MONTREAL — Canadian National announced Tuesday that the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference has ratified a new contract agreement covering approximately 160 CN rail traffic controllers in Canada. The agreement, ratified on Dec. 23, is effective through Dec. 31, 2025 and includes wage increases of 3% in 2023, 3% in 2024, and 2.5% in 2025, as […]
Train Topic: Rail Industry
Schneider shifts its western intermodal business to Union Pacific from BNSF Railway
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Schneider says it has successfully shifted its intermodal traffic in the west from BNSF Railway to Union Pacific. Schneider began transferring some business to UP last year in anticipation of the full move on Jan. 1. “Schneider’s intermodal operations on Union Pacific transitioned seamlessly as the companies collaborated closely over the […]
Five common shortline diesel locomotives in North America
Five common shortline diesel locomotives in North America: When it comes to short lines and regional railroads, differences abound. Their location, size and overall operation makes each stand out from one another. It’s usually true with motive power too, but railroads can and do populate their rosters with common locomotives that have proved their worth […]
Federal report sheds little light on impact of Precision Scheduled Railroading
WASHINGTON – A Government Accountability Office report on Precision Scheduled Railroading says the impact of the low-cost operating model on safety and service is unclear. The Federal Railroad Administration told the GAO that the data are inconclusive about how PSR-related operational changes may have affected safety across the industry. There’s no clear link, for example, […]
Brightline update: PTC plans outlined for 125-mph operation
COCOA, Fla. — Brightline crews are set to resume 110-mph tests this Friday, Jan. 6, south of Fort Pierce, Fla., as part of continuing preparations for the passenger operator’s expansion of service to Orlando. The tests in Martin and St. Luicie counties, along an 11-mile stretch of the 129-mile segment of Florida East Coast Railway […]
CEOs from BNSF, CN, NS set to appear at MARS meeting
LOMBARD, Ill. — CEOs of three Class I railroads are among the impressive list of speakers for this year’s winter meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, set for Jan. 17-19 at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Ill. Katie Farmer of BNSF Railway, Tracy Robinson of Canadian National, and Alan Shaw of […]
Recapping five years of News Wire’s top stories
Trains News Wire wrapped up its countdown of 2022’s top stories on Saturday. In case you missed any of our coverage, we open the new year with a recap — not only of this year, but of five years of News Wire top stories. 2018: Richard Anderson The highly controversial three-year tenure of the former […]
Top 10 stories of 2022: No. 1, Rail labor and the near strike
The conclusion of our countdown of the Trains News Wire Top 10 stories of 2022, as determined by a vote of Trains editors, columnists, and masthead correspondents. Railroads were catapulted into national headlines in the fall as labor negotiations came down to the wire, raising the prospect of the first strike or lockout in three […]
STB orders Union Pacific to deliver trains to Foster Farms while it considers emergency order (updated)
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has issued a decision requiring Union Pacific to deliver five trains of corn to the largest chicken producer in the western U.S. while the board considers a request by that producer, Foster Farms, for an emergency order that would require UP to prioritize shipments to the company. It would […]
Top 10 stories of 2022: No 2, service issues, and No. 3, crew shortages
Continuing our countdown of the Trains News Wire Top 10 stories of 2022, as determined by a vote of Trains editors, columnists, and masthead correspondents: You could call 2022 The Year of the Crew Shortage. Or you could just as easily call it The Year Service Fell Apart on the Big Four U.S. Class I […]
Sonoma-Marin rail line to receive federal funding for design of Healdsburg extension
PETALUMA, Calif. — Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit will receive $1.8 million in federal funding for design of its extension to Healdsburg, Calif., the agency said in a press release. The money is part of the consolidated appropriations bill passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 23. Healdsburg is roughly 9 miles […]
Maryland agency, CSX reach settlement over Curtis Bay explosion
BALTIMORE — The Maryland Department of the Environment and CSX Transportation have reached a settlement over charges stemming from a December 2021 explosion at the railroad’s Curtis Bay Coal Piers, with CSX required to pay $100,000 for an environmental project in the neighborhood where the blast occurred. The railroad will also pay a $15,000 penalty […]