Latest freight railroad layoffs and Wall Street pressure renew concerns about safety and service
The latest rail layoffs this week, combined with an investment fund's ongoing campaign for control of Norfolk Southern, are renewing concerns among unions and regulators about all the cuts hurting safety and service.
Railyard explosion, inspections raise safety questions about Union Pacific's hazmat shipping
Federal inspectors have twice found hundreds of defects in the locomotives and railcars Union Pacific was using at the worldโs largest railyard in Nebraska, but none of those seem to explain why a shipping container filled with toxic acid exploded there this fall.
Union Pacific railroad's quarterly profit falls 19% as volumes slow and costs remain high
Union Pacific's third-quarter profit fell 19% as the railroad hauled about 3% fewer shipments and costs remained high, but the average speed of its trains improved 5% as new CEO Jim Vena began to tweak the operations.
Government sues Union Pacific over using flawed test to disqualify color blind railroad workers
The federal government has joined 21 former rail workers in suing Union Pacific over the way it used a vision test to disqualify workers the railroad believed were color blind and might have trouble reading signals telling them to stop a train.
โWhat are we waiting for?โ Tense moments during city council meeting over $5M Fifth Ward relocation fund proposal
Last year, the Houston Health Department said it found cancer-causing chemicals in the soil around the Union Pacific Railroad yard. The soil contained dioxin, a highly toxic chemical compound associated with cancer and other severe health risks.
Railyard explosion in Nebraska isn't expected to create any lingering problems, authorities say
Nebraska authorities don't expect any lingering problems related to Thursday's explosion of a railroad shipping container carrying an acid used to make explosives because the chemical largely burned off and any residue was contained.
Explosion at world's largest railyard in Nebraska prompts evacuations because of heavy toxic smoke
An explosion inside a shipping container at the world's largest railyard prompted evacuations in western Nebraska Thursday because of the toxic smoke generated when one of the chemicals aboard caught fire.
Union Pacific 2nd railroad to drop push for one-person crews
Union Pacific has become the second major freight railroad in the past week to back away from the industry's longstanding push to cut train crews down to one person as lawmakers and regulators increasingly focus on rail safety following last month's fiery derailment in Ohio.
Houston Health Department says it has detected cancer-causing chemical around Fifth Ward near Kashmere Gardens
The Houston Health Department said Friday that surface soil samples collected in July around the contaminated Union Pacific rail yard and tested by the department contain dioxin, a highly toxic chemical compound associated with cancer and other severe health risks.
Negotiations begin on cleanup plans for Union Pacific contamination impacting 5th Ward, Kashmere Gardens
The City of Houston, Harris County, and nonprofit Bayou City Initiative have started negotiations with Union Pacific related to its remediation plan for the creosote contamination at the Houston Wood Preserving Works Site (HWPW) impacting the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods.
5th Ward residents rejoice over county, city plans to sue Union Pacific
Tuesdayโs announcement that both Harris County and the city of Houston each plan to pursue legal action against Union Pacific Railroad over long-standing contamination in Houstonโs Fifth Ward was welcome news among residents who have long fought for accountability.
Fifth Ward residents living in cancer cluster call out Mayor, state senators over campaign contributions from Union Pacific
Ever since the first Fifth Ward cancer cluster was confirmed by the state department of health in 2019, numerous city and state elected officials have shown up to meetings declaring support for residents and promising to hold Union Pacific accountable for the decades-long contamination at its nearby rail yard.
Union Pacificโs Big Boy locomotive in Houston Tuesday on its 10-state tour
Big Boy No. 4014, a Union Pacific steam locomotive built in the 1940s to conquer mountains while carrying equipment in support of World War II, is embarking on a 10-state tour and will be on public display Tuesday in Houston.
US rail industry defends safety record amid staffing cuts
Several major unions say the significant staff cuts railroads have made in recent years could jeopardize safety, but the major railroads say the new operating model they have adopted is simply helping them become more efficient and hasnโt made the railroads riskier.
Judge says railroad talks should be included in lawsuits
FILE- In this July 31, 2018, file photo a Union Pacific train travels through Union, Neb. โ A federal judge has ruled that the details of conversations between the nation's four largest railroads should be included in lawsuits challenging billions of dollars of charges the railroads imposed in the past. The lawsuits say the railroads conspired to boost prices starting in 2003 by imposing coordinated fuel surcharges and pocketing billions of dollars in profits. In the lawsuits, the railroads have argued that their fuel surcharges were legal and were simply designed to recover the skyrocketing cost of fuel at the time. Union Pacific, which is based in Omaha, Nebraska, plans to continue โvigorously defending itself against the allegations in these lawsuits,โ spokeswoman Elizabeth Graham said.
State health report finds alarming rate of cancer diagnosis among children in 5th ward
In 2020, a state health and human services report found higher rates of lung, esophagus and throat cancer among adults in the area. Now, a new report released earlier in January shows children sickened with Leukemia at nearly five times the expected rate. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is calling on Union Pacific and state agencies to get involved and care for these families. Both cancer clusters are near legacy creosote contamination at a facility now owned by Union Pacific. โI am requesting that Union Pacific help to relocate affected residents and create a buffer between contaminated areas and homes in the neighborhood.
Profit, revenue slump at Union Pacific, but volume improves
โ Union Pacific's profit and revenue slumped by double digits, though the volume of shipments it handled rebounded from the previous quarter as the economy emerged from the worst of the virus-related shutdowns earlier this year. The railroad earned $1.36 billion, or $2.01 per share in the third quarter, down 12% from $1.56 billion, or $2.22 per share, a year ago. Shares of Union Pacific Corp. dipped more than 6% Thursday. Union Pacific cut its expenses 12% to $2.89 billion during the quarter. Volume is up 4% so far in the fourth quarter, and Union Pacific expects that to end up in the low single-digit percentage range.
Cancer cluster found in Fifth Ward, Kashmere Gardens
HOUSTON โ A report conducted by the Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed a cancer cluster in northeast Houston. Significantly higher than normal diagnoses of the deadly disease were found among residents of the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods, the study confirmed. The report analyzed data from the Texas Cancer Registry over a 17-year period, from 2000 to 2016. โOur neighborhood is contaminated from Union Pacific,โ Edwards insisted. Cantu represents Impact Fifth Ward and its push for answers about creosote cleanup and cancer.