Union Pacific puts stop to new embargoes after STB hearings

Freight train passing grain elevator

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has paused its use of new embargoes to limit congestion. The move, announced today (Friday, Dec. 16), comes after two days of Surface Transportation Board hearings where shippers, rail labor, and regulators were critical of the railroad’s increasing reliance on embargoes since 2018, the year it adopted a Precision Scheduled […]

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Union Pacific details plans to test feasibility of ground-based conductors

WASHINGTON — Union Pacific is ready to launch pilot programs that will test the feasibility of redeploying conductors from locomotive cabs to ground-based positions, the railroad told the Federal Railroad Administration today during a hearing on the agency’s proposed two-person crew rule. UP believes that ground-based conductors — which the railroad dubs expediters — would […]

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Big Skies & Iron Rails, Powder River Basin Coal Trains

There may be no better place than Logan Hill to highlight hard-working, heavy-haulin’ railroads in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. In this exploration of BSIR, Tom documents the parade of trains along the impressive, shared BNSF/Union Pacific four-track mainline through Thunder Basin National Grassland. While this territory is often maligned as “fly-over country”, Tom’s […]

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Big Skies & Iron Rails, Powder River Basin Coal Trains

There may be no better place than Logan Hill to highlight hard-working, heavy-haulin’ railroads in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. In this exploration of BSIR, Tom documents the parade of trains along the impressive, shared BNSF/Union Pacific four-track mainline through Thunder Basin National Grassland. While this territory is often maligned as “fly-over country”, Tom’s […]

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Big Skies & Iron Rails, Powder River Basin Coal Trains

There may be no better place than Logan Hill to highlight hard-working, heavy-haulin’ railroads in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. In this exploration of BSIR, Tom documents the parade of trains along the impressive, shared BNSF/Union Pacific four-track mainline through Thunder Basin National Grassland. While this territory is often maligned as “fly-over country”, Tom’s […]

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CSX and UP adopt kinder, gentler attendance policies for rail labor

Man throwing switch as train with blue and yellow locomotive waits

CSX Transportation and Union Pacific have relaxed their attendance policies in response to labor concerns. “Today we announced changes to the company’s attendance policy in order to provide CSX employees more flexibility and to respond to concerns expressed by craft employees and labor organizations. The new policy is applicable to all craft employees and is […]

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