Railroads continue to play a significant role in North America’s economic infrastructure. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration, the U.S. rail freight network covers almost 140,000 route miles and is generally considered the largest, safest, and most cost-efficient freight system in the world. In addition, says the FRA, the almost $80 billion rail freight industry creates more than 167,000 jobs across the country.
In essence, rail freight companies charge businesses to carry cargo across their network of rails. Their rates are overseen by the Surface Transportation Board, a federal agency that regulates financial aspects of surface transportation. Major railroads in North America include Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway.
Keep up with the latest news, trends and reports concerning rail freight transport here!
Transport deregulation’s long game has left much of the asset-based carrier field with few players. Will the cycle turn to usher in a cast of competitive newbies?
A tale of 2 job reports: Seasonal numbers are closely watched by economists, but the other measurement suggests some success at hiring.
U.S. rail volumes climbed nearly 30% in May from last year’s pandemic-induced troughs. Intermodal traffic has boosted rail volumes this year and could continue to do so in spite of capacity constraints at U.S. ports.
Consulting firm FTR expects railcar orders and deliveries to grow as North American railcar utilization increases amid growing volumes and owners seek to scrap less-utilized cars.
President Joe Biden’s budget for the Federal Railroad Administration supports funding to rehabilitate Amtrak, expand passenger rail service and provide continued support to grant programs.
The rail regulatory body sent several letters to Class I railroad heads last week, asking them to provide plans on how they expect to handle workforce and equipment in light of broader supply chain disruptions and anticipated service demand post-pandemic.
The American Chemistry Council, which represents chemicals shippers, wants the Surface Transportation Board to scrutinize proposed Class I rail mergers to ensure that shippers don’t encounter reduced offerings.
he U.S. Department of Agriculture is forecasting lower export volumes for corn, wheat and soybeans for the 2021-2022 crop year. The agency also expects record overall U.S. farm exports for fiscal year 2021. Also, U.S. rail volumes on a weekly basis were flat to lower from the prior week.
Federal prosecutors in Illinois have indicted six former railroad employees for allegedly fraudulently obtaining federal disability benefits.
CSX needs more data in its market analysis, the Surface Transportation Board said. CSX plans to resubmit its application.
To sweeten the voting trust application before regulators, CN and Kansas City Southern are offering to divest 70 miles of a KCS line in an area of Louisiana where both railroads have competing lines in order to create an “end-to-end” network.
April employment levels at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads were up 0.42% from March but down 7% year-over-year.
FreightWaves chats with chief sustainability officers about their experience and how they drive sustainable change at each company.
This AskWaves article explains what Class I, Class II and Class III railroads are and why they exist.
News briefs outline U.S. rail volumes, expanded service offerings by TNW Corporation and The Andersons, OmniTRAX rail-ready sites in northeast Ohio and milestones at the Transportation Technology Center complex in Pueblo, Colorado.
Kansas City Southern has opted for CN’s merger offer. It is terminating an existing merger agreement it has with Canadian Pacific.
Four rail labor groups have banded together to warn regulators about potential post-merger efforts to trim labor costs, while investment banking firm Cowen says regulators’ denial of CN’s voting trust signals that CN will have to make a strong case for its proposed merger.
Canadian Pacific wants Kansas City Southern to reject CN’s competing merger offer. The railway also said it won’t engage in a bidding war.
Improving market conditions should support BNSF’s financials in 2021, said S&P on why it modified its ratings for the privately held railroad.
Rising rail traffic and lower numbers of railcars in storage should benefit FreightCar America, as should anticipated market demand to replace an aging railcar fleet, executives said during Monday’s first-quarter earnings call.
