Railroad

The threat of a rail worker strike across Canada could be extended through at least mid-July amid stalled negotiations between Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and CN and CPKC railroads.

This week in Borderlands: Evans Transportation launches cross-border service amid trade boom; TexAmericas Center receives Union Pacific “focus site” designation; Chemvest Holdings US acquires Texas rail-served industrial park; and DHL Express expands retail presence in Houston area.

Costs and feasibility of CARB’s anti-pollution rule for locomotives was debated on Capitol Hill.

Another drop in truck transportation jobs in May means the total stands at the same level as it did in November.

A Los Angeles jury awarded more than $58 million to Pablo Scipione, who suffered a microfracture in his foot while working at a train yard in 2016.Independent contractor was injured in 2016 at Kinkisharyo yard

Norfolk Southern will be required to pay an additional $310 million for the 2023 East Palestine derailment. The settlement will go towards measures to improve rail safety, pay for health monitoring and mental health services for the surrounding communities, fund long-term environmental monitoring and more.

DP World is launching an intermodal service to transport finished vehicles by rail from Mexico to the U.S.

Well-known transportation equity research analyst Amit Mehrotra is leaving Deutsche Bank, which for now at least is ending equity coverage of transportation companies.

BNSF Railway has filed an appeal for an asbestos trial verdict that ruled the railroad was liable in the deaths of two people in Montana.

A federal lawsuit alleges CSX inflated the amount of time employees were charged for taking leave under the Family Medical Leave Act, punished workers for taking the leave, and terminated or suspended over 100 employees for allegedly taking FMLA leave fraudulently.

Federal officials have pushed back a potential CN and CPKC rail worker strike in order to review whether a work stoppage would jeopardize Canadians’ health and safety.

About $10 million in Minnesota Department of Transportation grants will support 11 freight rail projects, making the state more competitive in the global and national economy, officials said.

Activist investor Ancora elected three members to the Norfolk Southern board, failing to oust CEO Alan Shaw. An Ancora official says “passive investors” are to blame if safety issues recur.

RailState’s new $4 million investment will be used for the strategic expansion of the company’s network coverage, including along the U.S.-Mexico border, and product investments to provide customers with accurate, real-time rail network information.

Late in the game, the head of the Surface Transportation Board is speaking out against replacing Norfolk Southern management, suggesting the effort threatens the U.S. rail network.

Truck transportation jobs posted a small decline in April after six straight months of relatively minor gains.

In competitive lanes, loads shift from rail to road.

After five months of discussions, Teamsters Canada voted to strike at Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The strike could start as early as May 22, after a mandatory 21-day mediation period.

Gulf & Atlantic Railways LLC announced on Wednesday that it is rebranding as Pinsly Railroad Co. The name change comes after the October 2023 acquisition of Pioneer Valley Railroad, the final railroad company owned by Pinsly.

A second proxy adviser is backing big changes on the Norfolk Southern board, but this one is calling for CEO Alan Shaw to stay.

An “influential” proxy advisory company has come out in favor of Ancora’s efforts to oust the leadership of Norfolk Southern.

Soft freight market conditions continue to create market headwinds as Hub Group’s first-quarter revenue declines 13% year over year.

Wyoming locomotive engineer Andrew Kirol claims in a lawsuit that he was injured when an AI system used by Union Pacific gave incorrect information to locomotives on the train on which he was working.

New Norfolk Southern COO John Orr made his debut on the railroad’s earnings call, but there was little talk about an ongoing proxy fight.

SONAR sets up intermodal trading ideas ahead of earnings.

This week in Borderlands: Experts push infrastructure to boost cross-border trade; Korean EV supplier begins construction of plant in Mexico; Kirchhoff Automotive expanding operations in Mexico; and WSI named operator of CPKC transload terminal.

“This is the first locomotive that’s actually 100% remanufactured for hydrogen,” said Dragan Jankovic, CSX director of locomotive engineering.

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.

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.

A Norfolk Southern train derailed in Pennsylvania on Saturday amid an already heated battle over railroad safety issues. Here’s the latest.

BNSF Railway reportedly furloughed hundreds of mechanical department workers at train yards in 4 states.

A case in Illinois involving BNSF Railway and a federal law on biometric information privacy has its settlement figure: $75 million.

Fastfrate Group has renewed a long-term agreement with CPKC to provide intermodal and drayage services in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Dockworkers are fully prepared to swap pallet jacks for picket signs come October.

Georgia Ports Authority said it handled 428,000 containers and 65,400 roll-on, roll-off units in January.

J.B. Hunt said Thursday it will buy Walmart’s intermodal assets and that the two companies entered a multiyear agreement that will bring more shipments to J.B. Hunt’s network.

Norfolk Southern’s board said it maintains an “ongoing process” of board refreshment.

Teamsters Canada said negotiations with Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have stalled over issues of pay and working conditions.

Ancora Holdings Group proposes that a former top UPS executive become Norfolk Southern’s CEO.

The Georgia Ports Authority sets export record in 2023; the Alabama Port Authority and CSX partner to launch an intermodal facility; and the Port of Cleveland receives $32 million for upgrades.

Former President Donald Trump is lashing out at President Joe Biden ahead of Biden’s scheduled trip to East Palestine, Ohio, saying the president waited too long to visit the site of a train derailment.

A CSX worker was killed Tuesday in North Carolina when he was hit by moving equipment.

Retired rail workers in Mexico created blockades at border crossings in Arizona and Texas on Wednesday, seeking severance pay and benefits from Mexican authorities.

The Federal Railroad Administration is warning rail workers about the dangers of rolling stock following the death of a Norfolk Southern worker last week in Alabama.

A rise in Chinese imports indicates seasonal trends are playing out as usual, very much unlike 2023’s anemic performance.

Federal investigators plan to release the cause of last year’s Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, this summer.

A recent round of U.S. and British strikes raise fresh questions about the impact of container shipping in the Red Sea.

An investigation is underway after a Norfolk Southern train engineer died this week after being hit by a train in Decatur, Alabama.

As the Bureau of Labor Statistics signaled in August, the annual revision of employment data shows fewer truck transportation jobs last year than initially reported.

It’s been one year since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. What’s been done to improve rail safety?

Activist pressure and focus on OR are at odds with optimal service levels.

Retailers and ocean carriers assess the possible effects in the U.S. if supply chain disruptions in the Middle East continue.

It was a tough earnings report for Norfolk Southern, and a few Wall Street analysts let management know of their disappointment.

Rail is often characterized as one of the more “old school” transportation options, but recent developments in the space have challenged that narrative.

Saturday will mark one year since a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. NS is joining the federal Confidential Close Call Reporting System, the only Class I railroad to do so.

Canada-based Bison Transport is partnering with CPKC to provide cross-border intermodal service between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Mexico’s Isthmus of Tehuantepec rail corridor could complement container movements along the Panama Canal.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley are bullish on the growth prospects for
Canadian National Railway Co.’s business units in 2024.

This week in Borderlands: Nearshoring forecast to boost US-Mexico trade in 2024; Texas receives $70M grant for hydrogen fuel stations; automotive manufacturer announces $400M factory in Mexico; and Texas logistics park receives $1.5M grant to expand services.

After President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, his body toured the United States in a funeral procession by train as the country mourned the loss.

J.B. Hunt announced it has added former railroad executive Patrick Ottensmeyer to its board.

ITS Logistics is entering this digital arena with its container management and visibility platform ContainerAI.

This week in Borderlands: Mexico top US trade partner in November, Laredo No. 1 gateway; PSC Group acquires rail terminal in South Texas; automotive firm inaugurates $55 million expansion in Mexico; and CBP seizes $5M worth of cocaine at Texas border crossing.

Maersk has opted to bypass the drought-stricken Panama Canal and use rail to transport cargo across Panama.

The monthly BLS report showed a relatively modest gain for truck transportation jobs but another decline in warehouses.

Increasing biofuel consumption will be a key way for Norfolk Southern to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to its inaugural climate transition plan.

Craig M. Keats started his career in 1972 as an attorney for the Interstate Commerce Commission — the Surface Transportation Board’s predecessor — and he has stayed on since then.

What are stakeholders in the freight rail space keeping an eye on in 2024? Here’s a starter list.

The Federal Railroad Administration submitted its proposed rulemaking on train crew staffing to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for review.

Intermodal rail might still face pressure from a loose truck market in 2024, but intermodal rail providers could see volumes grow longer term if they keep service humming, according to Breakthrough’s chief economist.

Election-year politics and the NTSB report on the East Palestine derailment are key factors in whether Congress will pass rail safety legislation in 2024, industry observers say.

Cargo volumes at the Port of New York and New Jersey were 7.5% higher than November 2019 but 11% lower year over year.

Labor peace was won at what will be higher costs for shippers and carriers.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reopened the international border crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, according to the freight railroads affected by the five-day closure.

Parallel Systems recently gave a public demonstration of how its autonomous rail vehicle technology works.

The U.S. freight rail industry got schooled in 2023 on issues including the three R’s: rail safety, reciprocal switching and relationships.

Union Pacific wants customers to lobby Congress to get U.S. Customs and Border Protection to say when suspended freight rail operations in El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, will resume.

U.S. border officials on Monday suspended freight rail operations in El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, in response to a surge in migrants in the region.

New York becomes the 11th state to require freight trains to have at least two crew members.

The year’s five biggest U.S.-Canada cross-border supply chain-related stories are highlighted.