August 2009 Archive

August 28, 2009

Rail Traffic Shows Slight Improvement

(10:30 a.m. CDT) For the week ended Aug. 22, U.S. railroads reported originating 279,478 cars, down 16.1 percent compared with the same week in 2008. Regionally, carloadings were down 14.2 percent in the West and 18.9 percent in the East. More...

Conductor's Balancing Act Includes Community Service

(10:25 a.m. CDT) Balancing two children, a full-time job, graduate classes and more, Conductor John Anderson makes time to help the less fortunate, volunteering at Catholic Charities in Dolton, Ill. More...

August 27, 2009

CP Changes Course in Powder River Project

(10:55 a.m. CDT) Canadian Pacific has suspended 19 land condemnation lawsuits in Wyoming sought as part of an effort to build a new rail line into the Wyoming Powder River Basin coalfields. More...

BNSF Wants Automatic-Brakes Rule Eased

(10:45 a.m. CDT) Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. is pushing Congress to scale back a requirement for carriers to install automatic-braking systems on most of their tracks. More...

August 17, 2009

Elliott Takes Seat as STB Chairman

(04:00 p.m. CDT) Daniel Elliott III was sworn in as the fifth Surface Transportation Board (STB) chairman Aug. 13. He will serve a 4-year term expiring on Dec. 31, 2013. More...

August 14, 2009

UP Ties Fundraiser Benefits Habitat for Humanity

(10:20 a.m. CDT) UP Ties gathered nearly 100 employees, family members and friends Aug. 7, golfing 18 holes in its first annual charity scramble benefitting Habitat for Humanity. More...

August 13, 2009

Rail Traffic Reflects Down Economy

(01:05 p.m. CDT) For the week ended Aug. 8, U.S. railroads reported originating 274,633 cars, down 16 percent compared with the same week in 2008. More...

AAR Urges FRA to Follow PTC Mandate

(12:25 p.m. CDT) The Association of American Railroads (AAR) Aug. 13 urged the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to faithfully follow the Congressional statutory mandate requiring railroads to implement positive train control (PTC) technologies across certain portions of the national freight rail network. More...

2009 BEN Conference Celebrates 30 Years

(10:15 a.m. CDT) Union Pacific's Black Employee Network (BEN) is accepting registration for its 20th annual national conference on Aug. 27 and 28 in Omaha. More...

August 12, 2009

Class I Employment Continues to Shrink

(11:00 a.m. CDT) Class I railroad employment in the U.S. dropped to 149,614 in mid-June, down 1.27 perceent (or 2,372 jobs) from mid-May and 8.45 perceent lower than in June 2008. More...

August 10, 2009

CSXT, BLET Agree on Tentative 5-Year Pact

(02:20 p.m. CDT) CSX Transportation and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) reached a tentative 5-year agreement covering more than 5,000 engineers that includes a combined wage and performance bonus package. More...

August 7, 2009

Rail Freight Traffic Down in July

(11:00 a.m. CDT) U.S. freight traffic was down 17.5 percent in July compared with July 2008 while U.S. intermodal rail traffic was down 18.0 percent. More...

August 5, 2009

Train Accidents Decline Through May

(09:50 a.m. CDT) The Federal Railroad Administration released preliminary railroad safety statistics for the first five months of 2009 on Friday, and they showed strong improvement across the board. More...