WASHINGTON — Railroads appear to have the manpower resources they need to handle volume growth as we head into the New Year. Three of the country’s six Class I railroads have more train and engine (T&E) employees than they did a year ago, including three of the big four U.S. railroads. Amtrak also has 125 more engineers and conductors than they did a year ago— a 3% year-over-year increase.
Not only does CSX Transportation have 144 more engineers and conductors than it did a year ago, surpassing its goal of 7,500 T&E employees, the railroad now employs nearly 7% more engineers and conductors than it did in pre-pandemic 2019. CSX’s T&E workforce stands at 7,984 workers as of October 2024, according to the most recent Surface Transportation Board Data. Before the pandemic in October 2019, the railroad employed 7,467 people. CSX, which has repeatedly said it is hiring for attrition and growth, is practicing what it preaches.
The trend continues beyond Jacksonville, Fla. BNSF Railway and Union Pacific both have a larger T&E roster than they did a year ago. BNSF is carrying about 163 more T&E employees than last October and UP’s headcount is up more than 100. BNSF employs more than 15,700 engineers and conductors and UP employs almost 14,800, respectively. As noted before, Amtrak’s T&E headcount is up 125 at 3,613, compared to 3,488 last October. Amtrak’s current headcount is ahead of pre-pandemic 2019 by almost 8% — the biggest percentage increase between pre-pandemic and now of any railroad who reports its headcount to regulators.
There are always outliers. Norfolk Southern’s year-over-year T&E roster is down 6% from 8,822 employees to 8,237 — a 6% decline. And both Canadian Class I railroads are down. Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s T&E headcount is down 163 employees year over year, a 6% difference, and Canadian National is down 107 employees, or 4%. It’s worth noting that STB statistics account only for CPKC and CN’s U.S. workforce, and not the broader cross-border roster.
Railroads have more maintenance-of-way employees
Outside of the locomotive cab, the industry is hiring more maintenance-of-way workers as well. The rail industry now employs almost 400 more people in MoW than it did last October, with each of the Class I railroads, except for Union Pacific, employing more in these crafts. Numbers, across the industry, are still about 400 people below pre-pandemic 2019, but as of October 2024, there are more than 33,700 MOW employees, according to data from the seven railroads who report to the STB.
Amtrak has hired the most of any railroad with 351 more MoW workers compared to a year ago — a 7% increase. Canadian National employs 1,915 MOW employees, a 5% increase, and NS has increased its MOW roster by 2%. Union Pacific is the outlier, employing 365 fewer MOW employees than a year ago, a 4% decrease. Except for Amtrak and CSX, MoW headcounts are down compared to pre-pandemic 2019.
Amtrak, likely attributable to its robust capital and maintenance plan on the Northeast Corridor, which came to fruition under President Biden, employs significantly more MoW employees than it did before the pandemic. Its MOW headcount stands as 4,789 employees as of October 2024, compared to 3,192 employees in October 2019 — a remarkable 50% increase.
CSX employs 100 more MOW employees than it did before COVID-19. The railroad has continued to invest heavily into capital projects despite macroeconomic challenges.
Counts down for mechanics, carmen
It’s also important to look over railroads’ mechanical workforce — locomotive mechanics, carmen, and other crafts who keep equipment in safe operating condition. This workforce segment has seen the biggest decline both year over year and since before the pandemic. Railroads now employ about 1,000 fewer mechanical workers compared to last fall, and 6,000 fewer workers since 2019.
Since last year, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific have each decreased their mechanical rosters by about 600 employees. Amtrak now employs about 90 fewer mechanical employees. It’s a different story in the East. CSX’s mechanical headcount is up almost 170 workers and NS is up about 140 employees. And both CN and CPKC have each added about a couple dozen employees since a year ago.
Mechanical roles are probably the most vulnerable to new technology and predictive analytics. Also, significantly fewer coal carloads originating from BNSF and UP’s Powder River Basin likely require fewer repairmen to tend to locomotive and railcar repairs.
As railroads head into the 2025 having proven their commitment to network resiliency and the pivot-to-growth strategy, it seems like railroads have the right number of people to tackle any growth opportunities that come to light. It’s encouraging to close out a year where more people work for the railroad than they did a year ago— and in most recent years.
