Weekly Digest Number 4 - January 26th, 2021 |
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Rail Coordinated Rail Bargaining Coalition Update |
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The Rail Unions comprising the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition (CBC), negotiating together in the current round of National Negotiations, have issued the following statement: The CBC and the nation’s Rail Carriers first met concerning the November 1, 2019 Section 6 Notices in January 2020. Although the COVID 19 Pandemic has made meetings for groups of this size challenging, the parties continued to meet virtually to make presentations concerning their proposals throughout 2020. Additional meetings have now been scheduled for early 2021. While CBC and the Rail Carriers continue to share and discuss all aspects of what would be necessary to reach a voluntary agreement, the Rail Carriers have not made any proposals worthy of consideration by the membership of the CBC Unions. The parties will continue to meet in good faith as we move into 2021.
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WEBINAR: Rail Passenger Association Series #9 - The Amtrak State Supported Trains |
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The 28 state-supported intercity passenger rail routes carry approximately one-half of all Amtrak riders nationwide and represent the fastest growing segment of the U.S. rail network. However, they also face unique challenges -- from the pandemic and from the existing federal-state partnership. Join us on Wednesday, January 27th at 2pm eastern as we kick off the new year with presentations on state supported passenger rail services from Wayne Davis, Chairman for TrainRiders/Northeast; Laura Kliewer, Director for the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission; and Northern Flyer Alliance President Deborah Fischer Stout.
Plan on attending? Submit your questions! Send in your topic specific questions to Madi Butler at mbutler@narprail.org to be answered during the event. Questions will be due by Friday, January 22nd. Space limited to 475 participants; reserve now.
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KCS Pledges to Set Emissions Reduction Target |
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Kansas City Southern has submitted a commitment letter to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) pledging to set a science-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. The science-based target will align with what climate scientists say is needed to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, KCS officials said in a press release.
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'The Train is on Fire': Tense Moments After an Oil Train Derailed |
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The day started like many others in Washington state, with a long line of tanker cars carrying crude oil to a refinery on the shores of Puget Sound.
Western Washington’s five oil refineries make the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel that keep the Northwest moving.
As the sun came up Dec. 22, a mile-long train full of oil was heading to the Phillips 66 refinery north of Bellingham after a winding journey from the drilling fields of North Dakota. It had passed Spokane and the Tri-Cities, then rumbled down the Columbia River Gorge, beneath downtown Seattle and up the coastline of Puget Sound.
But before the morning was over, toxic smoke would darken the skies above the tiny trackside town of Custer as that train derailed and caught fire.
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STB: Class I Workforce Grew in December |
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(Editor's Note: Finally a little good news. But employment year-over-year is still down by double digits).
U.S. Class Is employed 117,770 people in mid-December 2020, up 2.44% from mid-November 2020, but down 10.43% compared with the same period in 2019, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data. Two workforce categories registered employment increases in December compared with November's level. They were transportation (train and engine), which rose 5.67% to 49,069 workers; and maintenance of equipment and stores, which climbed 2.09% to 18,623 workers.
Year over year, all categories marked fewer workers: maintenance of equipment and stores was down 18.12%; transportation (other than train and engine), down 10.6%; maintenance of way and structures, down 9.94%; transportation (train and engine), down 9.35%; professional and administrative, down 5.44%; and executives, officials and staff, down 4.07%.
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Now? Long-awaited Gateway Project Might Finally Get the Federal Support it Needs |
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Now that a new administration has been sworn into office does this mean there will be a revised pledge to finally get the Gateway Project off the ground? The centerpiece of the Gateway Project is upgrading and fixing the existing tunnel that runs under the Hudson River and building a second one. Pre-construction planning has been nudging forward, but a main component, the federal approval of the project’s environmental impact statement, has been blocked by the White House over the past four years. That could change under the Biden administration, which is sending positive vibes when it comes to repairing the nation’s infrastructure.
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Biden Taps Trottenberg for Deputy Transportation Secretary |
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President-Elect Joe Biden yesterday announced Polly Trottenberg as his pick for deputy U.S. transportation secretary. Trottenberg has federal, state and city experience in transportation. For seven years, she served as New York City's transportation commissioner until she resigned in December 2020 and joined the Biden transition team.
Amtrak Chairman Tony Coscia praised Trottenberg's appointment. "With decades of transportation experience, Ms. Trottenberg understands the importance of investing in transportation to expand mobility, reduce carbon emissions and support economic recovery," Coscia said in a prepared statement.
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California – Las Vegas HS Line Construction Could Start in Q2 2021 |
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The new start date was confirmed by Ms. Sarah Watterson, president of Brightline West, in a letter to the Nevada High-Speed Rail Authority, according to a report by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
In the letter, Watterson confirmed that the company plans to resume the sale of private activity bonds to fund the project, which it could receive from the federal government, or from the state governments of California and Nevada.
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Welcoming the European Year of Rail |
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(If "Amtrak Joe" Biden is watching, he should see here a golden opportunity to launch such an initiatve in the USA!)
Eight months after the European Commission first proposed it, the European Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement to declare 2021 the European Year of Rail on 12 November.
The year will feature a series of initiatives – such as dedicated events, exhibitions and campaigns – to promote rail as the most sustainable and innovative mode of transport, as well as support the delivery of the 2050 climate objectives highlighted in the European Green Deal. The initiative was well received around the industry. “Declaring 2021 as European Year of Rail was a deliberate and most welcome decision to shine a light on rail’s important role in achieving EU Green Deal objectives,” said Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) executive director Libor Lochman.
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Class One Railroads Report 4th Quarter Results |
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(Editor's Note: This past week, the Class One railroads of North America began reporting their 4th quarter earnings and operating ratios. And, you guessed it, profits up, operating ratio down, on lower volume moved with fewer employees. This scenario may please Wall Street, but not so much shippers, workers, and society. How much longer will this state of affairs be tolerated?)
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RWU Open Letter to President Joe Biden |
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This Letter was originally sent to President - Elect Joe Biden and appears on Page 7 of our newsletter - The Highball.
Recent years have been tough ones for rail workers. We have seen two-person crew legislation at the state level torpedoed by the Trump Administration, an unresponsive FRA in the hands of a railroad CEO, unsafe working conditions, the trials and tribulations of PSR which continues to spread across the land, a massive loss of employment in the rail sector due to first PSR, then a lagging economy, then the pandemic, which brought further frustrations and difficulties.
Will a new administration in Washington, DC help? Maybe, maybe not. But we need to make our voices heard, apply the pressure, and hold the new President accountable.
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