Railroad

U.S. rail traffic rose 14% in March amid higher grain and intermodal volumes. But some commodities are also reflecting uneven year-over-year comparisons because of the pandemic-induced volume downturn that began in late March 2020.

Railcar manufacturer Greenbrier expects economic conditions and the rail market to improve in the second half of the year and that optimism is starting to be reflected in higher inquiry activity.

Engage Construction Management and Consulting Inc. has been selected for the Canadian piece of a $1 billion infrastructure project connecting Mexico’s Pacific Coast to Winnipeg, Canada.

The Surface Transportation Board defines what billing information should be included in demurrage invoices to rail users as a means to provide more transparency.

Canadian Pacific submitted to the Surface Transportation Board 45 more letters of support from shippers and other stakeholders for the proposed merger of CP and Kansas City Southern.

CN beat its previous March record of 2.74 million metric tons set in 2020, moving 2.95 million metric tons last month.

Wabtec’s chief technology officer chats with FreightWaves about ways technology can help the freight rail industry decarbonize.

Two rail shipper coalition groups and four Class I railroads want the Surface Transportation Board to review Canadian Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern under “new” rules that gauge whether a merger would enhance market competition.

The March report may be the last for a while in which a comparison to last year is meaningful.

The pandemic-induced volume downturn from last year is making year-over-year comparisons inflated. However, strength in the consumer economy could support rail volumes.

Other highlights from the monthly report: Soaring employment in warehouses is starting to moderate.

Freight rail associations and shippers praise President Joe Biden’s efforts to modernize U.S. transportation infrastructure, but some are worried about how to foot the costs. Also, congressional leaders introduce bills on railcar recycling, highway grade crossings, and loans for rail and intermodal facilities.

FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller writes about FreightWaves, as well as transportation today and moving forward.

Canadian Pacific has submitted a 531-page filing to the Surface Transportation Board that includes letters from 259 entities supporting the proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern.

The $3.7 billion partnership calls for the construction of a $1.9 billion passenger rail bridge that would relieve traffic from the Long Bridge.

CN is selling its noncore assets in southern Ontario, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin to Watco.

The Georgia Ports Authority has approved projects to increase the annual container capacity at the Port of Savannah to over 6 million TEUs from the existing 4.7 million TEUs.

This transaction will benefit the automotive supply and distribution network throughout North America.

Employment totals for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads were flat to higher between January and February, rising 0.5%. But headcount was down nearly 11% year-over-year. Also, rail union BMWED is monitoring CP’s proposed merger with KCS.

VIP Rail and Procor announce partnership that provides Procor’s railcar repair and cleaning services to VIP Rail customers in Ontario, while Navis Rail develops a workforce management system.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: KCS expands Mexico rail service to Port of Veracruz; furniture maker leases space in Laredo, PGT Trucking opens new terminals in Arizona and Arkansas; and CBP seizes $1.4 million in drugs in Laredo.

February rail service issues are still being felt in March, raising concerns about the Canadian rail network’s ability to handle increased grain volumes in future years.

An anticipated increase in North American rail traffic, coupled with FreightCar America’s move of its manufacturing to Mexico, should provide support to the company in 2021, executives said.

Union Pacific and logistics company Savage Services are constructing Idaho’s first-ever intermodal terminal at UP’s rail yard in Pocatello.

CSX must again file its plans to acquire New England short line Pan Am Railways as a “significant” transaction.

Canadian Pacific wants to acquire Kansas City Southern. Here are five thoughts from Wall Street transportation analysts about the transaction.

STB Chair Marty Oberman shares the board’s views on two proposed acquisitions: CSX’s acquisition of New England short line Pan Am Railways and Canadian Pacific’s merger with Kansas City Southern.

Rail technology provider Wabtec plans to acquire Nordco as Wabtec eyes the railcar mover market and the technologies associated with it.

The publicly traded Class I railroads expect rail volumes to improve this year despite severe winter weather curtailing operations in February.

Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern executives outline the benefits and the rationale behind CP’s proposed acquisition of KCS.

Canadian railway Canadian Pacific plans to merge with Kansas City Southern in a deal worth $29 billion.

Short line operator Vermont Rail System and legislators from Vermont and Massachusetts question how CSX and Norfolk Southern would handle joint ownership of Pan Am Southern because it would involve a competing short line railroad

Two bullish equity research reports this week on transportation stocks both highlight expectations around consumer spending and what that means for freight demand.

Amtrak wants to establish passenger rail service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, but CSX, Norfolk Southern and the Port of Mobile have some reservations. Amtrak has filed a petition with the Surface Transportation Board to turn its plan into fruition.

Wabtec, short line operator Genesee & Wyoming and Carnegie Mellon aim to establish public-private institute that would research, demonstrate and commercialize advanced freight rail technology.

February freight data from Cass shows a deceleration in the growth rates of shipments and expenditures. Recent weather events have only “coiled the spring” for a continuation of high demand and rising rates.

U.S. intermodal traffic on a weekly basis continues to show strength, rising last week by 22%, according to the Association of American Railroads. The increase comes amid higher U.S. retail sales in February year-over-year, despite a sequential decline.

Nevada’s 2021 rail plan lays out how the state can leverage freight rail more often and utilize existing infrastructure in light of nearshoring and emissions reductions opportunities.

Changes in export volumes for certain types of wheat may be reflected in changes in freight flows, according to reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Positive train control, also known as PTC, is a safety technology aimed at automatically stopping a freight or passenger train before a collision. This Ask Waves article describes what it is, its history and its future implications.

Witnesses at a U.S. House hearing on Wednesday stressed the need for a multimodal approach in federal support of the railroads, citing freight rail’s connection with both rural, inland towns and coastal ports.

A February incident involving an Ontario train derailment led Canada’s Ministry of Transport to issue two orders aimed at preventing the uncontrolled movement of rail equipment.

International intermodal volumes for the U.S. have risen 44% year-over-year, according to FreightWaves SONAR, amid higher import activity.

Transportation Technology Center Inc. is undergoing a management change that would enable the group to expand work to multiple sites, while the Surface Transportation Board appoints two short line railroad representatives to the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council. Also, a Manitoba transload facility at the U.S.-Canadian border seeks customers.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report describes the events leading up to the incident in Vail, Arizona, that killed a Union Pacific employee.

Wells Fargo transportation research analyst Allison Poliniak-Cusic raises expectations for intermodal providers in a new report. Favorable catalysts for the mode are expected to carry into 2022.

February generally shows an increase in the number of trucking jobs, but not in 2021

U.S. weekly intermodal volumes moved higher last week amid support from retail and e-commerce, while carloads slumped as some U.S. Gulf Coast facilities seek to fully return to normal following February’s winter storm.

Three investigators will try to determine what caused the death of a BNSF worker on Wednesday at a rail yard near Los Angeles.

J.B. Hunt believes recent winter storms will negatively impact first-quarter operating income by $15 million to $20 million. The company said it had been successful advancing its intermodal service initiatives prior to the storms.

Drayage trucking and logistics company ContainerPort sold its container yard and depot division to ITS ConGlobal, a company with intermodal, finished vehicle and depot service terminals.

For the 12th consecutive month, CN hauled a record amount of Canadian grain.

The AAR released climate policy proposals encouraging partnerships and market solutions that promote competition and carbon capture, utilization and storage technology.

Adoption of technology has influenced U.S. Class I railroads’ staffing. Will additional technological innovation cut headcount even more, or will other factors have greater weight?

U.S. rail operator CSX says it is investigating a “data security incident” after a ransomware gang appears to have leaked personal information of employees and retirees.

Lower fuel expenses helped privately held BNSF’s net income grow by 5% in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Eastern U.S. railroad CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) has started the regulatory process to acquire New England short line operator Pan Am Railways in a move that CSX hopes will strengthen its intermodal presence in the region. The company on Thursday submitted its application to the Surface Transportation Board. The application includes a request both to acquire […]

FreightWaves is bringing back its in-person events this year with the F3: Future of Freight Festival in November, celebrating all things freight in a communitywide celebration throughout the city of Chattanooga.

The extreme cold and heavy snow dampened U.S. rail volumes last week.

Although market conditions are improving for Trinity Industries (NYSE: TRN), the railcar lessor and rail equipment manufacturer anticipates persistent headwinds through the first half of 2021 as prospective customers take a wait-and-see approach to gauging market demand. “Market uncertainty as it relates to COVID-19 remains the predominant story on the economic and rail industry outlook. […]

A U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Tuesday vacated the Federal Railroad Administration’s May 2019 order on train crew size, saying the agency didn’t conduct an adequate public review prior to the order.

Communications between the railroads about fuel surcharges can be included in legal proceedings pertaining to alleged price fixing that occurred in the early 2000s, a federal judge ruled Friday.

U.S. Class I rail headcount totaled 113,461 employees in January.

The revised rules under the Railway Safety Act address winter operations of higher-risk key trains.

Two workers died after entering a tank car that carried natural gasoline at a TrinityRail facility in Oklahoma, according to OSHA. TrinityRail disagrees with OSHA’s findings.

The railroad says it will no longer build a rail transfer facility after the City of Atlanta raised objections to the Surface Transportation Board because of the site’s historical and cultural significance.

U.S. Class I rail operations are seeking to return to normal, with intermodal terminals opening in the central and western U.S. But the overall network is experiencing delays in multiple locations.

Prospective North American and international customers are inquiring about Wabtec’s battery electric, heavy-haul locomotive, which is undergoing advanced tests with BNSF. The company reported its fourth-quarter results on Thursday.

Cass freight data released Thursday shows a huge surge in freight spending with solid growth in shipments. The report indicated that 2021 is unlikely to produce the “rate relief” to shippers that 2019 provided.

FreightCar America makes Terry Rogers its permanent CFO, the Association of American Railroads reports weekly U.S. rail volumes rose 0.3% year-over-year, and The Broe Group updates its progress on a Savannah, Georgia-area industrial park.

Power outages, bitter cold and heavy snows have caused temporary intermodal-related closures and significant delays.

UP appoints three employees to new roles within Loup Logistics and the company’s marketing and sales department.

The trade agreement’s rules governing how much of a car must consist of North American parts could incentivize automakers to set up more assembly plants in the U.S.

Appearing at an investor conference, J.B. Hunt CEO John Roberts said this year’s intermodal bid season will go a long way in determining whether the company curtails the division’s margin target.

Preeti Pande, the hydrogen solution provider’s chief marketing officer, comes with extensive fuel cell industry experience and a Ph.D.

Extreme cold and lots of snow in the Midwest and other areas could impact rail operations and cause delays, according to some railroads.

A Canadian National freight train derailed at an intersection with a West Chicago commuter line. Service remained disrupted early Monday afternoon.

CenterPoint acquires Houston-area distribution facility while Genesee & Wyoming reports industrial development results for 2020.

Plans to halt construction of the Keystone XL pipeline will likely mean more crude oil volumes being shipped by rail. But how much more will depend on a variety of factors, including oil price spreads, other pipelines, oil storage options and the railroads’ ability to juggle volumes.

OmniTRAX sets sights on Sand Springs; advisory group approves Union Pacific’s emission reduction targets.

The U.S. housing market is tight heading into 2021, with higher housing starts and limited inventories helping to support lumber and wood carloads.

TrinityRail will permanently close a plant in Vidor, Texas, laying off 59 workers by April 30.

Day Two of FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week virtual conference includes experts from DHL, SVT Robotics, Geodis and JLL Inc.

Customers taking part in BNSF’s program to develop facilities on BNSF-owned real estate invested $1.1 billion in those facilities in 2020.

CSX’s tunnel widening plans are still moving forward; Canadian Pacific sees record grain volumes for January.

Railcar manufacturer Greenbrier is forming a joint venture with transportation asset management firm Longwood to lease railcars.

The number of jobs in the warehousing and storage sector also fell from December to January.

U.S. rail volumes rose 5.3% in January as gains for intermodal, chemicals and grain were enough to offset losses for coal and petroleum products, according to AAR data.

What suggestions would you give new Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg? Our reporters share theirs in this FreightWaves roundtable.

The Union Pacific employee, who was working in Vail, Arizona, was struck by a rail tamper and fatally injured, according to the railroad and the National Transportation Safety Board.

During a panel discussion, Home Depot and others talk about how to grow freight rail.

Higher consumer spending, inventory restocking and rising import levels contributed to a 9.6% gain in North American intermodal volumes in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the Intermodal Association of North America.

TrinityRail, Canadian Pacific and Rocky Mountain Industrials announce company news; unions seek appointments to the National Mediation Board.

A train conductor in Georgia stopped a CSX train from hitting a homeless man on the tracks who was suffering from hypothermia.

“Demand in the intermodal and trucking sectors is at an all-time high, which makes this an ideal time to optimize FYX’s many assets and take it to the next level,” says new CEO Kenneth Forster.

FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week will feature media expert Gary Vaynerchuk, Tyson Foods’ John Tyson, and Johnson & Johnson’s Kathy Wengel among dozens of speakers scheduled to appear at the free virtual event, scheduled for Feb. 22 through March 3.

Anticipated consumer spending levels, retail restocking and tight truck capacity are among the factors that could support intermodal volumes this year, according to Class I rail execs.

Revenue gains and lower costs in the fourth quarter weren’t enough to offset losses from GATX’s passenger airline-affiliated joint venture with Rolls-Royce.

With its acquisition of an Atlantic short line railroad in place, Canadian Pacific said the next opportunities to expand its network lie in its land holdings and partnerships.

Norfolk Southern seeks to increase train lengths and weights as part of its next stage of precision scheduled railroading deployment, executives said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday.