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!
CSX Corp. today reported fourth-quarter 2024 operating income of $1.11 billion that fell compared to $1.32 billion in the prior year period. Revenue totaled $3.54 billion for the quarter, off 4% year over year as declines in fuel surcharge and coal revenue offset higher pricing, merchandise volume and volume growth in intermodal. Net income was […]
U.S. rail traffic showed a massive jump for the week ending Jan. 18, 2025, with both carload and intermodal traffic up more than 25% from the same week a year earlier. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show overall traffic for the week was 500,160 carloads and intermodal units, a 25.9% increase. That included […]
Union Pacific reported profit 7% higher from a year ago, as rail freight volumes gained and operating margin improved.
Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) on Thursday said fourth-quarter profit increased 7% on improved grain and fertilizer shipments, and core pricing gains. Net income for the Omaha, Nebraska-based company was $1.76 billion, or $2.91 per share, in the fourth quarter, up from $1.65 billion, or $2.71 per share, in 2023. Intermodal volumes were 6% better on strong […]
Container volumes have not slowed in January, blowing out year-over-year comps.
An autonomous railcar pilot program involving Parallel Systems’ self-propelled, battery-electric container cars will be conducted on two Genesee & Wyoming short lines in Georgia.
Republican Patrick J. Fuchs has been designated by President Trump as chairman of the Surface Transportation Board.
Decision says Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration failed by not preparing environmental report
At MARS meeting, the biggest U.S. Class 1 railroad also talks shipment security, Mexico business, and growth.
WASHINGTON — While global transportation transitions to a cleaner future fueled by alternative power sources, North American railroads have fewer good options outside of diesel fuel. “We love diesel; we like to take showers in diesel,” joked Michael Nicoletti, a partner at Innovative Rail Technologies (IRT), at “Toward Zero Emissions in Rail: Lessons Learned,” a […]
STB Chairman Robert Primus addressed the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers on Thursday.
Intermodal volumes boosted weekly U.S. rail traffic even as overall carloads slipped compared to the same week in 2024.
CN has rolled out a hybrid biofuel-ready locomotive it says could reduce fuel consumption by 50% compared with typical diesel power.
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The power of data, or more accurately, of well-used data, may not have explicitly been the topic of BNSF Railway CEO Katie Farmer’s presentation at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting. But it was a recurring theme of several subjects she touched on as part of her keynote address Wednesday […]
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has scrapped its controversial rule that would have required the use of zero-emissions locomotives in the state beginning in 2030. The board informed the Environmental Protection Agency this week that it was withdrawing its requests to enforce zero-emissions rules covering trucks and locomotives. The move comes a week before […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The question of the day, on the first day of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting, is probably one being asked in one form or another at every business in the United States — or that does business with the U.S. What about tariffs? The consensus Wednesday was, not surprisingly, […]
Canadian National has gotten the go-ahead on its planned acquisition of Iowa Northern Railway.
While U.S. businesses look forward to 2025, the Association of American Railroads says policy and economic uncertainty tempers the year-ahead outlook.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a slight decline in truck transportation employment in December, wrapping up a down year in the sector.
At the Transportation Research Board annual meeting, intermodalists advise and dissent over developments in the freight sector.
