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 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.
The technology upgrades at 12 points of entry along the borders of Canada and Mexico will enable U.S. Customs and Border Protection to inspect rail cargo more quickly and securely, according to CBP.
The attorney who led the legal effort said U.S. chassis producers are ramping up because of the import fees.
Following the Surface Transportation Board’s decision on Monday regarding CN’s proposed merger with Kansas City Southern, both CN and Canadian Pacific remained confident that each is the better suitor for KCS.
Executives with wireless network provider Ondas Networks describe how private telecommunications networks benefit the Class I railroads as well as other transportation modes.
Wabtec’s battery-electric locomotive can reduce a train’s fuel consumption by 11%, a three-month study involving the company, BNSF and the San Joaquin Pollution Control District found.
Democratic leaders with the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure want the General Accountability Office to examine the effects that precision scheduled railroading has had on freight and passenger rail operations, rail safety and the labor workforce.
