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!
Executives with eastern railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern expressed confidence this week that they can compete alongside trucks for e-commerce business.
Canadian rail volumes rose again year-to-date for the week ended May 11, while U.S. rail volumes continued downward amid U.S. tariff uncertainty and a fuzzy economic picture.
Rail market expert Jim Blaze discusses how FreightWaves SONAR can help determine how best to ship freight.
Amazon has broken ground on its Kentucky air hub, which will bring 2,000 jobs and up to 100 planes to the area.
FreightWaves market expert Jim Blaze looks at a regulatory spat between Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway over the concept of “open access.” Learn why that is important to all railroads – and shippers!
Good day, Truck makers have been insisting that medium-duty truck owners are starting to look for the same type of data analytics and remote diagnostic capabilities that long-haul operators have become accustomed to in recent years. Kenworth is the latest manufacturer to heed that call, announcing that its TruckTech+ Remote Diagnostics is now an option […]
Forward Air names Chris Ruble COO, Matthew Jewell chief commercial officer
A number of rail equipment lessors and manufacturers have been merging and consolidating in recent months as a way to leverage themselves against marketplace changes brought about by precision scheduled railroading. Meanwhile, industry observers are watching whether railcar utilization grow in 2019.
Australian integrated logistics provider Qube (ASX:QUB) has acquired Brisbane-based crane-hire provider, mining-related logistics services provider and truck-operator LCR Group for A$135 million (US$94.14 million).
Big data and shifting consumer preferences will revolutionize freight transportation, according to Association of American Railroads panel.
Market expert Jim Blaze compares and contrasts Amtrak and America’s freight railroads.
Beijing has sworn to institute countermeasures to combat a huge increase in tariffs, from 15 percent to 25 percent, that have been imposed by Washington on $200 billion worth of a wide range of Chinese goods. A set of high-level, last-minute, talks yesterday to postpone or prevent the tariffs failed.
A Canadian National (NYSE: CNI) subsidiary has acquired the intermodal assets of Alberta-based H&R Transport, a company that specializes in the over-the-road, temperature-controlled service. The acquisition will expand CN’s presence in moving consumer goods, and is part of the company’s broader effort to offer more end-to-end rail supply chain options, according to railroad president and […]
Canadian Pacific (NYSE: CP) and Canadian National (NYSE: CNI) both moved record volumes of grain in April, following a harsh winter that sometimes curtailed rail shipments. Canadian National said on May 8 that it moved an all-time record 2.72 million metric tonnes in April, compared to a three-year average of 2.23 million metric tonnes. Canadian […]
Pricing, procuring and planning ocean and rail freight was for years a dark art practiced by a cabal of freight forwarders and logistics professionals. But the ethos of many transport tech start-ups is making those once opaque tasks more easily accessible. Kontainers Chief Executive Graham Parker said during a panel discussion at Transparency 19 that […]
Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) announced which intermodal terminals it would close around Chicago, Illinois, weeks after hinting on its first quarter earnings call that it planned to consolidate operations there. The railroad said on May 2 that the changes are a result of its efforts to “simplify” its supply chain along its intermodal network and […]
Berkshire Hathway (NYSE: BRK) chairman and CEO Warren Buffett said he would be willing to consider some form of precision scheduled railroading (PSR) for western U.S. railroad BNSF, although he didn’t say when or even if BNSF would eventually adopt the operating model. ”We are not above copying anything that is successful, and I think […]
The uncertainty over whether and when the U.S. and China will reach a trade agreement this year is creating a cloudy outlook for grain volumes this fall.
“We expect uncertainty to persist in the grain market due to the foreign tariffs,” said Kenny Rocker, Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) executive vice president for marketing and sales.
April rail volumes fell year-over-year but rose slightly from March 2019, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) said on May 1. But the AAR predicted that improving economic conditions could lead to rail volumes stabilizing or growing in the second half of the year, although some uncertainties still persist.
BNSF (NYSE: BRK) says proposed rules in Oregon would make it harder for the railroad to comply with the common carrier obligation, a federal mandate requiring a railroad to provide transportation to all parties and for all goods, including hazardous materials.
