Rail leaders defend industry’s commitment to safety as DOT proposes new regulations

Aerial view of derailment cleanup

Regulators should not impose new safety regulations until the National Transportation Safety Board determines what caused the fiery derailment of a Norfolk Southern train that was carrying hazardous materials through East Palestine, Ohio, rail industry leaders said today. Their remarks came just hours after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Department of Transportation would adopt […]

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Class I railroads 101

Class I railroads Class I railroads: If you’re in your car watching a long 100-car freight train roll over a grade crossing, chances are good that the train belongs to one of the Class I systems. The Class Is operate 70% of the total track miles in the U.S., employ 73% of the labor force, […]

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Following referendum, Quebec town plans to fight bypass

Fire-damaged town and derailed train

FRONTENAC, Quebec — The results of a Sunday referendum showing strong opposition to the proposed Lac-Mégantic bypass mean the municipality of Frontenac will do everything it can to fight the rail-line relocation, Frontenac’s mayor said Monday. Mayor Gaby Gendron told the Canadian Press “it’s absolutely certain the municipal council will oppose the project by all […]

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Quebec town votes against Lac-Mégantic bypass

Map of Lac-Megantic Bypass

FRONTENAC, Quebec — The town of Frontenac has voted in resounding fashion against the planned bypass to remove Canadian Pacific’s rail line from Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, but the results of the referendum apparently will not change the plans for the project. The CBC reports 92% of those in the community of 1,600 who cast ballots in […]

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Unifor workers ratify new contract with Canadian Pacific

Logo of Canadian union Unifor

MONTREAL — Canadian Pacific mechanical workers represented by Canadian union Unifor have ratified a two-year contract with CP, the union announced Thursday. The agreement, which runs through Dec. 31, 2024, covers approximately 1,200 workers who maintain and inspect locomotives and freight cars, and produce components for rolling stock and track. The union said the agreement […]

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Canadian government begins process to acquire land for Lac-Mégantic bypass

Map of Lac-Megantic Bypass

LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — The Canadian government has begun the process of expropriating land for the planned Lac-Mégantic rail bypass after being unable to negotiate land purchases, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Monday. “I understand that some of the landowners are angry, saddened or anxious about this decision,” Alghabra said in a statement. “Believe me, it […]

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CP, Steelworkers in Canada reach tentative agreement

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific announced Thursday it has reached a tentative contract agreement with United Steelworkers Local 1976, which represents approximately 550 administrative support and intermodal workers in Canada. Details will not be released until the contract is ratified, the railroad said. The Steelworkers said negotiations had been in progress since November. “This agreement makes […]

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TSB investigating CP derailment in Mount MacDonald Tunnel

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

REVELSTOKE, British Columbia — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating a Canadian Pacific derailment inside the Mount MacDonald Tunnel on Rogers Pass that occurred Feb. 5, the Revelstoke Review newspaper reports. The newspaper reports that the TSB said that the train was westbound through the tunnel when 11 cars “began to lean,” leading […]

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CP sets grain record in January

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific moved 2.29 million metric tons of Canadian grain in January, setting a record for the month, the company said last week. The railroad has now moved more than 15 million metric tons in the 2022-23 crop year, an increase of more than 45% over the same point in the 2021-22 crop […]

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