• December 21, 2022
• Class I

UP Uses Technology to Improve Safety and Quality of Life

Union Pacific (UP) employees have been Building America for more than 160 years. Central to that mission are train conductors, whose jobs require long days and nights away from home riding trains. Through the decades, technology has continuously transformed rail operations, and now a new pilot at UP will apply technology to the conductor’s role to improve safety and quality of life.

• December 20, 2022
• Class I

CIO 2-Year Reflections: Transformation Through Growth and Customer Centricity

This past November marked my second anniversary at Union Pacific, and what an amazing time it has been! The call to “Build America” that first drew me here continues to inspire me every day. I remain in awe of the dedicated and talented people who work at Union Pacific, and the wealth of knowledge we collectively represent. Together, we have made great strides in leading the way to a future that is tech-enabled and rests on the shoulders of some of the best and brightest tech talent.

• December 19, 2022
• Class I

Biden ‘Railroaded’ Workers, and Maybe Himself

The nationwide railroad strike that was threatened for Dec. 9 did not take place. In effect, the Biden Administration and Congress ordered workers to accept the terms of a tentative agreement their

• December 17, 2022
• Freight

Socialists Eyed in BLET Prez Loss

Dennis R. Pierce is out as President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) following his election defeat by Edward A. Hall, who will take office Jan. 1. Although an

• December 14, 2022
• Finance/Leasing

Get Used to Higher Railcar Prices and Lease Rates

“Rational” and “Disciplined” are words rarely used when talking about freight railcar supply. But perhaps this time is different.

• December 12, 2022
• Regulatory

Just What Does STB Consider ‘Reasonable’?

Union Pacific and Sanimax are currently engaged in an interesting bit of litigation. It’s not a rate case or anything I worked on in my more than 15 years at the Surface Transportation Board. The question is whether UP has violated its “common carrier obligation.”

• December 12, 2022
• Passenger

Conversation with Denver RTD Chief of Police and Emergency Management Dr. Joel Fitzgerald Sr.

RTD’s newest Chief of Police and Emergency Management, Dr. Joel Fitzgerald Sr., joined the agency in August 2022 and carries primary responsibility for customer safety and security across the eight counties and

• December 09, 2022
• Freight

Rail Labor’s Risky Gambit

“Biden stabs unions and workers in the back,” shouted a headline describing rail labor’s reaction following the President’s Dec. 2 signing into law of a congressional resolution (H.J. Res. 100) imposing on

• December 08, 2022
• News

Three New Starts and a Bus Bridge

The number of new rail transit starts in the United States has slowed in recent years, probably due at least in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three years ago, I held the

• December 08, 2022
• Regulatory

Precision Schedule? STB Review Might Actually Test This ‘Marketing Term‘

Where are the Class I railroads in improving their actual service metrics as the upcoming Union Pacific rail embargo STB investigation comes close to its Dec. 13-14 date in Washington? Following are summary observations and some independent commentary.