How Wall Street holds railroads hostage: Analysis

Man climbing on front steps of orange locomotive

The U.S. Class I railroads’ recurring crew shortages, related bouts of service problems, and a lack of meaningful volume growth are intertwined. You can lay the blame for all three problems at just one place: Wall Street. BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific are in the midst of the mother of all […]

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Signal, communications workers begin strike against CN in Canada

Logo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which includes lighting bolts held by a fist

MONTREAL — Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have gone on strike against Canadian National Railway in Canada. The 750 signal and communications workers walked out as of 11 a.m. local time on Saturday, a union official confirmed to the CBC. The union had previously given the railroad a 72-hour notification of its […]

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Transportation Safety Board of Canada releases rail accident statistics

Pie chart showing rail accidents by type, with non-main-track derailments, at 39%, representing the largest wedge

GATINEAU, Quebec — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released its final annual statistics on transportation accidents for 2021, with rail figures showing an increase from 2020 while remaining below the 10-year average for reported accidents. Air, marine, and pipeline accidents were also below 10-year averages, according to a TSB press release. In all, […]

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Wabtec acquires ARINC’s dispatching, back-office rail business

Men looking at rail dispatching displays

PITTSBURGH — Wabtec Corp. has acquired the rail solutions segment of ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Inc.), which provides dispatching and back-office systems, from Collins Aerospace, Wabtec announced today (Thursday, June 16). ARINC provides systems with integrated train control and positive train control; control-center integration, and customer information systems for intercity, commuter, and transit rail operations, as […]

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Mediation ends in rail contract negotiations; arbitration offered

Crew member on ground next to locomotive

WASHINGTON — The National Mediation Board will end mediation between railroads and their unions over the long-running negotiations for a new national contract, moving the contract process closer to intervention by President Joe Biden. The organization representing railroads in the negotiations, the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, said in a press release that it was “disappointed […]

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