STB: Class Is employed fewer workers in July
(source: Progressive Railroading 08/21/2017) Class Is employed 147,540 workers in the United States as of mid-July, down 0.7 percent from mid-June’s level and 3.4 percent from mid-July 2016’s mark, according to Surface Transportation Board data. All six employment categories reflected workforce decreases on a month-over-month basis. The number of executives, officials and staff assistants declined 0.24 percent…
Read MoreUP to lay off hundreds of managers, other rail workers
(source: Progressive Railroading 08/17/2017) Union Pacific Railroad yesterday announced it will eliminate 500 management positions by mid-September as part of a cost-cutting measure. The Class I also intends to reduce 250 non-management positions during the same time period, UP officials said in an email. “Union Pacific for some time has leveraged employee attrition and technology to…
Read MoreSave the date: 2018 BLET regional meetings
CLEVELAND, August 17 — The BLET National Division is pleased to announce the dates and locations of its 2018 regional meetings: June 18-22 in Monterey, California; and August 13-17 in Washington, D.C. The Monterey regional meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency and the Washington, D.C. regional will be held at the Capital Hilton.…
Read MoreCP launches direct rail service from Vancouver to Detroit
(source: Progressive Railroading 08/14/2017) Canadian Pacific today announced the launch of a direct rail transportation service between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Detroit. The new service leverages CP’s newest transload facility in Vancouver and its live-lift operation at Portal, North Dakota. The service is expected to cut transit times from the West Coast to Detroit by as…
Read MoreUP urges eclipse viewers to stay off rail property
(source: Progressive Railroading 08/14/2017) Union Pacific Railroad has no plans to alter operations on train schedules for Aug. 21, the day of a solar eclipse. As a result, the Class I has issued a safety warning to eclipse viewers to avoid railroad property. The Class I, which has many miles of rail lines within the eclipse’s…
Read MoreRethinking coal in current context — analysis by Tony Hatch
(Source: Progressive Railroading 08/11/2017) By Tony Hatch Coal boomed in first-half 2017. Does that mean coal is back? U.S. coal volumes, dominated by steam (utility) coal, were up 18 percent through June. Of course, it was against easy comparisons, and June numbers were “only” up 13 percent. By early July, they were closer to flat. Export…
Read MoreShort Line Safety Institute study reveals themes that influence railroads’ safety culture
(Source: Progressive Railroading, August 10, 2017) After reviewing a year’s worth of safety culture assessments at short lines and regionals, the Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has identified areas in need of improvement through training and education, the institute announced yesterday. Full story: Progressive Railroading Friday, August 11, 2017
Read MoreAAR: Rail traffic up 4.3 percent over 2016 for week ending August 5
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, August 9, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 5, 2017. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 554,822 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.3 percent compared with the same week last year. Total…
Read MoreSTB sets 2016 cost of capital
(source: Railway Age 08/10/2017) Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has issued a decision determining the railroad industry’s cost of capital for 2016. In Railroad Cost of Capital—2016, Docket No. EP 558 (Sub-No. 20), the Board found that the rail industry’s after-tax cost of capital was 8.88% for 2016. For 2015,…
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