WASHINGTON — Improper handling of train air brakes by the engineer of a Canadian Pacific train was the cause of a three-train accident in St. Paul, Minn., in August 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board has determined. The accident report, issued Dec. 8, covers an Aug. 25 incident that saw the CP train strike a […]
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 […]
The big six Class I railroads are not of one mind regarding taking conductors out of the locomotive cab and redeploying them to pickup trucks. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern told the Federal Railroad Administration this week that they are negotiating with unions about testing the concept, which would involve having conductors assist trains in […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has soaked up all the complaints leveled at its soaring use of embargoes and will evaluate customer suggestions before coming back to the Surface Transportation Board with steps it may take to ease the burden on shippers. “First and foremost, I do want to assure the board that we have listened. […]
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 […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific wants to address sick leave for its unionized employees and provide certainty regarding scheduled days off, CEO Lance Fritz told the Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday. STB Member Robert Primus asked Fritz if he would be in favor of adding sick leave, something that rail labor is seeking through congressional action […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific’s increasing reliance on embargoes to clear congestion came under fire on Tuesday from shippers, labor unions, and members of the Surface Transportation Board during a daylong hearing. Regulators last month ordered UP to explain why it has significantly increased its use of embargoes. With UP running short of train crews, the […]
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 […]
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 […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has asked the Surface Transportation Board to investigate what it calls the “abysmal” on-time performance of the Sunset Limited, which it attributes largely to the operating practices of Union Pacific, and seeks “damages and other relief” from UP as a result of those practices. Amtrak lays out the details of its complaint […]
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 […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific is in the Surface Transportation Board’s doghouse. In a letter to UP CEO Lance Fritz today (Thursday, Dec. 8), STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman said the railroad’s response to the board’s request for information about how and when it issues embargoes fell well short of what regulators were expecting. The STB […]
