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BLET members ratify national contract

By a margin of better than two-to-one, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the National Carriers’ Conference Committee.

Letter From The Publisher

Dear Railway Track & Structures and Rail Group News readers,

Happy New Year. January 1 marked my first day as publisher of the Simmons-Boardman Rail Division, which consists of Railway Age, International Railway Journal and Railway Track & Structures.

CN completes merger of DMIR, DWP into Wisconsin Central

Canadian National completed the merger of three of its U.S. operating subsidiaries on Dec. 31, 2011. The merger of Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Company, Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway Company and Wisconsin Central Ltd. will simplify CN’s corporate structure and operations by combining these three separate connecting rail affiliates into a single entity, Wisconsin Central Ltd.

North Dakota political leaders plan to move forward on Devils Lake project

North Dakota Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad, Congressman Rick Berg and Governor Jack Dalrymple said they have a plan in place to move forward on upgrading the Amtrak-BNSF Railway near Devils Lake, ND. Rising floodwaters in the Devils Lake basin have threatened the rail lines and bridges near Churchs Ferry, forcing Amtrak to suspend service on its Empire Builder line earlier in 2011.

BNSF takes intermodal service to the next generation

BNSF says it will transform shipper supply chains with its Next Generation Intermodal concept. The railroad says BNSF Next Generation Intermodal represents a new and innovative way of optimizing intermodal rail transportation as part of shippers’ supply chains. Next Generation Intermodal is geared toward making shippers fully aware of the broad spectrum of shipping options made available through intermodal, including different rail speeds and multimodal rail options in the same lane.

Canada freight rail gains ground

According to the Railway Association of Canada, Canada’s rail sector has bounced back from the 2009 global economic downturn posting solid volume growth. The industry has also continued to invest significantly in increased capacity and efficiencies. The findings are outlined in Rail Trends 2011, an annual anthology of statistics about rail sector performance published by the Railway Association of Canada.

NTSB reports U.S. transportation fatalities rose in 2010

Despite an overall downward trend in transportation fatalities in the United States, estimates for 2010 released by the National Transportation Safety Board reveal a rise in several categories, including motorcycles, medium and heavy trucks, buses, rail and pipeline.

“Though the NTSB continues to advocate for changes to address human factors, equipment and infrastructure improvements to prevent crashes, we continue to see far too many deaths each year,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman.

The data indicate that overall transportation fatalities decreased to 34,925 in 2010 from 35,994 in 2009.
Rail fatalities increased from 742 to 813, with the majority at grade crossings, though deaths on light, heavy and commuter rail rose from 229 to 253.

Viterra signs service agreements with CN, CP

Viterra Inc. signed new service improvement agreements with both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific.

Under the CN agreement, Viterra and CN will work together to review supply chain key performance indicators, cooperate on planning and forecasting and address supply chain issues in a timely manner. The agreement is based on the belief that the actions of all supply chain participants affect the performance of the entire chain.

UP not responsible for drugs smuggled on trains

Union Pacific will not be held liable for drugs hidden in its trains and carried across the border with Mexico nor will the railroad be responsible for paying multi-million dollar fines. U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon ruled that U.S. border officials went beyond the authority granted U.S. Customs and Border Protection by Congress and signed an injunction prohibiting the Department of Homeland Security from seizing UP-owned equipment used in drug smuggling while in Mexican jurisdiction.

CP adds two to board of directors

Canadian Pacific appointed Tony Ingram and Edmond Harris, both seasoned railroad executives, to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately.