Class I Briefs: UP, CPKC, NS
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
“Our service product had great momentum as we hit the ground running strong in 2024,” UP’s Kenny Rocker told customers Jan. 26. “Then in early January, Mother Nature had other plans and delivered back-to-back winter storms that spread across most of our network—from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes.” (UP Photograph)
Kenny Rocker, Union Pacific (UP) Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales, provides a status report on operations, including the new Phoenix Intermodal Facility. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) celebrates railroader John Visocchi’s 50 years of service; and Norfolk Southern (NS) shares a “new look” for locomotive No. 4759.
UP
“Our service product had great momentum as we hit the ground running strong in 2024,” UP’s Kenny Rocker wrote in an online letter to customers, posted Jan. 26. “Then in early January, Mother Nature had other plans and delivered back-to-back winter storms that spread across most of our network—from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes. However, our Engineering and Operations teams were prepared—they worked around-the-clock to quickly restore operations from the harsh weather events and minimized the impact on our customers. I’m proud of the teams’ efforts and resilience.”
While winter isn’t over yet, the Class I “overall is healthy” and operations are “gaining back momentum,” he reported, as UP as the necessary resources and capacity to meet demand.
According to Rocker, on the Transportation side UP graduated more than 1,960 crew employees in 2023 and has more than 500 employees in the training pipeline. Also, the railroad’s “improved network fluidity continues to increase our locomotive productivity,” he said, noting that UP has adequate units to meet demand. “The Operating team is delivering more reliable service and our Commercial team is ready to work with you to help you win in the marketplace,” he added.
New Phoenix Intermodal Facility Scheduled for Launch
Since the announcement, Rocker said, “our Engineering and Operating teams have been preparing the terminal within our downtown rail yard.” He reported that the new terminal will offer regional shippers and receivers in Arizona “a fast, sustainable rail option to move product in international containers into and out of Southern California that is cost competitive and removes trucks from our nation’s congested highways.” Beginning Feb. 1, customers can begin working with drayage company Duncan & Son Lines to bill shipments, he said. UP is slated to start operating trains between the Los Angeles Basin and Phoenix during first-quarter 2024.
Boosting the Customer Experience Through Technology
“We are in the final stretch of implementing Invoice Management—our replacement system for Account on the Web (AOW),” Rocker told customers. Invoice Management is a new tool that offers an improved interface, he said, allowing users to view, print, search, download, dispute invoices and accept refunds. Invoice Management and AOW will run in parallel until all functions have been migrated to Invoice Management. Rocker encouraged customers to try out the new tool now so they are prepared once AOW is phased out.
“We remain committed to providing you with a safe, solid service product and look forward to growing the business with you,” Rocker summed up. “Thank you for choosing Union Pacific as your rail transportation partner, we appreciate your business!”
CPKC
CPKC Director Production-West John Visocchi has marked 50 years of railroad service. Both his father and uncle were Roadmasters, and the business “got into his blood,” he said in a special video highlighting his career, which CPKC shared on social media.
“When I was 15 years old, my dad said he was going to make me work and he did,” Viscocchi reported. “My goal for that summer was to buy a car.” He made C$2,700 and bought a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback 289. “Every kid’s dream is to ride in a hot car, so I made my dream come true,” he said.
Viscocchi went to technical school for a while, but said he was “having too much fun railroading,” so he dropped out of school and kept working. He has served as Assistant Roadmaster on the ballast gang, among other positions. “Everybody looked at my dad and my uncle as pretty good railroaders,” he noted. “They were well known and I wanted to be as well known as they were.”
The people Viscocchi works with have kept him in the business. “There are so many people who I value and trust,” he reported. “If you’ve got good people above you and good people below you, you’re going to be the guy in the middle who’s going to be successful. That’s what I base my longevity on.”
“I’m loyal to this company,” Viscocchi concluded. “It’s looked after my family. It’s looked after my dad’s family and my uncle’s family. It’s made me happy—what more could you ask for?”
NS
NS on Jan. 26 shared one of its Juniata Locomotive Shop’s recent rebuilds:
