BY JOSH FUNK for apnews.com Companies that have plants and facilities served by only one railroad may soon be able to get a bid from another railroad if their current service is bad enough under a new rule that was proposed Thursday to help boost competition. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board announced the long-awaited rule that […]
Lawyers and unions say there’s an industry-wide pattern of acting against workers who report safety violations or injuries. BY JOSH FUNK AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS via fortune.com Hours before a Norfolk Southerntrain derailed in Ohio and erupted in fire in February, a judge ruled a former railroad employee could proceed with a lawsuit claiming he had been harassed for years by managers […]
With cost-cutting in the rear-view mirror, the focus will be on service and growth For clues about where incoming CEO Jim Vena may take Union Pacific, look at where he wanted to take Canadian National. You may recall that in late 2021 activist investor TCI Fund Management touted Vena as a replacement for CN CEO JJ Ruest. […]
By JOSH FUNK The Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific will renew its push for one-person train crews later this summer when the railroad tests out the idea of having a conductor in a truck respond to problems on trains in Nebraska and Colorado. The railroad will continue using two crew members on […]
By Julie Carr Smyth for yahoo.com COLUMBUS — The railroad industry has sued to block a new minimum crew-size requirement that Ohio imposed after a fiery train derailment in East Palestine in February. The new rule was part of a $13.5 billion state transportation budget that Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed in March. It mandated a […]
Railroads file suit over California’s new locomotive emissions regulations WASHINGTON — Railroads have filed suit against the California Air Resources Board’s new diesel locomotive emissions standards, arguing that the state body lacks the authority to implement the In-Use Locomotive rule. The Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, on […]
written by Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Federal Railroad Administration recently completed a review of Norfolk Southern’s safety culture in the wake of the February’s fiery derailment in Ohio, and officials plan to follow up with similar investigations of all the major freight railroads over the next year. A report will be released soon on what investigators […]
Subpar rail service interferes with US’ ability to compete internationally, Oberman says CHICAGO — The Class I railroads must increase their head count levels because doing so not only will bolster rail service but benefit the U.S. economy overall, Surface Transportation Board Chair Marty Oberman said to a crowd of rail shippers and rail employees […]
By Bill Stephens for trains.com New management incentives for service and growth are an encouraging sign Well, this isn’t a pretty picture. From 2013 to 2022 U.S. industrial production eked out 3% growth, overall economic output increased 57%, and truck tonnage grew 26%. Yet volume on the big four U.S. railroads increased by an average of just 2% […]
By The Seattle Times editorial board State and federal governments recently have focused on ways to make the nation’s railways safer after a series of derailments, from East Palestine, Ohio, to Swinomish, left communities concerned about their own safety. One way Washington lawmakers can help the situation is by passing ESSB 5267, currently in the […]