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 […]
DAVENPORT, Iowa — The second in a series of comment sessions on the draft environmental report for the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger was held Tuesday evening in Davenport, with Iowa residents questioning whether the report from the Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Assessment accurately reflected the impact on their communities. The Quad […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has told customers it will halt bulk commodity movements by unit train on Thursday, Bloomberg is reporting, stepping up that railroad’s plans for a potential shutdown ahead of Friday’s end of the cooling-off period for labor negotiations. NS has previously announced it would stop accept accepting intermodal and automotive shipments on […]
WASHINGTON – Congress should let rail labor contract negotiations play out until a deal acceptable to the rank and file is reached, the SMART-TD union told congressional leaders today. If a contract based solely on the recommendations of the Presidential Emergency Board were presented to union members, it would fail by more than a 3-to-1 […]
COVINGTON, Ky. — CSX Transportation has debuted SD70MAC No. 4568, wearing a special paint scheme to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Operation Lifesaver, the non-profit organization dedicated to grade crossing safety and education. The locomotive, painted at the CSX shops in Huntington, W.Va., was operating Tuesday morning (Sept. 13, 2022) on train Q303 to Cincinnati. […]
WASHINGTON – The National Industrial Transportation League, the largest and oldest group of rail shippers, has asked congressional leaders to prevent a railroad strike or lockout that could begin as early as 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, the Class I railroads today reached a tentative agreement with the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, SEIU, […]
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific has issued $600 million in green bonds to support investments that will reduce the railroad’s carbon footprint, including battery electric locomotives. The bond deal was finalized on Sept. 9, UP said on Monday. Proceeds will be directed to the purchase of battery electric locomotives, locomotive modernizations, expansion of intermodal terminals, […]
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden called railroad and union leaders on Monday in a direct effort to avoid a potential railroad work stoppage, according to multiple media reports. The Washington Post reports Biden’s calls followed emergency meetings last week at the White House led by the National Economic Council, and that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg […]
“Been there. Done that.” In no way does this saying apply to standing trackside as Union Pacific No. 4014 — Big Boy — rumbles by. Every trip taken by the world’s largest operating steam locomotive is a new adventure. Here is a spectacle that doesn’t get old. It’s time for a Big Boy adventure. Although […]
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. senators have introduced a resolution that would require unions and railroads to accept recommendations made in August by the Presidential Emergency Board to settle their labor dispute and avert a strike or lockout. The news site Roll Call reports Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced the legislation on […]
