railroad 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

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

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

US Class I rail headcount rises for the first time since April

A photograph of two locomotives parked in a field.

Employment levels at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads rose in July on a monthly sequential basis, increasing nearly 1% from June.

The number of employees totaled 117,230 in mid-July, up 0.95% from June, according to data received by the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The last time that employee headcount rose was between March and April of this year.

A 5.3% gain in the number of train and engine (T&E) crew employed by the railroads helped push July’s total higher. T&E crews...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/us-class-i-rail-headcount-rises-for-the-first-time-since-april

Class I rail headcount levels drop further in June

A photograph of a railroad employee and worker.

Rail headcount levels in June reached a fresh low for 2020 as U.S. rail volumes were still recovering from the coronavirus-induced traffic declines from earlier in the spring.

The number of employees working for U.S. operations of Class I railroads in mid-June totaled 116,128, an 18% drop from June 2019 and a 2.3% decline from May 2020, according to data that the railroads submitted to the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

June’s total is the lowest not only for 2020 but also since January...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/class-i-rail-headcount-levels-drop-further-in-june