Passenger BLET members ratify contract with MARC operator Alstom

BLET members ratify contract with MARC operator Alstom

By Trains Staff | March 4, 2026

Crews at short line Austin Western vote to join union

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Logo of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen unionINDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a new four-year agreement with Alstom, the contract operator of Maryland Area Rail Commuter trains.

The union also announced that train and engine service employees at Watco’s Austin Western Railroad have voted to join the union.

The contract with Alstom, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024, includes pay increases of 3.25% in 2024, 3% in 2025, 4% in 2026, and 3% in 2027, the union said in a press release. It also involves work rule improvements and health and welfare benefits.

The Austin Western vote to join the BLET was certified by the National Mediation Board in late February, the union said. The railroad, a Watco property since 2007, operates 184 track miles between Llano and Giddings, Texas, interchanging with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific at McNeil, Texas. More on the railroad is available at the Watco website.

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