]

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Union issues 72-hour strike notice to VIA Rail Canada

VIA Rail Canada logo

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has received a 72-hour strike notice from the union representing 2,400 of its workers, creating the possibility the passenger operator will suspend all services as of 12:01 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 11. The Unifor union represents VIA on-board, station, maintenance, administrative, and customer-center employees. Unifor said this week that […]

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Forest Service upholds decision on Uinta Basin Railway

Map showing proposed rail route in Utah

OGDEN, Utah — A U.S. Forest Service review has upheld a decision granting right-of-way to a portion of the Uinta Basin Railway project, the last major regulatory barrier to the proposed 85-mile line to serve oilfields in Utah. The Salt Lake Tribune reports several environmental groups had challenged the Forest Service’s decision to approve the […]

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Canadian Pacific joins UN Global Compact sustainability effort

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific says it has become the first North American freight railroad to take part in the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. More than 15,000 companies in more than 160 countries are part of the program, launched in 2000, for the development, implementation, and disclosure of socially responsible […]

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Officials stress importance of grant for Chicago passenger project

Poster with map in foreground as man speaks at podium

CHICAGO — Key contributors seeking $251.1 million from a federal competitive grant program focused on Chicago Union Station improvements at a Thursday event to announce their involvement. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, and Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski were among the speakers at the station’s Burlington Room, explaining […]

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CSX outsources IT jobs

CSX logo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation will cut 137 information technology jobs, outsourcing them through a deal with a company based in India. The Jacksonville Daily Record reports CSX said Tata Consultancy Services will provide operation, maintenance and support for the company’s IT systems. “Many impacted employees will have an opportunity to join TCS,” the company […]

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VIA Rail Canada workers vote to authorize strike

Logo of Canadian union Unifor

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada workers have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, according to the Unifor union. In voting by workers across Canada from June 20 to July 1, members of Unifor Council 4000 were 99.3% in favor of a strike, while Unifor Local 100 members voted 99.4% in favor. “The strike vote result […]

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