Digest: Union Pacific to close Palestine, Texas, car shop

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

Union Pacific to close Palestine, Texas, car shop, subject of lawsuit Union Pacific will close its car shop in Palestine, Texas, as of June 14, eliminating as many as 57 positions. The Palestine Herald-Press reports employees were notified Thursday; a Union Pacific spokeswoman confirmed the closure and attributed it to operational changes across the system. […]

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Digest: MTA completes work on last of Sandy-damaged subway tunnels

Workers in subway tunnel

Work on F line tunnel completed, ending Superstorm Sandy repairs The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has completed reapirs on the F line subway tunnel under the East River, concluding work on all 11 MTA under-river tunnels that were damaged by the floodwaters of Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Janno Lieber, president of MTA Construction & Development, said […]

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Digest: UP CEO says vaccine process has been challenging

Union Pacific’s Fritz says railroad’s process of getting vaccine for workers has been complex Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz says railroad employees have begun receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, but that the process is a challenging one. “We serve 23 western states, and in every state the process to get a vaccine into an arm is different,” […]

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Digest: Maryland county to take over Western Maryland Scenic track work

Steam train

Allegany County, Md., to take over track repairs needed by Western Maryland Scenic Allegany County, Md., is taking over track maintenance of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from the heritage line, the Cumberland Times-News reports. The move comes after the Federal Railroad Administration in February ordered the replacement of 50,000 ties before the railroad — […]

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Digest: NTSB releases preliminary report on UP track worker fatality

Maintenance of Way tie tamper machine

NTSB issues preliminary report on UP track worker fatality The National Transportation Safety Board indicates it will examine Union Pacific operating rules and the condition of a piece of equipment as part of its ongoing investigation of a fatal accident involving a UP maintenance-of-way worker near Vail, Ariz., in January. In its preliminary report, the […]

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Digest: Court rules against railroads in fuel-surcharge case

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Judge rules against railroads on evidence in fuel-surcharge case A federal judge has denied a request by four Class I railroads to exclude certain evidence from a long-running case over fuel surcharges that involves more than 200 major shippers. The motion by BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific contended that federal law permits limited […]

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Digest: BNSF, UP update recoveries from winter weather

BNSF logo

BNSF, UP update recovery efforts from winter weather The most recent updates from BNSF Railway and Union Pacific as they recover from last week’s severe weather: — BNSF notified customers in a Friday update that it would take some time to clear traffic backlogs, particularly on the southern portion of the railroad, while all four […]

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