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 U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a CSX appeal regarding an antitrust suit over access to Norfolk International Terminals.
Congestion hurt volumes and revenue in CSX’s first quarter.
Parallel Systems says its autonomous electric railcars will begin testing on two Georgia railroads this month.
A bipartisan bill in Congress would tackle the burgeoning problem of rail cargo theft.
Shortline railroads are precisely the business partners that major railroads need to stanch a decline in the carload business, a consultant says.
Rail traffic in the U.S. rose 11.2% for the week that ended Saturday – the sixth straight increase.
The upgrade of a critical tax credit and federal grants were in focus at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association conference.
The strength in ocean bookings today will not translate into domestic freight volumes until May at the earliest.
Patricks Fuchs, President Trump’s pick to lead the Surface Transportation Board, wants to speed up decision-making to help railroads grow their business.
Genesee & Wyoming short line Central Oregon & Pacific can take over local operations from Union Pacific in Eugene, Oregon, as early as Saturday, federal regulators say.
Canadian National workers represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will get a 3% annual pay raise under an arbitrator’s contract decision.
The chief executive of Union Pacific says his railroad will work through trade uncertainties the same way it worked through the tech bubble and the pandemic.
Two trade-dependent intermodal projects by BNSF Railway will move forward despite the Trump administration’s announcement of new tariffs.
Truck transportation jobs in March rose by the largest amount since the start of 2022.
A partnership of BNSF, Norfolk Southern and the Northwest Seaport Alliance are offering expedited service from the Pacific Northwest to the Chicago rail hub.
Trump eases pain on trucking and rail by excluding from reciprocal tariffs goods that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Railroad stocks dropped after President Trump’s announcement Wednesday of tariffs on U.S. trading partners.
Weekly U.S. rail carloads surged to the strongest year-on-year improvement in nearly three months.
BNSF’s group vice president for industrial products has been named chief executive of shortline rail operator OmniTRAX.
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City (NYSE: CP) and the Lanco Group/Mi-Jack have sold the Panama Canal Railway to APM Terminals, a global terminal operator and an independent division of A.P. Moller-Maersk (XCSE: MAERSKa). The 47.6-mile railway provides ocean-to-ocean freight and passenger services along the Panama Canal and has been a 50/50 joint venture […]
