Class I

STB Rejects CN’s Springfield Line Bid

CN’s request regarding conditional approval of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger on the sale of KCS’s Springfield Line to CN has been denied by the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which on March 23 provided notice that its Office of Environmental Analysis has terminated the review of the proposed divestiture.

NS, SMART-TD Pause Conductor Redeployment Bargaining

Norfolk Southern (NS) and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) on March 23 reported that they are discontinuing formal negotiations regarding conductor redeployment to focus their efforts on implementing other “immediate quality-of-life improvements” for employees.

Yannik Thomas (left) and Stefan Loeb are joining the Marketing division at Norfolk Southern.

NS Taps Thomas, Loeb for Marketing Roles

Norfolk Southern (NS) on March 23 reported elevating Yannik Thomas and appointing Watco veteran Stefan Loeb to Vice President positions in the Marketing division, effective April 2.

UP Chief Information Officer Rahul Jalali has joined the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee.

Class I Briefs: UP, CSX, CN

Union Pacific (UP) Chief Information Officer Rahul Jalali joins the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Cybersecurity Advisory Committee (CSAC). Also, CSX launches an enhanced carbon emissions reduction calculator; and CN donates $750,000 to Sun Youth’s “Building a Brighter Future” campaign.

CSX: Paid Sick Leave for IBEW

CSX on March 22 reported reaching an agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) for paid sick leave.

NTSB investigators on March 15 conducted a start-to-discharge pressure test on a pressure relief valve. (NTSB Source) ​

NTSB Examines PRDs in East Palestine Derailment

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators recently examined and tested pressure relief devices (PRDs) removed from the five vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) tank cars involved in the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern (NS) train in East Palestine, Ohio.