General Information
U.S. intermodal drop-off spans 15 consecutive weeks
(Source: Railway Age, November 24, 2021) NEW YORK — For the week ending Nov. 20, 2021, U.S. Class I railroads hauled 237,244 carloads, up 1.6% from the same point last year, but the 271,065 intermodal containers and trailers they moved fell 10% from 2020, the Association of American Railroads reported on Nov. 24. This is…
Read MoreMedicare Part B Premiums for 2022
(Source: Railroad Retirement Board press release, November 19, 2021) CHICAGO — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the standard monthly Part B premium will be $170.10 in 2022, an increase of $21.60 from $148.50 in 2021. Some Medicare beneficiaries may pay less than this amount because, by law, Part B…
Read MoreUP launches employee-led environmental group
(Source: Progressive Railroading 11/24/2021) Union Pacific Railroad has launched a new employee-led business resource group focused on environmental sustainability. Called “Planet Tracks,” the new group is dedicated to “helping employees champion and promote environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives,” UP officials reported in the Class I’s Inside Track newsletter. The volunteer-based group is open to all employees who are…
Read MoreSTB accepts CP-KCS merger application as ‘complete’
(Source: Progressive Railroading 11/24/2021) The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has accepted for consideration the application filed Oct. 29 for the proposed merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Railway, the board announced yesterday. The STB determined the application is complete as it contains all information required by the board’s regulations, according to an STB press release. In its decision,…
Read MoreCourt consolidates lawsuits related to Class I vaccine mandates
(Source: Progressive Railroading 11/23/2021) Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois consolidated multiple lawsuits that had been filed in the Illinois federal court, including ones by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and two other rail unions challenging two Class I carriers’ implementation of COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk…
Read More