STB to end discovery portion of Sunset Limited on-time performance probe

Two silver locomotives with passenger train at station

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will wrap up the discovery portion of its investigation into the on-time performance of Amtrak’s Sunset Limited on Friday and has set a schedule for the remainder of the proceeding. In a decision issued yesterday, the STB also ordered Amtrak to provide an opening statement that addresses several key […]

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Canada’s labor minister to meet with CN, CPKC, union

Teamsters_Canada_logo

OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s Minister of Labor, Steve MacKinnon, will meet with representatives of Canadian National, CPKC, and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Tuesday and Wednesday in an effort to avoid the work stoppage set to begin at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 22. The CBC reports MacKinnon will be in Montreal, headquarters of […]

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Teamsters Canada Rail Conference delivers strike notice to CPKC; CN delivers lockout notice (updated)

Train of hopper cars with grain elevator in background

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference today (Aug. 18) served a 72-hour strike notice to Canadian Pacific Kansas City, saying the union will walk out at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22, barring a last-minute labor agreement. Canadian National Railway, meanwhile, announced it had delivered a formal 72-hour lockout notice, following up on plans it had […]

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Canada’s labor minister won’t send CN-union contract talks to binding arbitration

MONTREAL — Canada’s labor minister has denied Canadian National’s request to intervene in contract talks with the union representing engineers and conductors. Last week CN asked Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon to send stalled contract negotiations to binding arbitration in order to prevent a work stoppage that would halt rail traffic in Canada beginning at 12:01 […]

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CN begins first step toward shutting down in advance of Aug. 22 work stoppage (updated)

Train with red and black locomotives crosses cruved trestle

MONTREAL — Canadian National has begun refusing certain hazardous materials shipments in preparation for an Aug. 22 work stoppage. CN said the decision was made in light of a lack of progress in negotiations with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents the railway’s engineers and conductors in Canada. “CN has initiated the first step of […]

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Union responds to CPKC, CN lockout plans; Canadian industry fears impact of shutdown

Train with two red locomotives rounding curve

The announcement by Canadian National and CPKC that they plan to lock out members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference on Aug. 22 represents “an unnecessary escalation that goes against the principles of good-faith bargaining that CN and CPKC claim to uphold,” the union said in a statement this afternoon (Friday, Aug. 9) The two […]

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Canadian rail strike could begin as soon as Aug. 22 (updated)

Canadian Pacific and Canadian National trains pass

OTTAWA — The Canada Industrial Relations Board has cleared the way for a potential rail work stoppage that could begin as soon as Aug. 22 if the Canadian railways can’t reach an agreement with the union that represents train crews. Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City subsequently said they would lock out members of […]

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Atlas N scale EMD GP40-2

N scale diesel painted red, white, and black on scenic base

Atlas Model Railroad Co. has released a new run of Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP40-2 diesel locomotives in N scale. The model, part of the Master Line, features plastic and die-cast metal construction, a Scale Speed motor, and body-mounted Accumate couplers. Prototype history Between April 1972 and November 1986, EMD built 903 GP40-2 diesel locomotives. The […]

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CN, CPKC to resume negotiations with Teamsters Canada

Grain train led by red locomotive

GATINEAU, Quebec — With the threat of a national strike looming, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will resume negotiations on Wednesday, Aug. 8, with the assistance of federal mediators, Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon said today. MacKinnon and Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez today met with CN, CPKC, and Teamsters […]

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NTSB releases preliminary report on July CPKC hazardous-material derailment in North Dakota

Aerial view of burning railcars at derailment

WASHINGTON — A CPKC freight train was traveling about 45 mph when 29 cars derailed on July 5 near Bordulac, N.D., leading to a fire involving methanol and anhydrous ammonia, the National Transportation Safety Board said in the preliminary investigation report released today (Thursday, Aug. 1). The fire burned for two days, leading to a […]

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CN and CPKC grain plans raise potential capacity concerns for upcoming crop year

MONTREAL – Canadian National is confident that it has the resources necessary to handle this year’s grain harvest in Canada – which is expected to be larger than average – but says it has concerns about several issues that could crimp capacity. In its annual grain plan released today, CN warns that its main grain-hauling […]

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Merger-related traffic growth boosts CPKC’s revenue and profits

Freshly painted red and black diesels with gold trim and white letters

CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City had a gangbuster second quarter as merger-related traffic synergies kicked in faster than expected and boosted revenue and profits, executives said on Tuesday. Although freight demand remains soft, CPKC has been able to create its own opportunities thanks to last year’s combination of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City […]

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