Rail Industry News
Home Depot offers freight rail a shipper wish list
(Source: Freight Waves, February 3, 2021) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Rail competition, connectivity, network speed and reliability are some of the big freight rail issues on the minds of shippers like Home Depot Inc., according to the company’s director for logistics. Full...
Union Pacific investigators look into fatality in Arizona
(Source: Freight Waves, February 3, 2021) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Union Pacific and federal investigators are looking into an incident in southeast Arizona on Sunday that claimed the life of an employee of the railroad. Full story: Freight Waves
Robert Primus designated Vice Chairman of STB
(Source: Surface Transportation Board press release, February 1, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Surface Transportation Board announced today that Board Member Robert Primus has been designated as the agency’s vice chairman. Mr. Primus was sworn in as a Board member on...
Ranking members named to House rail, transit subcommittees
(Source: Progressive Railroading, February 3, 2021) U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) on Monday announced the ranking members of the panel's railroad and transit subcommittees for the 117th Congress. Full...
Buttigieg says DOT will push bold thinking
(Source: Associated Press, February 3, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pete Buttigieg, sworn in Wednesday as transportation secretary, urged his 55,000 employees to embrace "imaginative, bold, forward thinking" as the Transportation Department embarks on a vital mission to...
Labor nominee Walsh aims to show broad appeal in Senate hearing
(Source: Bloomberg Law, February 4, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marty Walsh’s unlikely journey to U.S. labor secretary nominee is grounded in unions and construction work, but his political rise intersected with a range of employment issues facing vulnerable workers hit...
Teamsters mourn the passing of AFL-CIO President Emeritus John Sweeney
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, February 3, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Teamsters today are remembering the legacy of longtime AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, who fought for more than six decades to raise wages and benefits and to give...
AAR: Carload gain lies mainly in the grain
(Source: Railway Age, February 3, 2021) NEW YORK — In January, U.S. intermodal shipments and carloads of chemicals set new records, and grain was up 40%, its “biggest-ever” year-over-year increase, Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Vice President John T....
Train hits front end loader at NS yard in Bethlehem
(Source: WFMZ, February 2, 2021) BETHLEHEM, Pa. — One person was hurt after a train and front end loader collided Tuesday night in Bethlehem. Full story: www.wfmz.com
Norfolk Southern faces environmental violations in train derailment, coal spill in Roanoke County
(Source: Roanoke Times, February 2, 2021) ROANOKE, Va. — Environmental regulators have issued a notice of violation to Norfolk Southern for a train derailment last fall that spilled tons of coal into the Roanoke River. Full story: Roanoke Times
UP train derails in El Centro, 50 homes evacuated
(Source: Desert Review, February 2, 2021) EL CENTRO, Calif. — The El Centro Police and Fire Dispatch Center began receiving multiple 911 calls reporting a train that had derailed at the intersection of 8th Street and the railroad tracks Monday, February 1, at 10:56...
STB postpones Tennessee Pass exemptions, names Primus vice chair
(Source: Progressive Railroading, February 2, 2021) The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has postponed the effective dates of exemptions related to the Colorado, Midland & Pacific Railway Co.'s (CMPR) petition to lease and operate Union Pacific Railroad's Tennessee...
North American intermodal volumes climbed nearly 10% in Q4 2020
(Source: Freight Waves, February 3, 2021) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — North American intermodal volumes gained nearly 10% in the fourth quarter of 2020, setting the pace for the first quarter of 2021, according to the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). Full...
Chicago transit agencies: CDC mask mandate will give our existing rules more teeth
(Source: Streetsblog Chicago, February 2, 2021) CHICAGO — Chicagoland transit agencies says a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control-issued nationwide mask mandate for public transportation will give them more authority to enforce their existing rules requiring face...
Amtrak is paying workers to get COVID-19 vaccine
(Source: EconoTimes, February 2, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak is the latest company in the U.S. to have been revealed to offer extra payments and benefits to its employees who will avail of the COVID-19 vaccine. It was said that the national passenger railroad...
Senate confirms Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary
(Source: CNN, February 2, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate voted to confirm Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary on Tuesday, making him the first Senate-confirmed LGBTQ Cabinet secretary. Buttigieg's confirmation elevates the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor...
Amtrak looking into expansion in Cleveland with possible service to Columbus, Cincinnati
(Source: Advance Ohio Media, February 1, 2021) CLEVELAND, Ohio — Amtrak is developing what it's calling a "visionary plan" to expand rail service across the United States, including the possibility of a major expansion in Cleveland that could link the city to Columbus...
MTA set for “substantial” chunk of $305 billion in COVID relief, as Schumer vows to prioritize NYC transit
(Source: New York Daily News, February 1, 2021) NEW YORK — The next coronavirus stimulus package will include $30 billion in relief for public transit agencies — and the MTA is on track to get the biggest chunk of that, according to a source close to Senate Majority...
Winter storm forces service changes, suspensions on NJ Transit, Amtrak, SEPTA
(Source: Television station ABC 6, February 1, 2021) PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The winter storm is prompting some travel disruptions in the Philadelphia region on Monday and Tuesday. Full story: www.6abc.com
Canadian Pacific and TCRC-RCTC reach tentative three-year agreement
(Source: Canadian Pacific Railway press release, February 1, 2021) CALGARY — Canadian Pacific Railway Limited and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Rail Canada Traffic Controllers (TCRC-RCTC) are pleased to announce a tentative three-year agreement. "I want to...
BLET News
Memorial Day 2013
By Dennis R. Pierce, BLET National President As we observe Memorial Day 2013, I ask all members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen to say a special thank you to the men and women who have served and who continue to serve in defending our great nation.
Baltimore hosts BLET for 75th annual EUMA
The BLET’s Eastern Union Meeting Association (EUMA) will hold its 75th annual convention in Baltimore, Md., from July 28-August 1, 2013.
White House greeting recognizes BLET 150th anniversary
U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. thanked members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen for “always placing the rights of American workers as your top priority” in a May 8 letter to National President Dennis Pierce, honoring the Organization’s 150th anniversary.
BLET 150th anniversary video now online
The BLET has unveiled a commemorative 30-minute video in honor of the union’s 150th anniversary. The video is now available on YouTube.
San Francisco hosts BLET for 73rd annual IWC
The city of San Francisco will host members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen from July 14-18, 2013, for the 73rd annual International Western Convention (IWC).
Hotel reservation deadline approaching for 2013 SMA
Members planning to attend the BLET’s Southeastern Meeting Association’s 86th annual convention in Richmond, Va., are advised that the deadline to make hotel reservations is June 1.
NASLBC concludes 38th annual meeting
Members of the BLET’s National Association of State Legislative Board Chairmen (NASLBC) concluded their 38th annual meeting on May 7, 2013. This year’s meeting was held in Detroit, Mich., to coincide with the Brotherhood’s 150th anniversary celebration.
Lyons elected General Chairman of CSX-Northern Lines GCA
William P. Lyons was elected General Chairman of the CSX-Northern Lines General Committee of Adjustment at meetings in Detroit, Mich., that concluded on May 8.
Arkansas SLB Chairman Terry Todd reelected by acclamation
Terry L. Todd was reelected by acclamation to continue serving as Chairman of the BLET””s Arkansas State Legislative Board at meetings in North Little Rock, Ark., on April 16-17, 2013.
Kronyak reelected by acclamation as New Jersey SLB Chairman
Matt Kronyak was reelected by acclamation to his second full term as Chairman of the New Jersey State Legislative Board at meetings in Newark, N.J., on March 12, 2013.
