BOSTON — A coalition of Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad (MBCR) unions, including those representing clerks, carmen, supervisors, signalmen and shopcraft workers, have been released by the National Mediation Board (NMB) from mediation. The release paves the way for a [...]
How did major railroads perform in 2010? Reviewing their calendar-year and fourth-quarter profit statements, one wouldn’t know they were operating in the midst of a nationwide recession. Profits soared, stock dividends were raised and operating ratios improved. (Operati [...]
Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) have reintroduced legislation this Congress that would lasso railroad pricing power. S. 49, introduced by Kohl, would repeal some of the railroads’ antitrust exemptions. S. 158, introduced by Rockefeller and co-s [...]
Going to bat for Amtrak and its dedicated work force, UTU Alternate Legislative Director John Risch Jan. 27 outlined for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reasons why an intercity national rail passenger system is essential for Americans and worthy of cont [...]
In his state-of-the-union speech Jan. 26, President Obama mentioned the word “railroad” eight times — the most mentions of “railroad” in more than 30 years of state-of-the-union messages delivered by five different presidents. Yes, there are thos [...]
All railroads increased the number of train and engine workers in 2010, but at quite different rates, according to data released by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. Overall, the number of train and engine workers increased in 2010 by 9.21 percent — 62,067 in Decem [...]
Canadian National Jan. 25 reported its fourth-quarter operating profit rose by 19 percent versus fourth-quarter 2009, and that calendar-year 2010 operating profit increased by 13.5 percent from 2009. CN’s operating ratio for 2010 improved from 67.7 percent in 2009 to 63 [...]
Norfolk Southern Jan 25 reported a 31 percent increase in fourth quarter profit (versus fourth quarter 2009) and a 45 percent increase in calendar-year 2010 profit. NS also reported a 5 percentage point improvement in its 2010 operating ratio, which declined to 71.9 percent. [...]
In a state-of-the-union speech uncharacteristically short on laundry list projects and policies, President Obama Tuesday night conspicuously singled out high-speed rail as “the most reliable way to move people,” saying that “within 25 years, our goal is to g [...]
It was a mighty good fourth quarter and calendar-year 2010 for CSX, which reported Jan. 24 that its operating profits grew by 46 percent in the fourth quarter (versus fourth quarter 2009), and by 35 percent for the 12-months of 2010. In announcing that CSX had reduced its ope [...]