Union Pacific claims it will suffer “millions of dollars in losses and incur millions in additional risk” if forced to continue to operate commuter rail service for Metra, according to the previously sealed lawsuit it filed against the commuter rail agency last December. The lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District […]
CHICAGO — Metra has asked the Surface Transportation Board to issue an injunction to prevent Union Pacific from acting on plans that the commuter railroad says would “degrade or halt service” on the three Metra lines operated by UP. In a press release, Metra also says it has asked the STB to rule whether UP […]
Thursday morning rail news in brief: UP says it will end some support of Metra in August, would quit running trains in 90 days if it wins suit Union Pacific says it will stop providing some support services for Metra at the end of August and would stop operating trains for the commuter railroad within […]
Still more Tuesday morning rail news: OmniTRAX names Cameron Scott as board chairman Cameron Scott, a former executive vice president and chief operating officer at Union Pacific, has been named chairman of the board of directors for short line holding company OmniTRAX. Scott held that position from 2014 until his retirement in 2019, after previously […]
Sunday morning rail news in brief: Explosions, fire follow derailment of UP train in Rock Springs, Wyo. A Union Pacific derailment led to explosions and a wildfire near Rock Springs, Wyo., on Saturday, as the 26 cars that derailed included multiple cars of liquefied petroleum gas and alcohol, according to a report from the Sweetwater […]
In a statement posted Wednesday on the railroad’s website, Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz addresses racial inequality underlying the nation’s recent protests and social unrest, saying it is time for the railroad, its people, and the nation “to stand up and speak out.” “The racial injustice within our country deeply saddens and sickens me as […]
A Union Pacific coal train roles through Glen Ellyn, Ill., in February 2020. Coal is a major reason UP bulk traffic is down 19% this quarter, CEO Lance Fritz says. TRAINS: David Lassen OMAHA, Neb. – A resurgence in railroad traffic will hinge in part on how consumer spending rebounds as the economy emerges from pandemic-related […]
More Friday rail news in brief: Union Pacific lays off workers at North Platte, Neb. Union Pacific has laid off an undisclosed number of mechanical-department workers based at its massive Bailey Yard in North Platte, Neb. The North Platte Telegraph quotes UP spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza as saying that with the decline in volume because of […]
Canadian Pacific’s Bensenville Yard as seen from the window of a commercial flight that just took off from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in September 2015. Chris Guss CHICAGO — Agreements have been reached between Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, and the Illinois Tollway in a years-long dispute over access to railroad property in and around the […]
Early ACF Center Flow cars were nearly cylindrical. This 100-ton Union Pacific car, built in 1964, has three trough hatches and a 3,700-cubic foot capacity. Introduced in 1961, the Center Flow design had no center sill and instead relied on the curved sides for strength. Union Pacific photo […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has pulled the plug on its innovative Cold Connect reefer service, which the railroad had touted as a way to return long-lost perishables business to the rails. The service linked growers in California and the Pacific Northwest with consumers in the Northeast and New England via a mammoth refrigerated warehouse […]
A Metrolink train arrives at Burbank in January 2020. A survey by Metrolink has found that 70% of those still using the commuter rail system classify themselves as essential workers. TRAINS: David Lassen More Friday morning rail news: — Some 70% of riders using LA-area commuter railroad Metrolink classify themselves as “essential workers,” with more […]
