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!
“This is the first locomotive that’s actually 100% remanufactured for hydrogen,” said Dragan Jankovic, CSX director of locomotive engineering.
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A preliminary report on how Norfolk Southern did in the first quarter comes as the showdown over its future nears a climax.
Recent incidents involving Norfolk Southern trains exposed the continued need for rail safety to the greater public. Here are some ways rail can drive safety.
Norfolk Southern announced Tuesday that it will pay a $600 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit after a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.
Truck transportation jobs in March recorded an increase in the midst of a generally weak trucking market.
Eight men from the Bronx are accused of swiping hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of beer from train cars and distribution facilities for nearly two years.
The Federal Railroad Administration has lowered the gates on railroads looking to move to one-person crews.
New debt to pay a big dividend has led the two largest ratings agencies to reduce their rating of short-line rail operator Genesee & Wyoming.
An unusually warm and dry winter might herald drought conditions in key areas of the Mississippi River Basin over the coming months.
The Port of Baltimore’s indefinite closure could cost the state of Maryland as much as $1 billion in total value of goods and services, analysts say.
Hauling autos into Baltimore is a big business that is going to scale back dramatically in coming weeks and months.
Norfolk Southern’s annual meeting will be May 9, when the push to oust current management comes to a head.
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The Port of Huntsville in Alabama reported 24% year-over-year growth at its intermodal container yard in 2023.
Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena defended the railroad’s safety record, which recently has come in for criticism from Federal Railroad Administration Chairman Amit Bose.
Union Pacific recently won a state court ruling in a legal battle to close a rail car shop in Palestine, Texas.
Truck transportation jobs in the monthly BLS report were slightly down, but that couldn’t be said for plunging warehouse numbers.
NTSB head Jennifer Homendy told a Senate committee that the burning of chemicals on derailed Norfolk Southern rail cars in East Palestine, Ohio, was not necessary.
Norfolk Southern has defended its safety measures and CEO pay package amid criticism and calls to action from activist investor Ancora Holdings.
