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!
The railway hopes to build its intermodal presence in the East and bolster the network serving Toronto, Montreal and the U.S. Midwest.
Some volumes have been diverted to the Port of Halifax and other East Coast ports.
Although the order volume for new railcars could be “lumpy” industry-wide, the railcar manufacturer hopes to take advantage of increased inquiries.
The unions filed a lawsuit against the Class I railroads, saying the railroads refuse to discuss changes to certain healthcare benefit provisions during the collective bargaining process.
The COVID-19 pandemic dented BNSF’s profits and lowered rail volumes in the second quarter.
PayCargo has become a force in the online payment of freight transportation bills and now offers coronavirus-impacted shippers and forwarders credit lines to smooth their cash flow.
Arbitrators determined that KCS has the ability to use its Mexican crew members instead of its U.S.-based crews on a nine-mile stretch between the U.S. border and the Laredo rail yard.
Even as trucking jobs rose, rail jobs declined
The short line operator is working with local economic development commissions to develop rail-ready sites for industrial use.
U.S. carloads fall nearly 18%, although intermodal traffic slipped by only 1%.
Multipurpose marine terminal operator Enstructure says the purchase of Ambassador Services in Port Canaveral establishes its presence in U.S. Southeast.
Federal government asked to contribute $3 billion to cover projected losses.
The rule outlines seven ways to determine whether a shipper is facing market dominance, or a situation in which shippers have limited rail shipping options. But the effectiveness of the new rule remains to be seen, some say.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission found during its Fact Finding 29 investigation that the Port of New York and New Jersey showed supply chain resolve during the coronavirus pandemic.
Technology’s footprint in CSX’s operational, sustainability and safety practices was readily apparent, according to the company’s 2019 environmental, social and governance report.
Jim Blaze explores the state of the major railroads that operate in Mexico – particularly Kansas City Southern, which is rumored to be a takeover target.
The railroad’s California police force will not ask for the immgiration status of those it comes across on its network.
Two logistics parks are in operation nearby and more are to come in Alabama.
Canadian Pacific’s and CN’s estimates of grain they expect to haul in 2020-2021 is in line with past projections.
A Wall Street Journal article suggested Global Infrastructure Partners and the Blackstone Group’s infrastructure segment are considering acquiring KCS.
The proposed rule seeks to require trains operating in Kansas to have at least two crew members in the front locomotive.
As U.S. weekly carloads have trended lower for months, rail industry stakeholders discuss how to relieve the railcar supply glut.
Hub Group’s second-quarter earnings beat was accompanied by the expectation for intermodal volume to increase in the high-single-digit range for the rest of the year.
The railroad aims to take market share away from trucks through expanded offerings in the Southwestern and Southeastern U.S.
The funding will be for capital and maintenance projects in eight states.
Incident happened Wednesday morning in Tempe, Arizona.
Second-quarter rail volumes fall by 26%.
Rail equipment manufacturer Wabtect expects sequential rail volume gains to support the company’s global sales in the third and fourth quarters.
Supply chain strategy set “to seamlessly and efficiently import materials and export tires to global markets.”
Fitness for duty policies should ensure that they do not impermissibly screen out certain disabilities or conditions, and that the tests or selection criteria are job related and are consistent with business necessity.
Former Union Pacific and CSX executive Cindy Sanborn will replace retiring COO Mike Wheeler.
The nominations of a Republican and Democrat to the Surface Transportation Board are pending before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee.
Raja Narayanan joins industry disrupter “at this pivotal time where the world is adapting to the new normal.”
Trinity took a $369 million impairment charge because leasing small cube covered hoppers exposed the railcar lessor to the frac sand market.
The western U.S. railroad looks to take more market share away from trucks.
Weekly volumes for U.S. intermodal units were only 1.7% lower than the same period in 2019.
Coronavirus pandemic and economic uncertainty weigh on UP’s second-quarter earnings.
Volumes have been recovering swiftly, but headwinds make it difficult to predict when pre-coronavirus levels will fully return.
The COVID-19 pandemic and a slumping economy dent CSX’s earnings.
Despite a 12% drawdown in volumes, CP reached a record second-quarter operating ratio of 57%.
The COVID-19 pandemic dampened second-quarter revenue by 9%.
The expectation that North American consumers will help drive intermodal traffic comes as the railway’s second-quarter volumes were hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Jason Miller, associate professor at the Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business, paints a bearish picture.
Unadjusted net income for the second quarter falls nearly 60% from the same period in 2019.
These factors are dampening lease rates and renewal activity, the company said during its second-quarter earnings call on Tuesday.
The coronavirus’ whipsaw effect on the global supply chain took a toll on Kuehne + Nagel during the first half of 2020, but without a rapid internal response the hit would have been far worse, CEO Detlef Trefzger says.
The reduction in employee levels comes as the railroads deploy cost-cutting measures to match network capacity needs with market demand.
The railroad plans to keep operational changes such as reduced train starts and longer trains even as volumes rebound.
The truckload carriers have reported solid results to start second quarter earnings season, but some load data is still lagging.
The railroad experienced a 23% dip in revenue as carload volumes fell 21%.
The U.S. Border Patrol aided the individual when the train arrived in San Diego, Texas.
Federal agencies in a “friend of the court” filing say discussions among Class I railroads can be admissible as evidence in dozens of lawsuits involving alleged price fixing.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission enters “phase two” of its fact-finding investigation into COVID-19 impacts on container shipping in the Port of New York and New Jersey.
U.S. rail traffic is still facing double-digit percentage declines amid trade uncertainties and the coronavirus pandemic.
FreightWaves is hosting the 3PL Summit on July 21, a virtual event that will include technology demonstrations, hot debates and visionary speakers from across the 3PL spectrum.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. That search for modal share growth is still fundamentally the real strategic challenge for the seven Class 1 North American railroads. Profitability remains excellent. Net cash flow? Down a bit during the second quarter […]
A study commissioned by the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks suggests that modifying federal rules to allow for heavier and longer trucks could result in diverting roughly 25% of U.S. rail traffic to trucks.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission is preparing to file a complaint against BNSF, Union Pacific and Nebraska Central over blocked highway-rail grade crossings in Grand Island.
Railcar manufacturer Greenbrier trimmed its output and headcount in its fiscal year third quarter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Matthew Waller will receive the Distinguished Service Award during EDGE 2020 Live!
With the release of the identities of the biggest recipients of money under the Paycheck Protection Program, reviewing all the names of those who got money and figuring out how this will impact the industry’s operations is now the hot topic of discussion in trucking. On this week’s Drilling Deep podcast, host John Kingston sits […]
Weekly U.S. intermodal volumes rise nearly 8% amid the easing of social distancing restrictions that began before the July Fourth holiday weekend. But can intermodal traffic sustain that increase amid pandemic uncertainties?
With no end in sight to the pandemic in North America, BMWED says railroads should enhance worker safety.
The C$230 million it will spend on the three provinces are on top of C$1.3 billion previously announced for five other provinces.
June grain volumes and second-quarter movements were records for both CN and CP.
Infrastructure provisions passed the U.S. House of Representatives, but they may have trouble finding support in Republican-controlled Senate.
About 25% of the total railcar fleet is in storage of one kind or another. Jim Blaze writes about best practices of rail storage.
The Federal Railroad Administration and Volpe are in the middle of conducting a survey on how railroaders gather and share information about occupational safety.
CN lays out 2020 capex plans for Nova Scotia, railroad supply group’s head to depart, and Norfolk Southern makes changes to its demurrage and accessorial charges tariffs.
The changes in leadership come as the railroad continues to deploy precision scheduled railroading.
Consolidated Chassis Management chief executive foresees an increased requirement for chassis to accommodate rising tide of intermodal container moves as the North American economy shakes off COVID-19.
The latest infrastructure bill phases out DB-60 air brake control valves manufactured before January 2006 over concerns about their effectiveness in cold weather.
The former worker is entitled to over $3.1 million in compensatory and punitive damages, lost wages, and front pay.
AAL Shipping, an operator of “mega-size” project cargo ships, expects rebound for smaller U.S. import and export project cargoes in 2021, if COVID-19 pandemic subsides later this year.
Warehousing jobs soar, rail jobs sliced again
Rail traffic continued to build through June. U.S. intermodal traffic was only off 5% year-over-year in week 26.
The revisions encourage technology integration and encourage preventative measures, say some stakeholders.
The funding is part of CN’s capex budget for 2020.
FreightWaves has been honored with 9 Azbee Awards of Excellence, including four Gold Awards.
The railway is working on infrastructure improvements amid lower market demand because of the coronavirus.
The Port of Savannah handled the most containerized agricultural export volumes last year among all U.S. ports, according to a national database.
Rail traffic continues to increase after bottoming out in April and May.
Border agents found 48 stowaways attempting to enter the U.S. illegally at rail crossings at the El Paso, Texas, port of entry.
Company cites sharp, pandemic-induced drop in rail volumes.
New provisions seek a comprehensive review of the U.S. grade crossing inventory.
Opposing sides shore up as the infrastructure bill gets folded into a trillion-dollar package.
The rule seeks to address Democrats’ concerns about the safety measures the railroads would take in transporting liquefied natural gas.
The rail-related projects awarded federal grants seek to expand infrastructure capacity in the Midwest, Tampa and Houston.
Pandemic-induced rail volume declines, operational changes among reasons for falling employment figures
Fiscal-year finish 50,000 containers below plan is forecast.
Weekly rail traffic moved higher week-to-week amid growing builder confidence and higher retail sales in May. But will the upward trend last?
Deutsche Bank analyst Amit Mehrotra favors a few transportation stocks as the second quarter comes to a close.
The yard was once the largest hump yard on the railroad’s network.
OmniTrax, a short line operator, says the appointment will help the company capitalize on customer interest for rail-based supply chains.
On the plus side, the Appalachian Regional Port nearly doubles the number of containers handled.
Rail unions don’t want unemployment and sickness benefits to be subject to government spending cuts.
Class 1 railroads reiterate that some measures they took to cut costs because of the coronavirus could become permanent.
The investment firm published a research update that analyzed Mexico’s likelihood of changing its rail regulatory structure.
Averitt, OmniTRAX, Duluth Seaway Port Authority and Port of Newcastle announce appointments
Rearview-looking government data confirms the stress for-hire transportation providers experienced in April. New cycle lows have built a foundation for recovery barring a pronounced second wave of coronavirus cases.
