CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) reach tentative collective agreements with the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) and Unifor, respectively, averting strikes. Also, Connecticut Southern Railroad (CSO), a Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary, joins the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers– Transportation Division (SMART-TD).
Last year’s environmental and operational achievements, including rail-related infrastructural projects to boost capacity, plus this year’s goals were highlighted during the recent State of the Port addresses by Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka and Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero in California.
The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) of the Teamsters Rail Conference on Jan. 23 reported reaching a tentative national agreement, one of several pattern agreements forged in the first three months of the national bargaining round.
Caltrain announces that its electric fleet “is more efficient than expected.” Also, Metro-North Railroad’s on-time performance hits an all-time high; Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) and BNSF Railway police departments formalize a partnership; Seattle’s Sound Transit works to solve light rail “network reliability issues”; and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) awards a $211 million contract for the design, installation and operation of its new fare payment system.
Rail industry stakeholders on Jan. 23 outlined their priorities and suggestions for potential surface transportation legislative proposals in the 119th Congress during a hearing of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee. Among the key topics: support for and streamlining of programs that help build and improve U.S. rail infrastructure, such as CRISI, plus the use of technology to boost safety.
Stardust Power Inc. on Jan. 22 officially broken ground on a battery-grade lithium refinery in Muskogee, Okla., that will be served by Union Pacific (UP) via Port Muskogee’s Midland Valley Branch Line.
BNSF on Jan. 23 announced its $3.8 billion capital plan for 2025, which devotes $2.84 billion to maintenance and $535 million to expansion.
An attack on reservations systems, social media threats to passengers and operations, suspicious bags left at a train station, and an active shooter at a station and onboard a train headed to the U.S.—all these scenarios were worked through during a recent training exercise that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Transport Canada conducted with Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada.
At Chicago-based GATX, existing railcar demand “remained steady, as expected” for its North American business unit, with the railcar lessor extending leases at continued “attractive rates, while maintaining high fleet utilization and strong renewal success,” President and CEO Robert C. Lyons said in a fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 financial report.
The Eno Center for Transportation (Eno) has added to its Board K. Jane Williams, former acting Federal Transit Administrator (2017-2021) and current Senior Vice President and National Practice Consultant at HNTB Corporation.