After nearly 15 months of intense negotiations, The UPRF membership has voted in favor of the Tentative agreement.

The Chicago Passenger Federation (CPF) representing BMWED members employed on the Chicago-based commuter railroad Metra has voted to merge with the United Passenger Rail Federation (UPRF), creating a “super system” of passenger railroad maintenance of way members. CPF General Chairman Robert Shanahan Jr.

Amtrak paid $2.3 million in executive bonuses in 2021. Talk about a hand in the fare box. Despite lower revenue and ridership, Amtrak somehow found gobs of money for the bosses. Amtrak's CEO Stephen Gardner received $293,000 in bonuses in 2021. Eight others in the 12-member leadership team received bonuses of $230,000 more. Meanwhile, the BMWED struggles with an attrition rate that robs America’s railroad of productivity.

Part of this OIG report (OIG-SP-2022-008) comments on the vibrancy of Amtrak's workforce, or lack thereof, from the top down and the bottom up. For years we’ve been commenting on the shortcomings of railroad management, both in their numbers and more specifically in their skillsets. Not only has our message finally been heard, it’s been articulated in creditable parlance that describes a weak railroad administration that may be incurable by any amount of Biden Bucks.

Meanwhile, France built a brand new 210-mile high speed rail line with a max speed of 200 mph in six years. The New Jersey project, dubbed the New Jersey High Speed Rail Improvement Program, planned to upgrade and improve 24 miles of track, wires, signals, and other infrastructure between Trenton and New Brunswick, accommodating speeds up to 160 mph, up from 135. It was supposed to take six years. It did not.