Latest freight railroad layoffs and Wall Street pressure renew concerns about safety and service
The latest rail layoffs this week, combined with an investment fund's ongoing campaign for control of Norfolk Southern, are renewing concerns among unions and regulators about all the cuts hurting safety and service.
Railyard explosion, inspections raise safety questions about Union Pacific's hazmat shipping
Federal inspectors have twice found hundreds of defects in the locomotives and railcars Union Pacific was using at the worldโs largest railyard in Nebraska, but none of those seem to explain why a shipping container filled with toxic acid exploded there this fall.
Union Pacific railroad's quarterly profit falls 19% as volumes slow and costs remain high
Union Pacific's third-quarter profit fell 19% as the railroad hauled about 3% fewer shipments and costs remained high, but the average speed of its trains improved 5% as new CEO Jim Vena began to tweak the operations.
Government sues Union Pacific over using flawed test to disqualify color blind railroad workers
The federal government has joined 21 former rail workers in suing Union Pacific over the way it used a vision test to disqualify workers the railroad believed were color blind and might have trouble reading signals telling them to stop a train.
Railyard explosion in Nebraska isn't expected to create any lingering problems, authorities say
Nebraska authorities don't expect any lingering problems related to Thursday's explosion of a railroad shipping container carrying an acid used to make explosives because the chemical largely burned off and any residue was contained.
Explosion at world's largest railyard in Nebraska prompts evacuations because of heavy toxic smoke
An explosion inside a shipping container at the world's largest railyard prompted evacuations in western Nebraska Thursday because of the toxic smoke generated when one of the chemicals aboard caught fire.
Houston to spend millions to relocate residents living near polluted Union Pacific rail yard
Houston's mayor says the city plans to spend millions of dollars to relocate residents from neighborhoods located near a rail yard polluted by a cancer-linked wood preservative that has been blamed for an increase in cancer cases.
Union Pacific 2nd railroad to drop push for one-person crews
Union Pacific has become the second major freight railroad in the past week to back away from the industry's longstanding push to cut train crews down to one person as lawmakers and regulators increasingly focus on rail safety following last month's fiery derailment in Ohio.
Amid gains, railroaders seeking quality-of-life improvements
The contract imposed on railroad workers last fall didn't resolve their quality-of-life issues, but there are indications the major freight railroads might start to address some of their concerns about demanding schedules and the lack of paid sick time.
US rail industry defends safety record amid staffing cuts
Several major unions say the significant staff cuts railroads have made in recent years could jeopardize safety, but the major railroads say the new operating model they have adopted is simply helping them become more efficient and hasnโt made the railroads riskier.
Train honoring Bush returns to his Texas library for exhibit
Bush on December 6, 2018 in College Station, Texas. The 41st president will be laid to rest near his presidential library next to his wife Barbara and daughter Robin. Bush to his burial has returned to his presidential library in College Station where it will become a permanent exhibit. Union Pacific originally commissioned the locomotive for the opening of an exhibit on trains at the presidential library. During the locomotive's 2005 unveiling in College Station, Bush talked about his fondness for trains, recalling sleeping on them as a child during trips with his family.
Judge says railroad talks should be included in lawsuits
FILE- In this July 31, 2018, file photo a Union Pacific train travels through Union, Neb. โ A federal judge has ruled that the details of conversations between the nation's four largest railroads should be included in lawsuits challenging billions of dollars of charges the railroads imposed in the past. The lawsuits say the railroads conspired to boost prices starting in 2003 by imposing coordinated fuel surcharges and pocketing billions of dollars in profits. In the lawsuits, the railroads have argued that their fuel surcharges were legal and were simply designed to recover the skyrocketing cost of fuel at the time. Union Pacific, which is based in Omaha, Nebraska, plans to continue โvigorously defending itself against the allegations in these lawsuits,โ spokeswoman Elizabeth Graham said.
Profit, revenue slump at Union Pacific, but volume improves
โ Union Pacific's profit and revenue slumped by double digits, though the volume of shipments it handled rebounded from the previous quarter as the economy emerged from the worst of the virus-related shutdowns earlier this year. The railroad earned $1.36 billion, or $2.01 per share in the third quarter, down 12% from $1.56 billion, or $2.22 per share, a year ago. Shares of Union Pacific Corp. dipped more than 6% Thursday. Union Pacific cut its expenses 12% to $2.89 billion during the quarter. Volume is up 4% so far in the fourth quarter, and Union Pacific expects that to end up in the low single-digit percentage range.