Boilermakers union ratifies deal with BNSF

Logo of International Brotherhood of Boilermakers

FORT WORTH, Texas — Members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers have ratified a new five-year contract with BNSF Railway, the union and railroad have announced. The agreement includes average wage increases of 3.5% as well as improvements to health care and vacation time. It was one of two tentative deals announced by BNSF in […]

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Cando Rail acquires terminal in Northwest Territories

Aerial view of small rail yard

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Cando Rail & Terminals has acquired the rail terminal operations of AWP Industries, a storage and transload facility in Enterprise, Northwest Territories, the northernmost point on the North American rail network. Cando says the facility is recently built and describes it as a “critical gateway” for the transport of bulk products to […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic still ahead of 2023 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — A drop in carload traffic was more than offset by strong intermodal numbers, allowing U.S. rail traffic to remain above 2023 volume for the week ending Nov. 16. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, total traffic for the week was 516,886 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.2% gain from the […]

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CSX unveils final heritage locomotive

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The 21st – and final – heritage locomotive in the CSX fleet is ES44AH No. 1981, a tribute to New England regional Pan Am Railways. CEO Joe Hinrichs unveiled the locomotive Tuesday, Nov. 19, in a post on LinkedIn, as has been customary. “Here is the 21st CSX Heritage Locomotive — Pan […]

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Two arrested in derailment of Union Pacific train

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

BARTONVILLE, Ill. — Two Bartonville men were arrested Monday for allegedly derailing a Union Pacific locomotive, the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office announced. Caleb Finley, 18, and Jimmy Johnson, 20, were arrested for criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to property, reckless conduct, and placing an object on railroad tracks, the Sheriff’s Office said in a […]

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BNSF reports record agricultural shipments in October

FORT WORTH, Texas — Federal regulators this summer questioned whether BNSF Railway would be ready to handle this year’s fall harvest. Today the railway reported that it carried a record level of agricultural traffic last month, with ag volume and velocity both up 7% from last year. “We at BNSF are proud to support the […]

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Canadian railways seek solutions to frequent labor disruptions

Blue locomotive leading container train

NEW YORK — If there’s a silver lining to the spate of labor disruptions that have affected Canadian railways and ports over the past 15 months, it’s that Ottawa now recognizes there’s a problem. “That’s the first step in fixing it,” Canadian National CEO Tracy Robinson told the RailTrends conference last week. CN executives were […]

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Whitewater advocates sue federal government over CSX’s Clinchfield repairs

ERWIN, Tenn. — Whitewater rafting advocates have filed lawsuits claiming the federal government has unlawfully allowed CSX Transportation to rebuild its former Clinchfield through the Nolichucky River Gorge and that the railroad’s repairs are environmentally disruptive. CSX has been rebuilding 40 miles of its Blue Ridge Subdivision between Erwin, Tenn., and Spruce Pine, N.C., after […]

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