CPKC
CPKC on March 17 reported that USW, representing approximately 600 clerical and intermodal employees in Canada, has ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement. The Class I and union reached a tentative agreement in February.
“We are pleased to have received strong support for another collective agreement, the third in Canada reached this year at the bargaining table providing long-term labor stability, increased wages and improved benefits for thousands of CPKC employees across the country,” said CPKC President and CEO Keith Creel, a featured speaker at Railway Age’s recent Next-Gen Freight Rail Conference in Chicago. “With this agreement and ratification, made possible through collaboration with the United Steelworkers, our railroaders remain focused on continuing to safely and efficiently serve our customers, moving Canada’s supply chain and supporting the North American economy.”
In February, CPKC announced ratified agreements with Unifor, which represents about 1,200 mechanics, laborers, diesel service attendants, and mechanical support staff in Canada, and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Maintenance of Way Employees Division, representing some 2,300 engineering services employees at CPKC in Canada.
BNSF
“The operation is maintaining relatively steady overall performance while improving fluidity across the network following the extreme winter weather in February,” BNSF reported in a March 14 customer notification. “Average car velocity has increased by over 3% compared to the previous week, with BNSF teams achieving higher daily levels this week. Terminal dwell time has improved slightly compared to last week and is down by over 2% from the previous month. Local service performance has also improved, now trending above 91%, reflecting a slight increase from the prior week and over a 2% improvement from the previous month.”
According to the Class I railroad, a multi-day severe weather event was expected to affect the Southern Transcon from March 14-15, with severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, tornadoes, and large hail forecasted for the Mississippi Valley and Central Gulf states and snowfall in the northern regions. BNSF added that there was an increased risk of wildfire activity in parts of the Southwest and Southern Plains due to strong winds, with the potential for gusts to reach 60 to 75 mph, low humidity levels, and dry vegetation. “BNSF teams are in contact with local fire officials and have prepositioned resources in the area, including a specialized fire suppression train equipped with water tank cars, a water cannon, and firefighting foam,” it added. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and are prepared to respond to any service interruptions.”
Seasonable operating conditions should return to affected areas of the Southern Transcon during the week of March 16, according BNSF, which noted that “no significant service interruptions due to weather are anticipated.”
Track maintenance activities are ongoing in multiple areas of the network, BNSF told customers. Operating teams “are working diligently to minimize train delays resulting from scheduled maintenance windows,” it said.
Further Reading:
- BNSF: ‘Significant Progress” in Northern Corridor Recovery Efforts
- BNSF 4Q24: ‘Higher Volumes, Improved Productivity and Cost Controls’
- For BNSF, a $3.8B Capital Investment Plan
NS
NS on March 14 reported pledging $500,000 to support a two-wing, 24,000-square-foot expansion at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Ga. The gift secures naming for the Freedom Room, one of three new classrooms in the Center’s Shirley Clarke Franklin Pavilion, the new wing on the Center’s east side. This space is slated to engage visitors in civil and human rights education.
Opened in 2014, the museum houses exhibitions featuring the papers and artifacts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the history of the U.S. civil rights movement, and global human rights stories. According to the Center, new features will include:
- Classrooms: Three advanced learning spaces, including the Freedom Room.
- Hands-on experiences: An Activation Lab where visitors create personalized civic engagement plans.
- Collaborative spaces: 5,000-plus square feet for community discussions and training.
- Immersive exhibits: A Family Gallery to inspire “young changemakers”; a Reconstruction-era display titled “Broken Promises”; and a Special Exhibitions Gallery for rotating collections.
NS’s contribution expands its commitment to its headquarters’ city of Atlanta, the railroad said. In 2024, NS invested nearly $6 million in Atlanta-area organizations and initiatives focusing on safety, sustainability, workforce development, and “thriving communities.”
“At Norfolk Southern, we believe in the power of community, education and advocacy,” NS Community Impact Director Kristin Wong said. “Our partnership with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights reflects that commitment. We look forward to seeing how these enhanced spaces will inspire visitors and deepen the understanding of civil rights history.”
“We were founded to help people understand history’s relevance in our present time, and Norfolk Southern’s commitment allows us to bring that mission to life in meaningful new ways,” commented Jill Savitt, CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. “Our partnership with Norfolk Southern ensures that the Center will be an even more powerful space for education, dialogue, and action—one that prepares people to become engaged within their communities.”
The Center is currently closed as it undergoes the expansion effort.
