Railroads ask federal courts to order FRA to take action on waylaid safety waivers

WASHINGTON – BNSF Railway, CSX, and Union Pacific filed lawsuits against the Federal Railroad Administration today for its failure to act on a half dozen safety waiver requests that in some cases would allow railroads to scale back visual inspections in areas where they have deployed new high-tech train and track inspection systems. The litigation […]

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Union Pacific executives tout carload and intermodal growth prospects

HUTCHINS, Texas — Inside a spartan warehouse the size of 10 football fields, the loud hum of plastic pellet packaging machinery may as well be the sound of carload and intermodal growth on Union Pacific. UP gathers covered hopper loads from Gulf Coast petrochemical plants and delivers them here, to the Katoen Natie packaging plant […]

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ScaleTrains N scale EMD SD40T-2

Title screen from product review video showing N scale diesel painted yellow and gray.

The ScaleTrains N scale EMD SD40T-2 diesel locomotive recently visited our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a short history of the tunnel motor locomotive and Union Pacific 8803; highlights the many prototype-specific details on the Rivet Counter line model; and demonstrates the sound […]

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ScaleTrains N scale EMD SD40T-2

Title screen from product review video showing N scale diesel painted yellow and gray.

The ScaleTrains N scale EMD SD40T-2 diesel locomotive recently visited our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a short history of the tunnel motor locomotive and Union Pacific 8803; highlights the many prototype-specific details on the Rivet Counter line model; and demonstrates the sound […]

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FRA slows Class I railroad implementation of improved track and train inspections

WASHINGTON – In the wake of the disastrous hazardous materials derailment last year in East Palestine, Ohio, the Federal Railroad Administration has repeatedly said it’s doing everything it can to improve rail safety. Yet under Administrator Amit Bose the FRA has stymied Class I railroad efforts to combine automated track and equipment inspections with traditional […]

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Union Pacific reports higher volume, revenue, and profits

Yellow locomotives leading train of double-stacked containers over bridge

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s third-quarter financial results – with volume, revenue, and profits all on the upswing — are proof that the railroad’s strategy is working, CEO Jim Vena says. UP this morning (Oct. 24) reported that operating income increased 11%, to $2.46 billion, as revenue grew 3%, to $6 billion. Earnings per share […]

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BLET members ratify agreement covering transfer of commuter operations from Union Pacific to Metra

Commuter train passes under signal bridge

CHICAGO — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified an agreement setting the stage for transfer of operations from Union Pacific to Metra on three Metra commuter lines, according to a report on the BLET website. Union Pacific has been seeking to transfer operations on the UP North, Northwest, and West […]

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Permits for grain trains to Mexico resume

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Mexican railroad Ferromex will resume issuing permits for unit grain trains entering Mexico through the Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, gateways “as a result of the improved ag unit train crossing cadence and pipeline” beginning today (Monday, Oct. 21), Union Pacific has informed customers. On Oct. 12, UP announced that […]

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UP derailment in Louisiana leads to spill of non-hazardous material

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

DONALDSONVILLE, La. — No injuries were reported when 17 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed today (Friday, Oct. 18) in Donaldsonville, leading to a spill of what is described as a non-hazardous chemical. The derailment occurred about 7:30 a.m. A railroad representative told WBRZ-TV that cyanuric acid, used in herbicides and chlorine bleach, was […]

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UP begins work on Kansas City intermodal terminal

Yellow locomotives moving double-stack cars with container crains in background

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Union Pacific has started construction on a new intermodal terminal in Kansas City, expected to open in mid-2025, the railroad announced. The Kansas City Intermodal Terminal, located in Kansas City, Kan., will be the fourth such facility UP has built in the past few years, and will offer more capacity than […]

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Union Pacific becomes sponsor of US Speedskating

Logo of US Speedskating

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has become the official sponsor of U.S. Speedskating, the railroad announced Thursday. The four-year agreement runs through March 2028. It includes Union Pacific internship opportunities for athletes preparing for post-competition careers. The first event featuring UP as a sponsor will be part of the 2024 Short Track World Tour, Nov. […]

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