Archive for February 2021
Judge: Railroads’ talks should be included in shippers’ lawsuits
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/26/2021) A federal judge ruled last week that details of conversations between four Class Is should be included in lawsuits involving price-fixing allegations that shippers filed against the rail carriers. The shippers allege that BNSF Railway Co., CSX, Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad “engaged in a price-fixing conspiracy to coordinate…
Read MoreU.S. railroads post carload, intermodal traffic decline in Week 7
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/25/2021) U.S. railroads’ traffic fell 21.7% to 377,907 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Feb. 20 compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data. Carloads for the week totaled 171,642 units, down 26.3%, while intermodal volume totaled 206,262 containers and trailers, down 17.4%. None of…
Read MoreClass I employment levels fell in January
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/23/2021) U.S. Class Is employed 113,461 people in mid-January, down 3.66% compared with December 2020’s employment levels and down 11.57% year over year, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data. All workforce categories registered month-over-month employment decreases in January. They were transportation (train and engine), down 7.23% to 45,521 workers; maintenance of equipment and…
Read MoreMassive fireball after 18-wheeler collides with BNSF train in Texas
(Source: Television station KXAN, February 23, 2021) CAMERON, Texas — An 18-wheeler collided into the side of a BNSF train on Tuesday at a grade crossing in Milam County, Texas, sending a ball of flames and thick black smoke into the air. There were no reported injuries. It was a situation that could have been…
Read MoreNinth Circuit Ruling Favors Unions and States, Rejects FRA’s Attempt to Preempt State Crew Law
CLEVELAND, Ohio (Feb. 23, 2021) – Two of the country’s largest freight railroad unions achieved a favorable decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday regarding an attempt by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to preempt legislation passed by a number of states that established a minimum of two-person operating crews on freight…
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