INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and Union Pacific have reached tentative agreement on an interim 3% raise for BLET members while bargaining for a full contract continues. The union said in a press release that if ratified, the interim agreement would be effective Sept. 1 and provide the raise to […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National lowered its outlook for the year — and pulled its longer-term guidance today — in response to ongoing trade- and tariff-related economic uncertainty. CN delivered the news while releasing its second-quarter financial results, which included higher operating income despite lower revenue and flat volume. “A few months ago, trade deals seemed […]
BNSF Railway has not engaged with investment bankers about a possible railroad merger, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett told CNBC today. Yesterday Semafor and Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that BNSF had hired Goldman Sachs to advise the railroad about mergers. But Buffett said neither he nor Greg Abel, the […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration will lose about 33% of its staff as a result of buyouts offered by the Trump administration, well above the 7% figure for the Department of Transportation as a whole, Politico reports. The news site’s review of data found 4,127 employees took the deferred resignation “fork in the road” […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway carries more intermodal, coal, and grain traffic than any other railroad. And now it’s looking to boost its relatively small carload network through a combination of improved service, more frequent customer switching, and tighter partnerships with its top short line connections. “We know intermodal’s a big part of the […]
Eric White continues his efforts to construct an HO scale glass plant. In this second episode of the Sidetrack Series, he uses cardboard mockups to help envision and shape the structures, meticulously measuring and comparing pieces with prototype photos for accuracy. Eric then shares how he tests the mockups on the East Troy Industrial Park […]
SQUAMISH, British Columbia — Canadian National Railway has announced its intention to abandon operations on 214 miles of former BC Rail tracks north of Squamish that it began leasing from the province of British Columbia in 2003. The scenic route through the province’s interior from North Vancouver to a connection with CN’s Prince Rupert line […]
On May 12, 1962, Rock Island “motor” 9006 has a typically short train as it heads west with mixed No. 79 near Horton, Kan. The first of the 10 “baggage-car locomotives” left the roster in 1948, and by 1960 only the 9006, 9013, and 9014 remain. Frank Tatnall photo […]
News reports say that BNSF Railway has hired Goldman Sachs to advise it about a potential rail merger. Semafor, an online publication, reported on Monday evening that BNSF has engaged Goldman Sachs in the wake of Union Pacific working with Morgan Stanley regarding potential mergers. Both reports cited people familiar with the matter. The railroads […]
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec is marking the 10th anniversary of the delivery of its first batch of Evolution Series Tier 4 locomotives, which have gone on to become far and away the dominant new road power on Class I railroads. BNSF Railway was the first to receive the AC-traction locomotives that are designed to comply with […]
BELLMONT, Ill. — Two crew members were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries in the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train that also led to a hazardous-materials incident on Friday (July 18, 2025). Newsweek reports 24 railcars derailed in the incident near the town of Bellmont about 6 p.m., with liquid sulfur leaking from two of the […]
Three traffic segments have driven Class I railroad performance in 2025, according to Association of American Railroads data: intermodal, coal, and grain. Year-to-date, intermodal volume is up 5% compared to the same stretch in 2024; coal is up 6%, and grains are also up 6%. Union Pacific is moving the most coal: In the most […]
