Unifor reaches agreements with CN. Pictured: CN master bargaining committee. (CNW Group/Unifor)

Labor Agreements Ratified at CN, CSX, Metrolink

CN has reached new collective agreements with Unifor, its largest union, covering approximately 3,000 Canadian employees. Also, the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division B&O (SMART-TD B&O) has ratified a

NARS President Bruce Mann

NARS 2023 Annual Meeting: ‘A New Era in Railroading’

The North American Rail Shippers Association (NARS) will host its annual meeting May 24-26, 2023, in Chicago. This year’s theme is “A New Era in Railroading.”

BNSF’s second-annual awards program recognizing customers for significant achievement in sustainability is now open for nominations.

Class I Briefs: BNSF, CN, CPKC, CSX, CPKC/NS/UP

BNSF opens nominations for its 2023 sustainability awards program. Also, CN and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) reach a tentative agreement; Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) celebrates its hydrogen locomotive pilot program on Earth Day; CSX recognizes 13 customers for environmental excellence; and executives from CPKC, Norfolk Southern (NS) and Union Pacific (UP) earn spots on the Constellation Research ESG50 List for 2023.

Joe Hinrichs, President and CEO, CSX
Commentary

CEO PERSPECTIVE: Investing in People to Deliver Growth

As part of a special series in Railway Age’s April 2023 issue, 13 chief executives of leading North American companies answer the single-most critical question: What is the biggest challenge facing the North American rail industry? Joe Hinrichs of CSX is the third to share his perspective.

CSX 1Q23: ‘An Encouraging Start to the Year’

“CSX had an encouraging start to the year as the efforts of our dedicated railroaders resulted in strong earnings growth,” said President and CEO Joe Hinrichs during the Class I’s financial report on April 20.

New York State Sen. Bill Weber says he want to "see the federal government do more to hold rail companies accountable."

Report: State Lawmakers ‘Cracking Down’ on Rail Companies

Two weeks after a brush fire believed to be caused by a Norfolk Southern (NS) train on the Southern Tier route burned hundreds of acres in Schoharie and Otsego Counties in New York State, lawmakers, including Sen. Bill Weber (R-N.Y.), are introducing state legislation that would “up the penalties for rail companies who fail to keep train components, like braking systems, properly maintained,” according to a WRGB report.

SC Ports’ Inland Port Dillon had a record month for containers. (Photo/SCPA/Walter Lagarenne)

Intermodal Briefs: SC Ports, Port of Long Beach, FourKites

South Carolina (SC) Ports celebrates the five-year anniversary of Inland Port Dillon with record month for containers handled. Also, Port of Long Beach cargo slows in March; and FourKites announces new enhancements to its Sustainability Hub.

Andy Muller, CEO and Founder, Reading Blue Mountain & Northern

Railway Age 2023 Readers’ Influential Leaders

Railway Age is pleased to present the fourth-annual “Readers’ Influential Leaders” program honorees.

Class I Briefs: BNSF, UP, CSX

BNSF hosts University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers from the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) at its Fort Worth campus. Also, Union Pacific (UP) Assistant Vice President, External Relations Wes Lujan has been named one of Profiles in Diversity Journal’s 2023 Latino Leadership Award winners; and CSX’s automated new vehicle inspection portals help make Total Distribution Services Inc. (TDSI) more efficient.

More than 300 people rode Amtrak’s Gulf Coast Inspection Train (pictured) from New Orleans to Jacksonville, Fla., in February 2016, as part of an ongoing effort to restore passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast, which was disrupted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and never resumed. (Marc Glucksman, Amtrak)

Report: Mobile Train Stop ‘Final Infrastructure Issue’ Before Amtrak Gulf Coast Service Can Restart

The construction of a train stop, and a track leading to it in downtown Mobile, Ala., officials say, is the “final infrastructure issue that needs to be addressed before Amtrak can restart passenger trains along the Gulf Coast for the first time in 18 years, according to an AL.com report.

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