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. reported third-quarter operating income of $1.35 billion with net earnings of $894 million, or 46 cents per diluted share, in financial results announced Wednesday.
OSHA has warned CSX against retaliating against employees who raise safety concerns.
Freight railroads from the Gulf Coast to Miami are still assessing damage and making repairs after Milton made landfall near St. Petersburg late Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane.
For the first time in more than nine months, U.S. weekly rail traffic has dropped below 2023 levels.
Class I railroads have rationalized their networks to the extent that there is very little redundancy, leaving few efficient alternatives in the event of a catastrophic event like Hurricane Helene.
Norfolk Southern says its line between Asheville, North Carolina, and Newport, Tennessee — heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene — will be out of service until at least late January, while assessment of the route between Asheville and Old Fort, North Carolina, is ongoing.
Locomotives and freight cars are being moved to higher ground and railroad operations are winding down as Hurricane Milton is only a few hours from making landfall between Tampa Bay and Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Two members of Congress have introduced legislation to place railroad yardmasters under the same hours-of-service regulations that cover workers such as train crew members and dispatchers.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed a small drop in trucking jobs in September but an enormous one at warehouses.
Universal Logistics said the $194 million acquisition of rail terminal operator Parsec will be immediately accretive to earnings.
Union Pacific says it’s already successfully handling the surge in container volume at West Coast ports, which began weeks ago as shippers sought to dodge a potential strike at ports on the East and Gulf coasts.
Rail service across many of Norfolk Southern’s lines from Georgia to West Virginia remain out of service.
CSX Transportation’s former Clinchfield Railroad mainline has seen devastating impacts from Hurricane Helene’s once-in-a-generation flood.
Anne Reinke is leaving the Transportation Intermediaries Association to head the Intermodal Association of North America, and Chris Burroughs, already a VP at TIA, will fill her slot.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and acting Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su sent a letter Wednesday urging CEOs of three Class I freight railroads to guarantee paid sick leave for all their employees.
The basic per diem rate allowed by the IRS for payments to transportation workers is rising by $11 in fiscal year 2025.
As BNSF Railway, CSX and Norfolk Southern continue to sign tentative contract agreements with their labor unions well in advance of the start of national negotiations, one U.S. Class I railroad has been conspicuously absent: Union Pacific.
U.S. railroads see the highest weekly intermodal traffic since the pandemic, and ongoing supply chain issues could aid further gains as a threatened longshore strike creeps closer.
Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan increases rail capacity by 250 cars and adds hundreds of feet of new dock for expanded all-water cargoes.
Internal email reveals $105 million in maintenance cutbacks at BNSF that could lead to service disruptions.
