The prospect of a disruptive U.S. freight railroad strike was averted thanks to the tentative deal reached overnight between the Class I railroads and the labor unions that represent engineers and conductors, but three key questions remain unanswered. And all of them suggest that railroads, their workers, shippers, and the U.S. economy are not out […]
Trains spoke with incoming CSX Transportation CEO Joseph R. Hinrichs today about his goals for the railroad that he’ll begin leading on Sept. 26. Hinrichs, 55, is an outsider who comes to CSX after a 30-year career in the auto industry. He previously served as president of Ford Motor Co.’s automotive business. The question-and-answer session […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation on Thursday named former Ford Motor Co. executive Joseph R. Hinrichs as its next chief executive officer. Hinrichs, 55, will succeed CEO Jim Foote, who will retire on Sept. 26. Hinrichs has more than 30 years’ experience in the global automotive, manufacturing, and energy sectors, previously serving as president of […]
WASHINGTON — The first freight railroad strike in three decades has been averted under a tentative deal reached overnight between Class I railroads and three labor unions, the White House announced early Thursday morning. The Class I railroads reached tentative agreements with unions representing engineers, conductors, and signalmen after 20 hours of negotiations at the […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit announced Wednesday it had signed a three-year naming-rights agreement with Jersey City-based online wagering site BetMGM to rename the transit agency’s rail line to the station serving MetLife Stadium, home of the area’s two NFL teams, as the “BetMGM Meadowlands Rail Line.” NJ Transit did not announce the value of […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Patriot Rail Co. has completed its acquisition of Denver-based Pioneer Lines, nearly doubling the company’s short line operations. The transaction closed Wednesday following regulatory approval, Patriot said. It will expand the company from 16 to 31 railroads, with operations in 23 states. “We are pleased to bring Pioneer Lines railroads into Patriot […]
WASHINGTON — After a brief taste of positive numbers, weekly U.S. rail traffic slipped back below 2021 figures for the week ending Sept. 10. According to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads, total traffic for the week was 464,261 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.9% from the corresponding week in 2021. That […]
WASHINGTON — An objection by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday blocked a resolution offered by two Republican senators seeking to avert a rail work stoppage by imposing the recommendations made in August by a Presidential Emergency Board. The Capitol Hill website Roll Call reports Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) had sought […]
LAGUNA, Calif. — Canadian National CEO Tracy Robinson hopes U.S. railroads and their labor unions can reach a tentative contract deal and avoid a strike. “We need to fix this labor situation down here in the United States,” she told an investor conference on Wednesday. “And it’s a critical one for all of us … […]
Amtrak has announced it will halt operation of its remaining long-distance trains as of Thursday in anticipation of a possible freight rail work stoppage which could begin Friday morning. In other news as of midafternoon Wednesday, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have begun receiving instructions on what to do in case […]
WASHINGTON – Members of the union representing machinists have rejected the tentative agreement that union leaders had reached with the Class I railroads and have voted to authorize a strike. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 19 said today that its 4,900 members had voted to reject the deal that had […]
WASHINGTON – Federal regulators on Tuesday agreed to toss out some comments that BNSF Railway and Canadian National had filed in response to the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger. CP had asked the Surface Transportation Board to strike evidence that BNSF, CN, and CSX Transportation submitted separately on July 12, the deadline for final responses […]
