Class 1 Employment Fell 1.07% in August

Data released this week by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board showed that U.S. Class I railroads employed 114,431 in mid August, a decline of  1.07 percent compared with July and a fall of 2.83 percent compared with the same period in 2020.

All six employment categories registered declines in August. They were: professional and administrative, down 2.32 percent to 9,853; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 1.79 percent to 17,205; transportation (other than train and engine), down 1.52 percent to 4,659; transportation (train and engine), down 0.82 percent; executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.68 percent to 7,271; and maintenance of way and structures, down 0.63 percent to 28,334.

Compared with 2020 figures, all categories except transportation (train and engine) logged decreases. They were: maintenance of equipment and stores, down 10.23 percent; transportation (other than train and engine), down 8.09 percent; professional and administrative, down 4.83 percent; maintenance of way and structures, down 3.73 percent; and executives, officials and staff assistants, down 2.94 percent.

The number of transportation (train and engine) employees rose 1.85 percent last month compared with August 2020.

Class I Employment Fell in July

U.S. Class I Railroads employed 115,670 people in July, a decline of 0.23 percent from mid-June and down 1.33 percent from employment levels in mid-July 2020.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board said five of six employment categories experienced decreases: maintenance of equipment and stores, down 0.79 percent to 17,519 workers; maintenance of way and structures, down 0.46 percent to 28,514; transportation (other than train and engine), down 0.42 percent to 4,731;  executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.29 percent to 7,321; and professional and administrative, down 0.03 percent to 10,087.

Only the transportation (train and engine) category posted an increase in July over June. It was 0.11 percent to 47,498 workers.

Transportation (train and engine) was also the only category to log a year-over-year increase; the category’s employment level rose 6.09 percent.

On a year-over-year basis, these five categories saw decreases in employment levels: Maintenance of equipment and stores, down 10.39 percent; transportation (other than train and engine), down 6.78 percent; maintenance of way and structures, down 4.73 percent; professional and administrative, down 2.83 percent; and executives, officials and staff assistants, down 2.66 percent.

Class 1 Employment Up 2.44% in December

Employment at U.S. Class 1 railroads rose 2.44 percent last month when compared with November.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board said the railroads employed 117,770 people in mid-December. Although that was an increase over the previous month it was a 10.43 percent decline compared with the same period in 2019.

Posting gains in December over November were transportation (train and engine), which rose 5.67 percent to 49,069 workers; and maintenance of equipment and stores, which rose 2.09 percent to 18,623 workers.

Declines were posted by professionals and administrative, down 0.52 percent to 10,223 employees; maintenance of way and structures, down 0.51 percent to 27,720; transportation (other than train and engine), down 0.12 percent to 4,823; and executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.05 percent to 7,312.

On a year-over-year comparison, all categories had declines.

Maintenance of equipment and stores was down 18.12 percent; transportation (other than train and engine), was down 10.6 percent; maintenance of way and structures, was down 9.94 percent; transportation (train and engine), was down 9.35 percent; professional and administrative, was down 5.44 percent; and executives, officials and staff, was down 4.07 percent.

Class 1 Workforce Declined in November

The workforce of U.S. Class I railroads declined 1.58 percent in November compared to the previous month.

U.S. Surface Transportation Board figures showed the railroads employed 114,960 in November. That was a 13.71 percent decline compared with November 2019.

On a year-over- year comparison, all workforce categories fell.

This included maintenance of equipment and stores, down 21.94 percent to 18,242; transportation (train and engine), down 15.01 percent to 46,434 workers; transportation (other than train and engine), down 11.2 percent to 4,829; maintenance of way and structures, down 10.82 percent to 27,863; professional and administrative, down 5.81 percent to 10,276; and executives, officials and staff assistants, down 4.10 percent to 7,316.

All categories declined in mid-November compared with mid-October’s count including maintenance of way and structures, down 3.2 percent; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 2.36 percent; transportation (other than T&E), down 1.49 percent; professional and administrative, down 0.8 percent; transportation (T&E), down 0.67 percent; and executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.16 percent.

In November BNSF employed 35,081. Employment at other Class 1 carriers included Union Pacific Railroad, 32,046; Norfolk Southern Railway, 19,199; CSX, 17,093; CN/Grand Trunk, 6,183; Kansas City Southern, 2,718; and Canadian Pacific/Soo Line, 2,640.

Class 1 Employment Down Slightly in September

Employment at Class 1 railroads in mid September was 13.69 percent below what it had been a year earlier.

The railroads employed 118,123 people in September compared, a drop of 0.3 percent from mid August of this year the U.S. Surface Transportation Board reported.

Four of six employment categories fell in September compared with August.

These included maintenance of equipment and stores, down 1.6 percent to 18,859 workers; transportation (other than train and engine), down 0.95 percent; executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.61 percent to 7,445; and professional and administrative, down 0.35 percent to 10,317.

Employment rose in transportation (train and engine), up 1.7 percent to 47,037 workers, and maintenance of way and structures, 0.04 percent to 28,444.

On a year-over-year basis, all categories reported fewer workers.

Maintenance of equipment and stores, was down 21.81 percent; transportation (train and engine), was down 17.65 percent; transportation (other than train and engine) was down 8.28 percent; professional and administrative, was down 6.63 percent; maintenance of way and structures, was down 6.48 percent; and executives, officials and staff assistants, was down 2.36 percent.

As of mid September: BNSF employed 36,932; CSX, 17,241; Canadian National/Grand Trunk, 6,246; Kansas City Southern, 2,659; Norfolk Southern, 19,432; Canadian Pacific Soo Line, 2,656; and Union Pacific, 32,957.

CEOs Say They’re Ready for Traffic Surge

Five of the seven Class I railroads have responded to a letter from federal regulators expressing concern about their ability to handle traffic surges that could follow as the nation rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic-induced economic downturn.

The carriers sought to assure the U.S. Surface Transportation Board and the Federal Railroad Administration that they are prepared to handle any traffic surges that may occur, saying they have sufficient personnel and equipment to handle rising volume.

Norfolk Southern CEO James Squires said in his letter that NS adjusted benefits for union members during the pandemic and that train and engine employees have agreed to return sooner than the standard 15-day call back.

Squires said NS has recalled 550 train and engine employees with a net increase of 217 such employees and a furlough return rate of 67 percent.

“Our future success in recalling crews could be affected by a significant resurgence of the virus or because of other factors beyond our control,” he wrote in his letter, which added that NS has begun a training class for new hires in July and plans to launch another training class.

NS does not anticipate needing to remove any of its 270 locomotives or 15,500 railcars now in storage in order to meet traffic demands.

But Squires said those assets are available if needed and that NS has “engaged in an aggressive campaign to meet with customers” to prepare to meet their needs.

CSX CEO James Foote in his letter primarily focused on service metrics to show that the carrier is doing well.

He said velocity and dwell “remain consistent with our historically strong 2019 levels, and our broader array of service metrics have been returning to pre-pandemic levels.”

CSX has recalled about 80 percent of its furloughed employees, and the percentage of locomotives in storage has dropped from 30 percent at the peak of the pandemic to 9 percent.

Mailbag: Train Consolidation, AC&Y Trail

We don’t get many comments in response to postings on this blog but on occasion we get some. One of those was an email from a friend who used to work for a Class 1 railroad.

He wrote to say that although most trains these days being operated by Class 1s are a mish mash of various type of freight, don’t expect to see UPS trailers or containers moving as part of a monster length manifest freight.

“They are the hottest trains on any railroad that gets a contract for them, and they move,” he wrote.

Any intermodal train that has even one UPS trailer or container is considered to be a UPS train for dispatching purposes.

As for auto racks moving in manifest freights, he wrote that automobile traffic probably has not come back to the point where it is economical to separate them out again.

“The advantage of operating dedicated auto rack trains is that they are considered intermodal trains, like trailer/stack trains, and can operate at the maximum allowable speed for whatever subdivision they are on.”

On CSX, for example, that can be a top speed of 70 mph. But auto racks placed in the consists of manifest freights are limited to a top speed of 50 mph.

He said that sales of new vehicles probably are not good enough currently to warrant paying more for a dedicated train.

We also received a comment from a reader involved with a new recreational trail group, New London-Greenwich Rail Trail, Incorporated.

He wrote to say his group purchased the former Akron, Canton & Youngstown right-of-way between New London and Greenwich in May of 2019 from the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway.

NLGRT has been working to remove overgrowth and construct the trail, which has been named The AC&Y Trail.

Late last year CSX removed a piece of panel track from the former AC&Y right of way that had sat at Greenwich East Town Line 79 road.

I remember photographing that panel track a few years back and know that it sat there for some time.

The AC&Y Trail is expected to open to the public by the end of summer 2020.

Perhaps that will create some new photographic opportunities of the CSX Greenwich Subdivision.

The trail will pass the New London Reservoir, which sits above ground and is a good place to photograph CSX trains and W&LE trains using CSX trackage rights.

Class 1 Rail Employment Fell in June

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board announced this week that Class 1 railroad employment in mid June was 116,128, a decline of 2.31 percent from May and a drop of 17.99 percent year compared with 2019.

All employment categories logged month-to-month decreases. They were maintenance of equipment and stores, down 6.13 percent to 19,985 people; transportation (train and engine), down 2.57 percent to 42,536; transportation (other than train and engine), down 1.36 percent to 5,135; professional and administrative, down 0.77 percent to 10,512; executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.46 percent to 7,591; and maintenance of way and structures, down 0.45 percent to 30,369.

All categories also fell on a year over year comparison. They were transportation (train and engine), down 28.63 percent;  maintenance of equipment and stores, down 21.22 percent; professional and administrative, down 8.22 percent; transportation (other than train and engine), down 7.63 percent; maintenance of way and structures, down 4.69 percent; and executives, officials and staff assistants, down 2.13 percent.

Class 1 Rail Employment down 4.46% in May

Employment at Class 1 railroads in mid May fell 4.46 percent when compared with April 2020, U.S. Surface Transportation Board figures show.

The railroads employed 118,880 last month, which was down 16.84 percent from May 2019 levels.

All six employment categories posted month-to-month decreases.

Transportation (train and engine), was down 10.27 percent to 43,660 employees; maintenance of equipment and stores, was down 1.93 percent to 21,289; transportation (other than train and engine), was down 0.59 percent to 5,206; executives, officials and staff assistants, was down 0.57 percent to 7,626; professional and administrative, was down 0.41 percent to 10,594; and maintenance of way and structures, was down 0.04 percent to 30,505.

On a year over year basis all categories posted declines.

Transportation (train and engine), was down 27.54 percent; maintenance of equipment and stores, was down 17.83 percent; transportation (other than train and engine), was down 6.54 percent; professional and administrative, was down 6.08 percent; maintenance of way and structures, was down 5.02 percent; and executives, officials and staff assistants, was down 2.47 percent.

STB Change Reporting Rules for Chemicals, Plastics

The Surface Transportation Board has decided to change its railroad performance data reporting rules to include chemical and plastics traffic as a distinct reporting category to the Class I railroads’ weekly reporting for the “cars-held” metric.

In a news release, the STB said the cars-held metric tracks the average number of loaded and empty railcars that have not moved for 48 hours or longer.

Class I railroads already report service performance metrics for a range of commodities on a weekly, semi-annual, and occasional basis.

The STB said the additional data will allow it to be better positioned to monitor chemicals and plastics traffic and detect and mitigate service issues affecting these commodities.

The new reporting rule takes effect on July 20.