SMART UnionSAN ANTONIO – A bill giving school bus drivers in Texas the power to discipline students by sending them to the principal’s office has passed in the Texas Senate.
Although the bill passed the Senate, it still has to pass in the House before it can become law. The Public Education Committee is reviewing the companion House bill.
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A steam powered excursion train will be operated to San Bernardino Railroad Days this weekend. The train will have six private passenger cars that will be pulled by the 1927 AT&SF Steam Locomotive 3751.
A diesel-powered Metrolink Locomotive will be placed behind the steam locomotive to provide head end power. The passenger cars are:
1. “Tioga Pass” – a 1959 Canadian National business car,
2. “Pony Express” – a 1941 Canadian Pacific baggage/express car and rebuilt as a lounge car,
3. “Acoma” – a 1937 AT&SF lounge-dormitory car,
4. “Overland Trail” – a 1949 club-lounge car,
5. “National Forum” – a 1954 UP open-section sleeping car,
6. and the 1988/89 Amtrak Horizon Fleet chair car built as a coach for Amtrak by Bombardier.
The displays will include New BNSF locomotives, Passenger cars, 1927 Santa Fe Steam Locomotive No. 3751, antique vehicles, model railroad displays, historic fire apparatus, BNSF Operation Lifesaver, the Orange Empire Railway Museum’s Harvey Girls, Women in Railroading, the National Association of Retired and Veteran Railroad Employees, the Pacific Railroad Society and the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society.
The San Bernardino History & Railroad Museum, the San Bernardino Historical & Pioneer Society, BNSF and the city of San Bernardino are hosting the event. The event will be held April 27 & 28 and hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free with free parking. Tickets to ride on the steam locomotive are sold out. More information can be found at http://www.sbdepotmuseum.com/.
VANCOUVER, Wash. — The International Air and Hospitality Academy has added a new program called the Northwest Railroad Institute. The new degree program will be the fourth such program offered in the U.S.
Students taking the six-month program will be provided with training for freight railroad careers including freight conductors, conductor trainees, brakemen, switchmen and yardmen. Training for engineers and passenger conductors is not yet available.
The degree will consist of nine units including yard switching operations, air brakes and train handling rules and hazardous materials practices and handling.
The institute reckons that nearly 20 to 25 percent of the rail workforce will be eligible for retirement within the next couple of years and entry-level jobs will become available.
“A diploma from the Northwest Railroad Institute soon will be a ticket for landing an entry-level job in the railroad industry,” said Terry Keene. Keene is a member of the school’s advisory committee and worked for BNSF Railway for 39 years and was a member of UTU Local 1977.
To start the academy will only be accepting 50 students to the program. Students must have a high school diploma or GED to apply and be at least 18 years of age. The school will start to accept applications for the program beginning June 15 and classes are set to start July 15.
Similar programs are offered at two locations of Modoc Railroad Academy near Sacramento, Calif. and Marion, Ill., and at the National Academy of Railroad Sciences at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan.
Edward Wytkind, chairman of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department, testified April 24 before the House of Representative’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Panel on 21st century freight transportation.
Read his testimony here.
WASHINGTON – An alleged al Qaeda-backed plot to derail a U.S. passenger train in Canada sought to exploit the vulnerabilities of railroads that have not gotten much attention from the American public.
While the United States has sharply tightened security around airlines since the September 11, 2001, attacks, trains are far harder to police, with masses of passengers getting on and off and stops at many stations on a single line. Thousands of miles of track, bridges and tunnels present a major challenge to monitor.
Read the complete story at Open Channel on NBC News.
The Maine House has rejected a pair of right-to-work bills. The first bill would make Maine a “right-to-work” state and the second would prohibit employers from deducting union dues or service fees from employees who have opted out of being in a union.
If the bills had passed, it would have been illegal for employers in Maine to require workers to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment.
The largely Democratic House defeated the right-to-work bill by a 92-53 vote and the service fees bill was rejected by a 89-56 vote.
Though the House rejected the bills, they still have to be voted on by the state Senate.
04/26/13 UPDATE: The Maine Senate voted down both right-to-work bills, effectively killing them. The bills were supported by Governor Paul LePage and republicans.
George K. Strickland, the former director of public relations for UTU Canada, died April 14. He was 91.
Strickland served with Royal Canadian Mounted Police before hiring out with Canadian Pacific Railway. He later worked as a UTUIA field supervisor prior to becoming the Canadian director of public relations.
A member of Local 483 at Toronto, Ont., Strickland was a 32nd Degree Mason, a member of the Tunis Temple Shriners and Worl War II veteran.
He is survived by children Jim, Bob and Cathy, and was preceded in death by his wife, Eileen.
Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific reported April 24 first-quarter net income of C$217 million, up from C$142 million in the first quarter of 2012, a 51 percent improvement in earnings per share.
First-quarter revenue of roughly C$1.5 billion was up 9 percent, setting “a quarterly record,” the company said. CP’s operating ratio was 75.8%, a 430 basis point improvement and also a quarterly record, the company said.
“CP delivered the best first quarter results in its history despite challenging winter conditions,” said CP CEO E. Hunter Harrison. “This is a true testament to the determination and perseverance of our outstanding team of railroaders. There remains a lot of work to do as we continue to make significant changes to our operating model. With a very strong start to the year and momentum quickly building, I am now even more confident that we are on pace toward the best year-end financial and operating performance in CP’s history.”
Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern reported a 10 percent improvement in first-quarter profit April 23 as an increase in shipping volume and a land sale offset continued weak coal demand.
The Norfolk, Va.,-based railroad said it generated $450 million net income, or $1.41 per share, on $2.74 billion revenue. That’s up from $410 million, or $1.23 per share, a year ago.
Revenue was relatively flat compared to last year’s $2.79 billion. Intermodal revenue improved by 9 percent and revenue from all other shipments improved 2 percent to nearly offset coal’s decline. The first-quarter railway operating ratio was 74.8 percent.
Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
“Coal continues to be the wild card in our business outlook, although we do see some signs of stability,” CEO Wick Moorman said.
Norfolk Southern operates about 20,000 miles of track in 22 states and the District of Columbia.
Canadian National
Canadian National Railway Co. earnings declined less than analysts estimated in the first quarter as cargo growth blunted the impact of higher operating costs.
Earnings were curbed by an increase in operating costs such as fuel, labor and snow removal, as the winter brought extreme cold and more precipitation than normal in western Canada.
The results however increased 3 percent from the adjusted earnings of C$1.18 ($1.17) in the year-ago quarter. Revenues increased 5 percent year over year to C$2,466 million (approximately $2,447 million), which was attributed to improved performance across most of Canadian National’s commodity segments.
On a year-over-year basis, revenues increased 17 percent for Petroleum and Chemicals, 7 percent for Intermodal, 3 percent for Metals and Minerals, 2 percent for Forest Products, 2 percent for Automotive and 1 percent for Grain and Fertilizers. Coal business witnessed a drop of 1 percent.
Operating ratio (defined as operating expenses as a percentage of revenue) was 68.4 percent.
Union Pacific
Union Pacific reported a profit of $957 million April 18 for the first quarter, up 11 percent from $863 million a year earlier. It also reported that revenue increased 3.5 percent to $5.29 billion.
Both earnings and revenue were higher for the first quarter, despite weaker shipments of coal and agricultural products. Coal shipments declined 6 percent and agricultural shipments dropped 9 percent. Chemicals and automotive volume rose 14 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
Chief Executive Jack Koraleski said much uncertainty remains in the year ahead, but the company’s “diverse franchise supports our continued focus on profitable growth and business development opportunities.”
The company’s operating ratio of 69.1 percent improved 1.4 points.
UP, which is based in Omaha, Neb., reported a profit of $957 million, or $2.03 a share, up 11% from $863 million, or $1.79 a share, a year earlier. Revenue increased 3.5 percent to $5.29 billion.
Kansas City Southern
Kansas City Southern beat analysts’ expectations with a 39 percent rise in quarterly profit, as strong automotive and cross-border intermodal shipments offset declines in grain volumes.
Intermodal shipment revenue rose about 15 percent to $79.8 million, while revenue from shipment of autos rose 31 percent to $49.1 million. Cross-border intermodal revenue rose 71 percent. Revenue from agriculture and minerals business fell about 28 percent.
KCS reported a first quarter 2013 operating ratio of 70.5 percent, a 0.7 point improvement from first quarter 2012
“We believe that if harvest levels return to normal in the fall, the KCS grain revenues should rebound later in 2013,” Chief Executive Officer David Starling said.
CSX
CSX said coal revenue fell by 13 percent to $726 million in the quarter as it delivered less to utilities. But exports of metallurgical coal, used in steel making, rose to 7 million tons over last year’s 6.3 million tons. The company’s first-quarter profit rose 2 percent.
The Jacksonville, Fla.-based railroad on April 16 reported $459 million net income, or 45 cents per share, on $2.96 billion in revenue, which beat Wall Street’s expectations and topped last year’s $449 million profit.
CSX’s operating ratio improved to 70.4 percent in the first quarter from 71.1 percent a year earlier.
“We are prepared for the economy to accelerate and have great confidence in the long-term outlook for the business,” said CSX chairman, president and CEO Michael J. Ward.
CSX operates some 21,000 route miles in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Feds delay policy to allow small knives on planes
WASHINGTON – Airline passengers will have to leave their knives at home after all. And their bats and golf clubs.
A policy change scheduled to go into effect this week that would have allowed passengers to carry small knives, bats and other sports equipment onto airliners will be delayed, federal officials said April 22.
Read the full story at the Associated Press.
Canadian police and intelligence agencies said Monday that they’ve thwarted an Al Qaeda-supported plot that aimed to blow up a passenger rail line, with some news accounts suggesting that the target was train service connecting Toronto and New York City.
Amtrak, which operates a train line between the two cities, issued a statement saying it was “aware” of the investigation. Amtrak President & CEO Joe Boardman said later on Facebook that the alleged plot didn’t pose an “imminent threat to Amtrak passengers, employees or the general public.”
Read the full story at Politico.