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 Chinese city of Yiwu has announced a new freight train route to Belgium’s Liege, with trains expected to finish the journey in about 20 days.
Excerpt: The companies promote and assign new roles to longstanding employees.
Awarded projects could benefit freight rail indirectly.
Jim Blaze writes about the competitiveness of railroads vs. trucks and the railroads’ lack of interoperability.
The railroads say the union refuses to negotiate on train crew size as both sides prepare for a new collective bargaining agreement.
The U.S. imports corn from Brazil ahead of the harvest season.
The proposed actions address major rail shipper complaints voiced to the Board earlier this year.
For decades, the European freight rail system has had no major upgrades with regard to axle load capacity, train length or car vertical height.
File this one under the category of “be careful what you wish for.” In a letter to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA) filed as part of a long series of comments by many made to the federal agency, Phillips 66, a leading refiner, brings up the impact on IMO 2020 if a […]
The new executives contributed greatly to CSX as the railroad made operational changes, the company said.
Companies file a flurry of lawsuits against the big four U.S. Class I railroads, alleging their fuel surcharge programs violated antitrust laws.
Heading into earnings season, the railroads clearly have a revenue headwind as carloads declined again in the latest week.
The rulemakings address cost of capital calculations and rail performance data for chemicals and plastics traffic; shippers also press Board to act on fuel surcharges.
Groups say existing federal laws trump Illinois’ mandate on train crew size.
The railway grappled with not only the potential for cold temperatures but also macro uncertainty in crafting plan.
The upgrades come as company and state officials eye anticipated volume growth at the Port of Savannah.
Jim Blaze writes about the decisions that will go into determining 2020 capital expenditures by the freight railroads.
The company is following through on a pledge to acquire 1,000 branded intermodal containers by the end of 2020.
The federal agency on hazardous materials transport has received over 4,000 comments about the law.
Jennifer Hamann will succeed Rob Knight on January 1, 2020.
