WASHINGTON — The largest chicken producer in the western U.S. has asked federal regulators to issue an emergency service order that would direct Union Pacific to prioritize corn shipments that thousands of dairy cattle and millions of chickens and turkeys depend upon. ”The point has been reached when millions of chickens will be killed and […]
Alco RS27 failure: It’s tough when professional engineers create a decent locomotive that builds on successes, and pitfalls, of the past and still nobody really wants it. That was the Alco RS27, also referred to as the DL640. Its 16-cylinder, 251B prime mover pushed out 2,400 hp. Coincidentally, only 27 were built between December 1959 […]
WASHINGTON — The city of Cheyenne, Wyo., has received a federal grant for more than $600,000 to support renovation of historic rail equipment. The $618,400 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Agency, is intended to support local tourism. It will be matched by $154,600 in local funds. Cheyenne says the project will […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has asked federal regulators to dismiss a shipper’s complaint that claims the railroad violated its common-carrier obligations by providing unreliable service and unilaterally reducing local service from five days per week to three. The shipper, Sanimax, brought the case to the Surface Transportation Board in November 2020. It asked the board […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board, making clear its unhappiness with service recovery plans filed by the four largest U.S. Class I railroads, will require those railroads to correct deficiencies in service recovery plans submitted to the board, and to provide additional information on how they plan to improve service and communication with customers. At […]
OMAHA, Neb. — A Singapore-based shipping firm, Ocean Network Express, is suing Union Pacific over the thefts of packages it says were stolen from UP trains during a widely reported series of break-ins to intermodal trains in Los Angeles. The Omaha World Herald reports ONE has filed suit over the theft of $166,000 worth of […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration could soon rule on a petition that would allow a pair of freight railroads to use wayside wheel temperature detectors for inspections currently performed by workers. But a union representing railroad employees says granting such a request would be dangerous. Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific jointly petitioned the FRA […]
TEMPE, Ariz. — A broken rail is the probable cause of a derailment of a Union Pacific train on a Tempe bridge in July 2020, which led to a fire, collapse of part of the bridge, and a release of hazardous material, according to a report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The […]
Overall on-time performance for the big four U.S. Class I railroads has fallen from a pre-pandemic average of 85% to just 67% in the last week of May 2022, as crew shortages continue to plague rail service. The extent of the service decline was revealed in historic on-time performance data that BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, […]
Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific are teaming up to deliver Hapag-Lloyd international containers from the Port of Virginia to destinations on the West Coast. The new service, said to be a first and dubbed OceaNS Bridge Express, was announced on Wednesday but was launched in April. Importers are struggling with congestion that has caused lengthy […]
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific has lowered its financial expectations for this year in light of rising fuel prices, inflation, and the impact of its sluggish operations. It’s now unlikely that UP will reach an operating ratio of around 55% for the year, Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hamann told an investor conference on Tuesday. UP […]
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific has joined the RailPulse joint venture that will provide customers with real-time location information for freight cars wherever they are on the North American rail network. UP becomes the second Class I railroad to participate in RailPulse, alongside founding member Norfolk Southern. The company’s other partners include shortline holding companies […]
