Railroad News

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 8/23/2022 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
With its volumes up 2% so far this quarter, Union Pacific Railroad has pulled nearly 3,000 of its own rail cars out of storage to begin adding unit trainsets to support customer demand."We are closely monitoring our operating inventory level to make sure it's climbing at a comparable rate with our carloadings," UP Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales Kenny Rocker reported in an Aug. 18 notice to customers. "Most of the volume growth is within our manifest network, and it is important that we avoid excess rail-car inventories, especially in our terminals."To increase network fluidity, UP has focused on the following areas:• graduated 597 train, engine and yard service (TEY) employees so far in 2022, which is on track to meet the year-end goal of 1,400;• temporarily relocated more than 200 TEY employees for borrow out service to support demand;• maximized train length and improved crew utilization; and• reassessed the pace UP-owned cars are returned to service."We are making steady progress on our service recovery," Rocker said, adding that customers are asked to avoid adding excess cars onto UP's network.By eliminating an excess car inventory and pursuing other resource initiatives, the railroad gains the ability to improve service for all customers, he said.

Rail News Home BNSF Railway 8/19/2022 Rail News: BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway Co. yesterday announced it will end a temporary California permit embargo on Sept. 4.The embargo enabled BNSF "to significantly reduce backlogs and drive greater efficiencies" for its trains moving toward and in California and throughout its network, the Class I stated in a customer notification on its website."This embargo was one of several actions to improve network fluidity in Southern California. As a result, we have seen decreased congestion and increased velocity as network conditions are improving," the notice states.BNSF will continue working with individual customers "as necessary to manage traffic flows."Meanwhile, BNSF officials also commented on the Presidential Emergency Board's recommendations issued earlier this week in an effort to help resolve the labor contract dispute between the nation’s major freight railroads and the unions that represent rail employees. The two sides now have until Sept. 16 to accept the recommendations or agree to a voluntary settlement involving other terms. No work stoppages can occur until after Sept. 16.The board’s recommendations include "the most substantial wage increase in nearly 40 years," BNSF officials said in a customer notification."Even though the recommendations significantly exceeded those proposed by the carriers during this bargaining round and are far above the terms in prior settlements, BNSF is prepared to accept the recommendations brought forward by the PEB," the notification states. "We believe it is in the best interests of our customers, employees and the public for the railroads and rail labor organizations to settle this dispute without delay and prevent service disruptions."