STB Vice Chairman Schultz to Lead Listening Sessions on Legal Processes and Procedures

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Patrich Fuchs on May 1 announced that he has designated Vice Chairman Michelle Schultz to lead a series of informal listening sessions with attorneys who practice before the agency. The purpose of the listening sessions is to “hear individual practitioners’ ideas on ways to streamline the Board’s processes and procedures that affect litigants and parties appearing before the agency.”

Class I Briefs: NS, CSX

Norfolk Southern (NS) supports a new public safety training center in Atlanta. Also, one CSX employee’s smart safety solution enhances workplace practices.

(Photograph Courtesy of NRLC)

IAM Ratifies National Agreement With NCCC

The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) on May 1 reported the ratification of a national collective bargaining agreement with the International Association of Machinists (IAM), which represents approximately 4,900 freight rail members.

CN photo

CTA Sets CN, CPKC 2025-2026 VRCPIs

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has set its determination of the Volume-Related Composite Price Index (VRCPI) for CN at 1.9734 and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) at 1.9349 for the 2025-2026 crop year beginning Aug. 1. This is an increase in the VRCPI over the prior crop year of 1.72% for CN and 3.11% for CPKC.

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena christened No. 1616 at the unveiling ceremony at Jenks Locomotive Shop in North Little Rock, Ark., which was attended by Arkansas Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick, and Lincoln Presidential Foundation Chairman Emeritus Sergio “Satch” Pecori, as well as UP executives and railroaders. (UP Photograph)

UP Debuts No. 1616 Honoring President Lincoln

Union Pacific (UP) on April 30 unveiled its newest commemorative locomotive. No. 1616 pays tribute to America’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Pacific Railway Act in 1862, creating UP and

Senators Introduce Short Line Railroad Maintenance Tax Credit Modernization Act

On April 30, Senator Mike Crapo (Idaho), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; and Senator Ron Wyden (OR), ranking member of the Committee, introduced S. 1532, to modernize the Short Line Railroad Maintenance Tax Credit that has been responsible for driving more than $8 billion in private investment in short line rail infrastructure since the credit was introduced in 2005, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) recently reported.

(Courtesy of SLSI)

SLSI to Build ‘Safety Train’

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) on April 30 issued an open request for quotations (RFQ) from manufacturers or railroads for one flat car and one boxcar to help build a Safety

(Trinity Photograph)

For Trinity, 1Q25 Reflects ‘Strength, Resiliency’

Trinity Industries President and CEO Jean Savage said in a May 1 financial report that the company’s first-quarter 2025 results “reflect the strength and resilience of our platform,” which provides railcar leasing

(CSX Photograph)

CSX Signalman, Boilermakers Ratify Five-Year Deals

CSX on April 30 reported securing the ratification of new five-year collective bargaining agreements with the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Forgers & Helpers (IBB).

TrinityRail: A Proud Legacy of Innovation and a Focus on the Customer

When CJ Bender put his arm around his nephew W. Ray Wallace in 1946 and told him, “We’re going to build something. One day, you’ll be proud of what we’re going to

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