Canada’s two biggest railroads aren’t letting winter go unchallenged.
Canadian National Railway Co. (CNR) is strengthening its network, increasing employees and engines to keep trains running smoothly prevent another winter of icy and prevent another winter of profit-sapping gridlock. Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP) is putting additional staff on standby, redeploying some equipment to “strategic” locations, and building new sidings in case below-average temperatures halt cargos.
“Last year was an extraordinary winter,” Canadian Pacific Chief Operating Officer Keith Creel said in a Dec. 15 interview in Toronto. “The rolling equipment, the air-brake systems, the steel that you ride the trains on, the locomotives that have to operate at 40 below zero — there are certain things that just don’t work when it gets this cold.”
Canada’s major freight rail companies are fighting moves by the federal transportation regulator to curb “extreme fatigue” among railway engineers, a CBC News investigation has found.
CN Rail, CP and the Railway Association of Canada went on the attack two weeks ago at a “tense and heated” meeting of industry, union and government representatives, according to a number of people present.
The conflict was over research by Transport Canada that found high levels of exhaustion among workers driving freight trains, and proposals by the regulator to impose new limits on scheduling to help reduce their fatigue.
In a press release Oct. 14, CSX announced record third quarter profits. The railroad said that operating income increased 16 percent and operating ratio improved 220 points. Operating income came in at $976 million with an operating ratio of 69.7 percent. CSX also saw volume increases of seven percent.
Revenue increased to $3.2 billion, eight percent over the same period last year. Net earnings were announced at $509 million, up $0.51 per share from the net earnings of $455 million for the third quarter of 2013.
“As the economy continues to expand, the company’s record third-quarter results are built on the foundation of CSX’s network reach, sustainable growth opportunities, and the efforts of our 31,000 employees,” President, Chairman and CEO Michael J. Ward.
Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
Kansas City Southern reports record quarterly revenues and carloads in a press release for the third quarter of 2014. The railroad recorded record revenues of $678 million, an increase of nine percent over the same quarter last year.
Operating income saw a 15 percent increase to $229 million over last year’s third quarter and operating ratio came in at 66.1 percent, a 1.7-point improvement. Net income for the quarter totaled $138 million or $1.25 per diluted share, a 17 percent increase.
The railroad credits the increases to a four percent increase in carloads. Automotive carloads increased by 28 percent, while carloads of industrial and consumer products saw a 13 percent increase.
Operating expenses came in at six percent higher than 2013 expenses. Operating expenses were $448 million for the quarter.
“KCS achieved record quarterly financial results as a result of the continued strength and diversity of our franchise,” President and CEO David L. Starling said. “An operating ratio of 66.1 percent was attained primarily due to volume growth, especially in the automotive and grain commodity groups, as well as system efficiency and cost controls.
“We are optimistic about the remainder of the year and reaffirm our updated 2014 goals outlined to investors in September. Looking ahead, we expect KCS’ long-term growth to be fueled by system-wide opportunities, which position KCS very well over the next several years.”
Canadian Pacific Railway reports record financial results for the third quarter. The company claims the third quarter results are the strongest in the company’s history.
Net income for the railway rose 26 percent to a record C$400 million or C$2.31 per diluted share compared to last year’s third quarter net income of C$324 million or C$1.84 per share. Revenue saw a nine percent increase to a record C$1.670 billion while operating expenses also rose four percent to C$1.049 billion. Operating income rose 19 percent to C$621 million, the highest that the railway has ever seen. Operating ratio fell to a record low of 62.8 percent, an improvement of 310 base points.
“The CP team delivered another quarter of impressive results,” CEO E. Hunter Harrison said. “Going forward, we will continue to execute on our plan of delivering safe, superior service to our customers, focusing on further efficiency and capacity initiatives and building on our solid foundation for growth.
“Despite recent volatility in commodity prices, we are confident in the strength of the franchise and are on track to finish the year with CP’s strongest quarter to date.”
Canadian National Railway reported increases in net income, operating income and revenues for the third quarter. Net income saw a 21 percent increase to C$853 million, up from last year’s C$705 million. Diluted earnings per share came in at C$1.04, also up from last year’s recorded C$0.84 per diluted share.
Operating income for the railway increased 19 percent to C$1,286 million. Revenues and car loadings set all-time quarterly records with revenues increasing 16 percent to C$3,118 million and car loadings increasing 11 percent to 1,475. Revenue ton-miles also grew by 13 percent. CN saw an improvement in operating ratio by one point to 58.8 percent.
“CN delivered outstanding third-quarter financial results while improving customer service levels and maintaining industry-leading operating efficiencies. Solid execution by our team of railroaders enabled us to accommodate the significantly higher freight volume generated by a record Canadian grain crop, strong energy markets and new business, particularly in intermodal and automotive,” President and CEO Claude Mongeau said. “The results underscore CN’s commitment to investing ahead of the curve in resources and rail infrastructure and playing our role as a true backbone of the economy.”
Norfolk Southern reported a 16 percent increase in net income of $559 million for the third quarter. The third quarter of 2013 only saw a net income of $482 million. Diluted earnings per share were also up 17 percent to $1.79 over last year’s $1.53 per diluted share.
Operating revenues saw an increase to $3.0 billion, up seven percent. Income from railway operations also saw an improvement to $998 million, up 18 percent. Operating ratio for the railroad saw an improvement by four percent to 67.0 percent.
“Norfolk Southern reported another record-setting quarter during which we achieved our best third-quarter results in revenues, operating income, net income, earnings per share and operating ratio,” CEO Wick Moorman said. “Higher traffic volumes along with continued gains in productivity drove these excellent results. We remain focused on ensuring we can support continued demand for freight rail transportation by hiring additional employees, investing in new equipment, and completing capacity projects in order to provide our customers with the freight rail service they expect today and in the future.”
Union Pacific railroad reports record financial results are at an all-time high for the third quarter in a press release Oct. 23. Net income came in at a $1.4 billion or $1.53 per diluted share, a 23 percent improvement. Last year’s results for the same quarter were at $1.15 billion or $1.24 per diluted share.
Operating revenues increased 11 percent to $6.2 billion versus the $5.6 billion the railroad saw in the same quarter last year. Operating income also saw an increase to $2.3 billion, up 19 percent over last year’s numbers. Operating ratio saw an improvement of 2.5 points to 62.3 percent.
The railroad attributes these new records to a seven percent increase in revenue carloads, a coal volumes increase and volume incre ases in agricultural products, industrial products, intermodal, automotive and chemicals.
“Union Pacific achieved record quarterly financial results, leveraging the strengths of our diverse franchise to handle strong volume growth,” CEO Jack Koraleski said. “As we continue to focus on improving our service, we are encouraged by the accomplishments we achieved in the quarter, including a two and a half point improvement in our operating ratio to a record 62.3 percent.”
HOMEWOOD, Ill. – Canadian National Railway Company Oct. 14 officially opened its new employee training center in suburban Chicago. The 55,000-square-foot facility will host up to 250 CN students from across the United States every week, with hands-on training for all key railway jobs.
Claude Mongeau, CN president and chief executive officer, said: “The opening of this state-of-the-art training center is a cornerstone in CN’s workforce renewal, which this year will see the hiring of more than 3,500 employees across our North American network.
“Our training campus in Homewood, adjacent to CN’s Woodcrest mechanical shop, will enhance our railroader training programs, help us instill a strong safety culture amongst our new hires, and reinforce it across all current employees who are learning new skills or upgrading existing ones.
“The new U.S. training center is located in our busy Chicago Terminal and at the center of CN’s U.S. operations. The Chicago area is the largest freight hub in North America and suburban Homewood is home to CN’s U.S. headquarters.”
The new center will offer courses for jobs ranging from conductor to car mechanic, and from track supervisor to signal maintainer. Employees will receive hands-on training in learning laboratories with equipment such as locomotive simulators and dispatcher stations. Outdoor labs with dedicated rolling stock and other equipment for field training will also be a key focus.
CN has invested $25 million in the Homewood training campus and it is the second of two modern employee training centers to open on CN’s network this year. Last month CN marked the completion of its new training center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where up to 350 students from across Canada will train every week.
U.S. railroad regulators have ordered BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway to hasten shipments of grain from a backlog that has frustrated farmers and people who run grain elevators.
The Surface Transportation Board, in a decision late Friday, required the two railroads to publicly disclose every week plans to address the delays, which have forced some in the upper Midwest to heap grain on the ground after running out of storage space because of autumn’s massive harvests. Others just can’t get grain moved out of elevators or are doing so at higher prices.
WASHINGTON – In response to concerns raised by communities across Illinois, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) June 3 called on Canadian National to address ongoing safety and traffic issues including: Canadian National’s lack of cooperation with the State of Illinois and Amtrak, which has hindered efforts to expand rail service in Northern Illinois between Galena and Rockford; increased rail traffic that has resulted in a record rate of blocked rail crossings; and Canadian National’s refusal to work with local communities, like Richton Park, to resolve safety issues.
“Last year, I met with Canadian National President Claude Mongeau to discuss ongoing concerns regarding CN operations along the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway and new Amtrak service between Chicago-Rockford-Galena,” Durbin said. “Unfortunately, several significant issues remain unresolved, and I continue to hear from local communities looking for better cooperation from the rail company regarding their traffic and safety concerns.”
With the acquisition of the EJ&E Railway, Canadian National plans on significantly increasing freight rail traffic along the line (a four to six time increase in trains per day). In the decision to approve Canadian National’s acquisition of the EJ&E, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) established an oversight period of 5-years to monitor the operational and environmental impacts of the acquisition. In the June 3 letter, Durbin raised the possibility of extending that oversight period in order to ensure that the issues outlined below are addressed.
Lack of Cooperation Hindering Passenger Rail Expansion: The State of Illinois and Amtrak have been negotiating an agreement with CN to bring new passenger rail service from Chicago to Rockford and Galena. In May, the State of Illinois announced that due largely to the lack of cooperation from CN, it would be pursuing an alternate route between Chicago and Rockford along Union Pacific tracks. Because the only feasible rail route west from Rockford to Galena runs along the CN, the State of Illinois and Amtrak will not be able to provide service to Galena if CN continues to slow walk negotiations and makes unreasonable capital demands.
Failure to Respond to Community Safety Issues: Canadian National has not responded to even minor safety issues brought to its attention by communities along its rail line. Richton Park recently requested a small easement from CN to install safety fencing, using funding the community received through a grant from the Illinois Commerce Commission. Although these easements were required by the STB in several locations along the EJE, CN rejected Richton Park’s request and has been unresponsive to appeals to reconsider.
Increased Rail Traffic and Blocked Road-Rail Crossings: Increased rail traffic along the EJ&E has resulted in a record number of blocked road-rail crossings and increased delays throughout the EJ&E corridor. In the first quarter of this year, there have been 5,267 instances of crossings being blocked by trains for ten minutes or more – the highest number since CN took ownership of the rail line.
Durbin has been working to address community concerns about blocked crossings that exacerbate traffic bottlenecks and challenge emergency responders’ mobility, rail safety, noise, air pollution from additional congestion, and interference with proposed Metra expansions. In 2010, Durbin announced the City of Barrington received a $2.8 million grant to fund the planning, designing and engineering of a grade separation at the U.S. Route 14 and EJ&E crossing through the Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER II) program.
In 2011, Durbin and Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) sent a letter to members of the STB regarding the Village of Barrington’s petition seeking additional mitigation efforts from the Canadian National. The Village also commissioned a study regarding the impact of Canadian National’s increased use of the EJ&E line that bisects the community. The Village’s review found that the STB’s previous study contained several flaws in the methodology and provided results that diluted actual traffic congestion and traffic delay impacts.
In 2013, after learning of CN’s efforts to avoid paying its fair share of mitigation efforts in Lynwood and Aurora, Durbin sent a letter to the STB urging the agency to extend the deadline by which construction must start on critical grade separations, preventing CN from running out the clock on meeting their responsibilities to those communities.
The full text of Durbin’s letter to Canadian National is below.
Claude Mongeau President and CEO Canadian National Railway Company P.O. Box 8100 Montreal, QC H3C 3H4
Dear Mr. Mongeau:
I am writing regarding CN’s poor communication and cooperation with Illinois passenger and freight rail stakeholders. We met last year to discuss local community concerns with CN operations over the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway (EJE) and new Amtrak service between Chicago-Rockford-Galena. Since that time, several of the issues we discussed then remain unresolved, and I encourage you move expeditiously to address them.
The State of Illinois and Amtrak have been trying to negotiate an agreement with CN to bring new passenger rail service from Chicago to Rockford and Galena. Last month, the State of Illinois announced it is pursuing an alternate route between Chicago and Rockford along Union Pacific tracks. This decision was due largely to the lack of cooperation from CN, which owns the originally selected route between those two cities. Unfortunately, the only feasible rail route West from Rockford to Galena runs along the CN. The State of Illinois and Amtrak will not be able to provide service to Galena as long as CN slow walks negotiations and makes unreasonable capital demands.
Secondly, several communities have contacted my office with concerns about increased rail traffic along the EJ&E. The Village of Barrington and City of Aurora have been vigilant in promoting increased rail safety, especially for trains carrying crude oil and ethanol. These large unit trains and other freight trains are blocking crossings and increasing delays throughout the EJ&E corridor. In fact, despite CN’s claims that track upgrades would decrease the number and duration of blocked crossings, there have been 5,267 instances of crossings being blocked by trains for ten minutes or more in the first quarter of 2014 – the highest number since CN took ownership of the rail line.
Even minor safety issues are being dismissed out of hand. For example, Richton Park recently requested a very small easement from CN to install safety fencing with a grant it received from the Illinois Commerce Commission. These easements were required by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in several locations along the EJE, but CN summarily rejected Richton Park’s and has been unresponsive to appeals from our office and the local community to reconsider.
The STB placed CN under an unprecedented six year monitoring period after your railroad completed the controversial purchase of the EJE. The monitoring period is in place to ensure CN fully complies with the promises it made when CN acquired the EJE. That monitoring period expires at the end of this year, but it may be prudent to extend this period while the problems outlined above remain.
I hope CN can resolve these issues as soon as possible. I stand ready to work with you to improve the safety and availability of passenger and freight rail service along CN routes in Illinois.
CHICAGO – Grand Trunk Western Railroad Co. has been ordered to reinstate a conductor and pay him more than $244,000 in back wages and damages following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA found that the company was in violation of the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act for terminating an employee in Flint, Mich., for failing to perform an inspection of a passing train under hazardous safety conditions.
“When employees are disciplined for legally choosing not to conduct work tasks in unsafe environments, worker safety and health are clearly not the company’s priority,” said Nick Walters, OSHA’s regional administrator in Chicago. “Whistleblower protections play an important role in keeping workplaces safe. Workers should never be forced to choose between safe work practices and keeping their job.”
Grand Trunk Western Railway, a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway, has been ordered to pay the conductor $99,324 in back wages and benefits, less applicable employment taxes, $45,000 in compensatory and $100,000 in punitive damages and reasonable attorney’s fees. The company must also remove disciplinary information from the employee’s personnel record and provide whistleblower rights information to its employees.
OSHA’s investigation upheld the employee’s allegation that the railroad terminated his employment on Feb. 26, 2013, in retaliation for reporting hazardous safety conditions and refusing to complete the dangerous tasks. Operating in dark, foggy conditions during the early morning hours of Dec. 15, 2012, the conductor did not perform a required roll-by inspection of a passing train near the Flint rail yard. The train was stopped on a bridge with a steep incline down to the river, and the conductor felt this was an unsafe location for the inspection.
Following an internal investigative hearing, the railroad removed him from service and accused him of violating the company’s policy to inspect passing trains when duties and terrain permit, and subsequently terminated the employee. OSHA’s investigation, however, found that the railroad terminated the employee in retaliation for having engaged in protected conduct under the FRSA. The investigation also found that crew members of the passing train were not held to the same standard to conduct a roll-by inspection.
Either party in these cases can file an appeal with the department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges.
OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the FRSA and 21 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health care reform, nuclear, pipeline, worker safety, public transportation agency, maritime and securities laws.
Employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or to the government. Employees who believe that they have been retaliated against for engaging in protected conduct may file a complaint with the secretary of labor to request an investigation by OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program. Detailed information on employee whistleblower rights, including fact sheets, is available at http://www.whistleblowers.gov.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
CSX reported to the public its first quarter 2014 earnings and dividend increase. The railroad announced net earnings of $398 million or $.040 per share. This is a decrease from last year’s first quarter reports of $462 million or $0.45 per share.
However, revenue for the quarter grew two percent to $3 billion on volume increases of three percent, with strength in merchandise markets and intermodal offsetting the declines in coal shipments.
Operating income for the railroad declined 16 percent to $739 million, while operating ratio increased 520 basis points to 75.5 percent, due to harsh weather. CSX estimates that weather interruptions in service increased expenses by around six cents per share. Optimistically, CSX expects modest full-year earnings growth in 2014.
Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
“The company is indebted to the dedicated men and women of CSX who worked tirelessly through one of the worst winters on record to keep the network running as fluidly as possible,” Chairman, President and CEO Michael J. Ward. “Thanks to the hard work of our employees, service levels are gradually recovering, and we are capitalizing on an economy that continues to show positive momentum.”
In an announcement made April 16, Kansas City Southern reported record first quarter revenues and carloads. Revenues for the first quarter were $607 million, an increase of 10 percent more than last year’s first quarter. The railroad also saw a four percent increase in carloads for the quarter.
Operating income came in at $160 million, but excluding lease termination costs, adjusted operating income came in at $190 million, a 17 percent increase over last year’s first quarter. The railroad saw an operating ratio of 73.7 percent or an adjusted operating ratio of 68.7 percent. This is a 1.8-point improvement over last year.
Diluted earning per share came in at $0.85 or adjusted diluted earnings per share were at $1.05 for the first quarter of 2014. This is an 18 percent increase over the first quarter of 2013. Net income came in at $94 million.
“We are pleased with how our company performed during the first quarter,” President and CEO David L. Starling said. “All six commodity groups reported year-over-year revenue gains led by Agriculture and Minerals, which increased 40 percent over the prior year. Later in the first quarter, we also recorded higher than expected utility coal volumes and revenues as a result of higher natural gas prices, which made coal a more competitive option benefitting certain plants we serve.
“While it is still early in the second quarter, KCS business levels have improved in April. The indication that our core business appears to be gaining strength provides us with positive momentum towards achieving the 2014 goals we outlined to investors in January.”
Union Pacific reported a record first quarter in an earnings announcement made April 17. The railroad reports a net income of $1.1 billion or $2.38 per diluted share, up from the first quarter 2013 reports of $957 million or $2.03 per diluted share. Taht is a 17 percent increase over last year.
Operating revenues totaled $5.6 billion, up seven percent over last year’s first quarter operating revenue of $5.3 billion. Business volumes, which are measured by total revenue carloads, increased five percent. Agricultural products, industrial products, coal, intermodal and automotive all increased in volume for the quarter. Freight revenue increased a total of six percent for the quarter.
Operating ratio for the railroad was at 67.1 percent, a first quarter record and 2.0 points better than the first quarter of 2013. Operating income was up 14 percent to $1.85 billion.
“As we look forward, we’re watching the economy very closely, as well as the potential impacts of weather, particularly on our coal and grain business,” Jack Koraleski, CEO, said. “There’s still a lot of year ahead of us, but we are seeing signs of gradual economic improvement, and we’re encouraged by the opportunities it presents. With the power and potential of the Union Pacific franchise, we’ll leverage these opportunities to drive record financial performance and shareholder returns this year and in the years to come.
“We’re proud of the efforts of the men and women of Union Pacific, who worked tirelessly to serve our customers despite these weather challenges and helped us achieve such a solid start to the year.”
In an announcement made early April 22, Canadian Pacific said the first quarter of 2014 had the best first quarter financial results in the company’s history.
The company saw a 16 percent increase in year-over-year improvement in earnings per share with a reported C$254 million or C$1.44 per diluted share. The first quarter of 2013 only reported C$217 million or C$1.24 per share.
Total revenues for the railway came in at C$1,509 million, an increase of one percent over last year’s first quarter. Operating expenses saw a four percent decrease to C$1,086 million. While operating income saw a 17 percent increase to C$423 million. Operating ratio also saw an improvement to 72.0 percent, a 380 basis point improvement.
“CP delivered solid results in a period that was severely impacted by extraordinary cold and severe winter weather conditions,” CEO E. Hunter Harrison said. “In the face of such difficult operating conditions, I am particularly proud of the women and men of CP who remained on the job 24/7, to keep the railway operating.
“Despite a slow start to the year and the reduced capacity which limited our ability to meet strong customer demand, we still have the utmost confidence in our ability to achieve our financial targets for 2014.”
Canadian National railway reported increases in revenues in a teleconference held late April 22. The railway reports a net income for the first quarter 2014 of C$623 million or C$0.75 per diluted share. Net income for the same quarter of 2013 was only at C$555 million or C$0.65 per diluted share.
The company saw a five percent increase of operating income to C$820 million. Revenues saw a nine percent increase to C$2,693 million, while revenue ton-miles also saw a five percent increase and carloads saw a one percent increase.
Operating ratio for the railway deteriorated 1.2 points to 69.6 percent. The previous year’s quarter reported operating ratio at 68.4 percent. Free cash flow for the first quarter of this year came in at C$494 million, quite an increase over last year’s C$151 million.
“CN delivered solid first quarter results thanks to a dedicated team of railroaders who labored long and hard to keep us rolling through the harshest winter in decades,” CEO and President Claude Mongeau said. “The winter of a lifetime took its toll on network capacity and affected all of our customers, but I’m pleased that CN’s recovery is now well underway, with key safety, operating and service metrics returning to pre-winter levels.
“Witch continued focus on supply chain collaboration and solid execution, CN is reaffirming its 2014 financial outlook and increasing its capital envelope to C$2.25 billion in support of its commitment to growth, efficiency and safety.”
Norfolk Southern reported its first quarter financial results April 23. Net income for the railroad saw a decrease to $368 million or $1.17 per diluted share for the first quarter 2014. Net income for the same quarter of 2013 was at $450 million or $1.41 per diluted share. Although, $60 million or $0.19 per diluted share of the $450 million was due to a gain from a land sale.
Operating revenues for the railroad totaled $2.7 billion, a two percent decrease from first quarter 2013. Shipment volumes also decreased by one percent during the quarter. Income from railway operations came in at $667 million, three percent lower than last year.
Operating expenses for the first quarter came in at $2 billion, a one percent decrease from the same quarter of 2013. Operating ratio for the railroad was 75.2 percent versus 74.8 percent for the same period last year.
“Following the extreme winter weather across the U.S. rail network which impacted first-quarter results, we are seeing a rebound in shipments across all of our business,” said Wick Moorman, CEO. “Our people responded admirably to meet the challenges of the harsh conditions, and we remain focused on delivering superior service to our customers.”
TORONTO – Canadian National Railway Co said on Wednesday that the union representing roughly 3,000 of its train conductors and yard operation workers in Canada has given the company notice of its intention to strike as early as Saturday.
The strike notice comes just days after the tentative labor contract reached last year with CN, Canada’s largest rail operator, was rejected by union members.
This incident occurred despite prior notices from the SMART Transportation Division’s Minnesota State Legislative Board asking railroads operating in northern Minnesota to prepare for inclement weather.
According to reports from SMART TD local officers in Minnesota, Canadian National Railway has not reacted appropriately to the severe weather conditions, Minnesota State Legislative Director Phillip Qualy said.
Reportedly, CN had six runaways on Steelton Hill in the last 30 hours after nearly three feet of snow fell in northern Minnesota.
The board reports that CN has not flanged or winged hills properly, despite the availability maintenance-of-way crews on equipment, waiting for track time.
To view copies of SMART TD’s letters to CN, BNSF Railway, Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific and Red River Valley & Western Railroad regarding winter safety action plans, snow removal and maintenance of way, click Winter_Safety_Letters_MSLB_120213.
The board asks that local officers post copies of the letters on all on-property bulletin boards.
The board also asks that, as always, members report all unsafe conditions immediately, including switches, switch channels, walkways, roads, crew-change locations and industry tracks not cleared of snow, sanded, salted or maintained.
Canada’s major freight rail companies are fighting moves by the federal transportation regulator to curb “extreme fatigue” among railway engineers, a CBC News investigation has found.
In a press release Oct. 14, CSX announced record third quarter profits. The railroad said that operating income increased 16 percent and operating ratio improved 220 points. Operating income came in at $976 million with an operating ratio of 69.7 percent. CSX also saw volume increases of seven percent.
Kansas City Southern reports record quarterly revenues and carloads in a press release for the third quarter of 2014. The railroad recorded record revenues of $678 million, an increase of nine percent over the same quarter last year.
Canadian Pacific Railway reports record financial results for the third quarter. The company claims the third quarter results are the strongest in the company’s history.
Canadian National Railway reported increases in net income, operating income and revenues for the third quarter. Net income saw a 21 percent increase to C$853 million, up from last year’s C$705 million. Diluted earnings per share came in at C$1.04, also up from last year’s recorded C$0.84 per diluted share.
Norfolk Southern reported a 16 percent increase in net income of $559 million for the third quarter. The third quarter of 2013 only saw a net income of $482 million. Diluted earnings per share were also up 17 percent to $1.79 over last year’s $1.53 per diluted share.
Union Pacific railroad reports record financial results are at an all-time high for the third quarter in a press release Oct. 23. Net income came in at a $1.4 billion or $1.53 per diluted share, a 23 percent improvement. Last year’s results for the same quarter were at $1.15 billion or $1.24 per diluted share.
CHICAGO – Grand Trunk Western Railroad Co. has been ordered to reinstate a conductor and pay him more than $244,000 in back wages and damages following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA found that the company was in violation of the whistleblower provisions of the