Breaking news from Chicago the BNSF dispatchers that cover the former BN racetrack went on strike during teh evening rush. Talk about killing the Metra Line traffic as reported by ABC 7 all Metra trains on that line are Stranded where they are and everyone is supposed to find a different way home.
Late update–trains are running, albeit delayed, as management steps in for the dispatchers who walked out at about 4:00 p.m.
My daughter decided to take UP instead tonight. Isn’t it nice to have alternatives?
Sure! That’s if you want to sit in a sideing for 6 to 12 hours.
if the line is that busy big brother govt will probably step in soon.
stay safe
Joe
Trains ran approx. half hour late at mid-rush. Conductors on my express didn’t punch tickets and expect BNSF to obtain a TRO (temporary restraining order) to force the dispatchers back to work by AM ru***omorrow.
Well, that’s yet another great public relations move by a union. What did they think they were going to accomplish by delaying people on their way home?
Aggrevating the passenger isn’t going to make them any friends.
They don’t want or need to make friends. They simply need to cause the railroad to lose money and/or riders so that management gives in to their demands. It’s the same as any strike. Cause the company problems so that giving into the demands is the lesser of two evils. The pbulic doesn’t have much say.
Amtrak Southwest Chief depart Chicago tonight at 9:35 P.M. 6hours 25minutes late[:(]
GOOD!!! This big companies treat the employees like such crap that the only way to get things done is to do something drastic. The power is with the big companies. They expect the employees to work nights weekends holidays, for nothing, and will fire you for nothing. I hope the dispatchers get what they deserve and more
I stand behind your statement,you are very correct!
Is this strictly passenger or is their some freight over this line?
H’mm wonder if the entire BNSF is a affected as no trains have been past the Ft. Madison cam in 45 minutes.
OK a BNSFer just passed the cam going WB.
The line is a mix of freight, commuter, and Amtrak, but during the morning and evening rush hours the traffic is almost all Metra commuter trains. Most Metra rush-hour riders use monthly or weekly passes, so I’m not sure what the financial impact is to either Metra or BNSF.
Frankly folks I personally have no toleracne for what seems here to be a “WORK LESS, GET PAID MORE” attitude and that same attitude of the unions in general (oh, boy am I going to stir up a hornets nest here). The way I was raised by my parents (my Dad was a union member in a blue collar profession by the way), was that you got paid a fair wage for a fair days work and if you didn’t like what you were getting paid, YOU WERE FREE TO QUITE YOUR JOB AND FIND A NEW ONE AT ANY TIME.
eolafan - you got it right.
Mook, this is the triple track BNSF main from Chicago to Aurora and is passenger and freight mixed together (although during the commuter ru***imes they try and keep the freights out of the way as best they can). It is a very busy line with over 100 trains a day between freight, Metra and Amtrak. The strike impacted the entire country as the dispatchers work at the BNSF dispatch center in Ft. Worth and dispatch the entire nation. Example, the Seatle, WA commuter trains were impacted as well. The labor action only lasted about four hours and was quickly settled between BNSF and the union representing the dispatchers. Here in Chicago the Metra trains were delayed about an hour as management people stepped in to get the commuter trains moving (albiet late). Amtrak cancelled the Illinois Zephyr from Chicago to Quincy last night and the Chief ran about six hours late leaving Chicago. This mornings rush hours went off without a hitch as far as we can tell.
The union directed its action against about 10,000 working people who just wanted to go home. These people had children to pick up, children to take to after school functions, doctor’s appointments, church meetings, etc.
The delayed commuters couldn’t do a thing about the union’s beef, but they were the target of its action. If you want respect, you’ve got to be respectful. And in this case the union was more than disrespectful of the passengers, it outright targeted them.
The striking dispatchers should be locked into a large room with the commuters they delayed. No future dispatchers would repeat that nonsense, because none of the strikers would survive.
So railroad workers should be killed for delaying a commute? Life is cheap in the MidWest.