WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have scaled back the detailed railroad employment data reporting that they first ordered in 2022 amid widespread crew shortages on the big four U.S. Class I railroads.
The Surface Transportation Board, in a decision released on Friday, said effective in January the Class I freight railroads will no longer have to provide monthly division-level employment data or granular information such as how many employees were added, left the railroad, extra board staffing, or how many train service employees were in the training pipeline and active service.
They will, however, have to continue reporting the number of employees in active train service as well as the number of employees who have been furloughed but may be available for recall.
The board initially required the additional reporting data in May 2022, following its hearing on rail service issues. The order was subsequently extended three times, most recently in January 2024.
“Since the Board issued its January 2024 Order, employment at the Class I carriers has been relatively stable, and service has continued to improve,” the board said in its decision last week. “The Board views a limited subset of employment data as useful for monitoring the durability of the service improvements observed since the Board initiated this proceeding. Continued reporting of this limited subset, at least temporarily, will appropriately balance the need for timely information necessary to monitor service sustainability and the reporting burden on carriers.”
