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PHILADELPHIA – Management of the public transport system here is counting on Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) members to cross picket lines in the event of a strike here, a local newspaper reports. SEPTA management says the BLE is its ace in the hole to keep commuters moving in case of a transit strike by the Transport Workers Union (TWU).

STB rejects DM&E Rail request for quick decision

WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has rejected a request by Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) to quickly decide on the carrier’s expansion within 90 days.

DM&E filed an application last month to extend its existing tracks 262 miles from western South Dakota to the Powder River Basin, the coal-rich area in northeastern Wyoming.

STB said the DM&E proposal "does not provide adequate opportunity for public participation." The agency will consider a 180-day schedule. Many landowners in the area are actively opposing the route expansion.

UP top executives don’t get bonuses

DALLAS – Union Pacific Corp.’s top executives declined to take bonuses as part of their 1997 compensation because the carrier’s serious problems, which have cost businesses an estimated $2 billion.

Davidson’s pay fell 22% to $1.49 million from the previous year, while the company’s profit fell 41% to $432 million for a year earlier. Davidson’s 1997 pay package includes an $800,001 salary, $161,203 for corporate transportation and tax purposes, and $528,941 in stock options. UP did not award stock options to its top executives for 1997.

CSX claims Conrail takeover will save states millions

WASHINGTON – CSX Corporation said it would save seven states more than $23 million by buying Conrail along with Norfolk Southern Corp.

CSX said federal approval of the Conrail sale will improve rail traffic efficiency and thereby encourager shippers to switch from trucks to rail.

CSX said this would save a total of $23.1 million in road maintenance costs for

Florida, Virginia, Indiana, Alabama, Illinois, Delaware and Georgia.

CSX said that within three yeas the switch to rail could save 120 million gallons of diesel fuel annually and help reduce toxic air emissions.

CN says his company comes first before VIA Rail

OTTAWA – Canadian National President and CEO Paul M. Teller said the proposed revitalization of VIA Rail couldn’t proceed without first considering Canada’s freight system and its shippers.

Teller told the Transport Committee that VIA Rail’s ambitious plan to boost passenger services in CN’s important Montreal-Toronto corridor would consume a significant amount of track capacity and require costly restructuring of freight operations.

Teller said he would cooperate with VIA Rail "within a commercial framework."

MARTA workers protest lack of contract

ATLANTA – At least 350 unionized MARTA workers protested at the company’s headquarters this week protesting the lack of a new, three-year contract for bus and rail operators and other union employees.

A spokesperson for the Amalgamated Transit Union said negotiations have been at a stalemate. The contract covering 2,200 workers expired Dec. 31, 1997.