Industrial Development Briefs: Virginia DRPT, BMI Group, Blue Moon Metals, Gulf Inland Logistics Park

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) awards a $750,000 Rail Industrial Access (RIA) grant to Perdue AgriBusiness, LLC (Perdue). Also, BMI Group acquires the former Mackenzie Paper Mill; Blue Moon Metals enters into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to acquire the Springer Critical Metals Mine and Processing Plant in Nevada; and Gulf Inland Logistics Park celebrates the grand opening of its first phase.

Teamsters, UP Ratify Contract

Approximately 6,000 locomotive engineers at Union Pacific (UP), represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) of the Teamsters Rail Conference, have voted “overwhelmingly” to ratify a new five-year contract.

Multiple Factors Impacting Amtrak Long-Distance Trains

The debut in late August 2025 of Amtrak’s long-awaited NextGen Acela trainsets for the Northeast Corridor captured media and rail industry attention at a time when Amtrak’s much larger—geographically speaking—Long-Distance (LD) network

(Photograph Courtesy of UP)

SMART-TD Supports Proposed UP-NS Merger

Union Pacific and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division on Sept. 22 announced an agreement they said “guarantees that SMART-TD members working in train and yardmaster

(Courtesy of the Port of LA)

For Port of LA, ‘Strong’ August Cargo Volume

After setting a July cargo record, Port of Los Angeles volume remained “strong” in August, according to the California Port, which processed 958,355 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), “nearly the same as last

CP 7470, CPKC’s new ET44AC Tier 4, bears the logo of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), a distinguished Canadian armored regiment. (Screen Grab from CPKC video)

Class I Briefs: CPKC, UP

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) pays tribute to Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) with special locomotive livery. Also, Union Pacific’s (UP) UPVETS employee resource group raises funds for U.S. troops.

Class I Briefs: UP/BLET, UP

Union Pacific (UP) reaches a tentative agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET). Also, UP is awarded the 2024 Toyota Logistics Excellence Award in Customer Service, the Kaizen Excellence Award for continuous improvement, and the overall President’s Award.

Commentary

Coast-to-Coast Rail M&A Implications

Class I merger talk comes back to center stage as the Wall Street Journal reports Union Pacific is in early discussions with Norfolk Southern. We hosted a call with Littlejohn & Co.

A Siemens Mobility Venture trainset at the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission facility in Stockton, Calif. (Caltrans)
Commentary

California Starvin’ on the San Joaquin Line, Along With a Missed Connection

“California Dreamin’” was one of the iconic songs of the sixties. It was about an Angelino enduring a New York winter and dreaming about his warm hometown (the inverse of the scenario in Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”). Barry McGuire recorded the original version in 1963, and the 1966 version by The Mamas & the Papas with Bud Shank’s flute solo defined the song. Nostalgia aside, there seems to be a new custom in part of the Golden State: “California Starvin’” as practiced on Amtrak’s San Joaquin trains between Bakersfield at the south end and the Bay Area and Sacramento at the north end.

Class I Briefs: BNSF, UP, CN

BNSF recognizes five states for excellence in grade crossing safety. Also, Union Pacific’s (UP) Bailey Yard hosts senior leaders for a field visit; and CN partners with the Société du chemin de fer de la Gaspésie (SCFG) to ensure continued affordability and mobility of rail service in Quebec.

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