Canadian Pacific Kansas City

U.S. agriculture that could be impacted by a Canadian rail shutdown includes soybeans that are loaded into unit trains in Garrison, N.D., and ferried across southern Canada before hand-off to UP at Eastport, Idaho, for final delivery to an export terminal in Kalama, Wash. Bruce Kelly photo.

Is the Canadian Rail Shutdown Really Over? Yes (At Least for Now). (UPDATED 9/3)

CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) on Aug. 24 each reported receiving an order imposing binding arbitration between the railroad and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) from the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), which also ordered that current collective agreements must be extended until new agreements are signed between the parties, and that no further labor stoppage, including a lockout or strike, can occur during the arbitration process. On Aug. 30, TCRC filed four separate federal appeals, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Construction is under way in Kanas City, Mo., for Americold’s new 335,000-square-foot cold storage facility, the first of many that the company will co-locate on the Canadian Pacific Kansas City network. (Photograph Courtesy of Americold)

Class I Briefs: CPKC, CN, UP

Americold advances construction of its new $127 million facility at Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) IFG Terminal in Kansas City, Mo. Also, CN renames the Woodcrest Shops in Homewood, Ill., in honor of its recently retired Chief Operating Officer; and Kenny Rocker, Union Pacific (UP) Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales, provides a status report on the railroad.

(Courtesy of RailState)

RailState: Rail Service Resuming in Canada

Where does freight rail service stand following the Canadian government’s Aug. 24 order for binding arbitration that has allowed its resumption at CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC)? On Aug. 25,

“We’re proud to be recognized by the Texas Veterans Commission [TVC] with its ‘Large Employer of the Year’ award!” BNSF reported Aug. 16 via social media. Pictured, from left to right: TVC District Manager Jo Ikard, TVC Veteran Employee Liaison Jay Zimmerman, BNSF Director of Talent Acquisition Kelly Jimenez and TVC Division Director Charlie Catoe at the TVC awards ceremony Aug. 9 in Humble, Tex. (BNSF Photograph)

Class I Briefs: BNSF, UP

BNSF provides an operational update and earns the title of “Large Employer of the Year” for Texas veterans. Also, Union Pacific’s (UP) Engineering team in Nampa, Idaho, marks a safety milestone.

“From the machinists in the wheel shop to the electricians and the clerical employees who ensure we have the necessary materials, this achievement is truly a ONE CSX team effort,” CSX Plant Superintendent Mike Langhauser said of the Huntington Heavy Repair Shop’s recent AAR M-1003 certification with zero exceptions. (Screen Grab from the CSX Video)

Class I Briefs: CSX, UP, CN

The CSX Huntington Heavy Repair Shop in West Virginia achieves its fourth consecutive AAR (Association of American Railroads) M-1003 certification. Also, Union Pacific (UP) teams with Canpotex to haul record potash shipments; and CN opens a new loop track in Two Harbors, Minn.

(Photographs Courtesy of CN, left, and CPKC, right)

Canadian Class I’s, TCRC Bargaining Updates (8/6)

Separate negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) have been under way at intervals for CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), with the assistance of federal conciliators. Those negotiations, which had more recently stalled, will restart Aug. 6.

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