Tough times signal more job cuts

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Tough economic times have signaled another round of job cuts at the Frontier Rail Yard along the Buffalo-Cheektowaga line.

Bob Sullivan of CSX Transportation said, "What we've gotta do is respond quickly."

CSX Transportation officials came to town Tuesday telling local rail workers it's the economy forcing them to end all rail processing at Frontier Rail Yard off Broadway, and furlough 132 employees by the end of this month.

Jim Louis of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers said, "A little less than we were first hearing, but it's still a major impact."

82 workers have already been laid off.

CSX worker Peter Farrell said, "The last day I worked was January tenth. My medical benefits expire at the end of this month, so we're in tough shape."

Sullivan said, "We don't want to have employees furloughed. They're hard working people and we appreciate everything they do."

337 workers will remain at the Frontier yard.

Now some of the processing work from the Frontier Yard will be shifted to the Kenmore yard, where most of their work here is to ship coal to the Huntley Power Station.

Louis said, "It's gonna take several more days just for these shippers around here to get their goods."

Some of the processing work done there now will be shifted to places like Willert, Ohio.

Right now, the company says the Frontier Rail Yard in Buffalo has been operating only at about 59 percent of capacity, handling about 855 train cars each day.

Chris Ketch has noticed the slowdown just watching the trains come in.

Train enthusiast Chris Ketch said, "If railroads are slumping off, things usually aren't that good. This is what hauls the nation's traffic."

Sullivan said, "You've got an economy right now that's depressed, and what we've gotta do is react because we're a very capital intensive kind of industry."

Farrell said, "I feel I've been lied to since the day I started with this company."

CSX has furloughed 2400 workers across the nation. 30,000 of their freight cars are parked, and 500 locomotives are sitting idle.