rail headcount

Employment with US Class I railroads up 4.4% year over year

Employment numbers with the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads in mid-November were the highest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, according to data collected by the Surface Transportation Board.

However, some are questioning whether some aspects of other employment data collected by the board truly reflect the state of employment in the industry. There is also a broader question of whether the pace of hiring is going fast enough to surpass pre-pandemic levels. 

In...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/employment-with-us-class-i-railroads-up-44-year-over-year

Rail Roundup: August Class I headcount, Patriot Rail and New York short line acquisitions

A man is next to railroad track at a rail yard.August Class I railroad headcount levels rise to their highest since December 2020

The number of workers employed by the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads is at its highest since December 2020, although totals are still below pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the Surface Transportation Board.

Headcount totaled 117,014 employees in August, a nearly 2.3% gain from August 2021 and a 0.5% increase from July 2022.

The train and engine category, which is more sensitive to changes in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rail-roundup-august-class-i-headcount-patriot-rail-and-new-york-short-line-acquisitions

Overall US Class I rail headcount flat despite efforts to boost hiring

An man wearing a hard hat and a neon work vest looks closely at a railcar.

Despite headcount gains over the first six months of 2022 for train and engine employees working for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads, the six-month average accounting for all categories of employees has barely moved from the first six months of 2021, according to data submitted by the Class I railroads to the Surface Transportation Board.

The year-over-year changes come as rail stakeholders are wondering if and when the Class I railroads’ efforts to ramp up hiring to match network...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/overall-us-class-i-rail-headcount-flat-despite-efforts-to-boost-hiring

CSX seeks to expand capacity by growing headcount

A photograph of a CSX train parked in a rail yard.

CSX has been hustling over the last nine months to increase employee headcount so that the Eastern U.S. railroad can meet existing and future capacity needs, its executives said late Wednesday in a third-quarter 2021 earnings call.

“We’re clearly constrained. There was more business out there this quarter. There has been more business out there throughout this year that we could not handle. The primary reason for that is our inability, like everyone else in the world right now, to ramp up our...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/csx-seeks-to-expand-capacity-by-growing-headcount

STB presses Class I railroads for workforce, equipment input

A photograph of a train rolling by.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has asked the Class I railroads through a series of recent letters to keep in close touch with regulators as the U.S. economy recovers, fall peak approaches and port congestion and chassis availability clog the supply chain.

Specifically, the board is asking the Class I railroads to provide their long-term plans in hiring as well as continue to provide information on demurrage and accessorial charges. 

Last Thursday, STB Chairman Marty Oberman sent a letter...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stb-presses-class-i-railroads-for-workforce-equipment-input

Technology’s long, and likely continuing, impact on freight rail headcount

A photograph of a man standing in front of a parked train locomotive.

The freight railroads’ industrywide deployment of technology has been a key factor in headcount fluctuations throughout the decades. 

But technology’s impact on the number of employees working for the U.S. freight railroads in the future could depend on the railroads’ balance sheet goals or on federal or state intervention, according to industry observers.

Historical link between technological advancements and headcount

Headcount levels typically reflect market demand for rail service, with higher...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/technologys-long-and-likely-continuing-impact-on-freight-rail-headcount

US Class I rail headcount sinks to near decade low

A photograph of a man working in a rail yard.

The number of employees working for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads in January fell to its lowest level in years, according to data received by the Surface Transportation Board.

U.S. Class I railroad operations had 113,461 employees working in their ranks in January, an 11.6% drop from January 2020 and a 3.7% decline from December. This total is the lowest since January 2012, the earliest date for which FreightWaves has data. January’s total also beat October 2020’s low of 114,960...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/us-class-i-rail-headcount-sinks-to-near-decade-low

Class I rail headcount plunges to new low in November

A photograph of a train crossing over a bridge. The train is hauling intermodal containers.

Employee headcount among the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads in November was at its lowest level since at least early 2012.

U.S. operations of the Class I railroads employed 114,960 in mid-November, which is 13.7% lower than November 2019 and 1.58% lower than October, according to data submitted to the Surface Transportation Board. 

November’s total is the lowest in 2020 and the lowest total since January 2012, which is the earliest date for which FreightWaves has data.

All six employee...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/class-i-rail-headcount-plunges-to-new-low-in-november

BNSF lays off employees in Topeka

A photograph of a BNSF train traveling through a field.

Western U.S. railroad BNSF (NYSE: BRK) is reducing headcount by 104 employees at its locomotive shop in Topeka, Kansas.

The company, which is privately owned by Berkshire Hathaway, said the decision comes amid an overall volume loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the softening economy and declining energy sector activity in particular.

“Due to lower freight volumes and a significant reduction in locomotives and railcars required on our network, BNSF Railway has made the difficult decision to...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/bnsf-lays-off-employees-in-topeka

Wabtec to reduce headcount as rail industry copes with lower volumes

A photograph of a locomotive traveling through a desert field.

Wabtec (NYSE: WAB) plans to let go of 150 employees at its facility in Erie, Pennsylvania, amid ongoing rail volume softness exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The headcount reduction comes as the Surface Transportation Board (STB) released data this week that showed that employment levels within the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads fell 13.7% in September year-over-year (see below).

Wabtec, a rail equipment and technology provider, said the reduction was made “to align with today’s...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/wabtec-to-reduce-headcount-as-rail-industry-copes-with-lower-volumes

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