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8/7/2026
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative five-year agreement with the Illinois Railway (IR).
If ratified by members, the contract would run through 2029 and provide full retroactive pay from March 2025, a $1,000 signing bonus, a $250 per quarter attendance bonus and general wage increases over the life of the agreement. There are no concessions in the tentative agreement, BLET officials said in a press release.
An OmniTRAX subsidiary, IR operates 113 miles of track in north central Illinois and provides local freight, contract switching, car storage and transloading services. The short line interchanges with BNSF Railway, CN, CPKC, CSX and Union Pacific Railroad.
Ballots were mailed last week to BLET members and will be tabulated Aug. 14.