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!
Members of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen who work on CSX’s L&N property have ratified their sick leave agreement, CSX said.
Uncertainties over consumer demand and inflation rates are causing Canadian Pacific Kansas City to adopt a more cautious stance as 2024 approaches.
CPKC reported a 12% decline in net profit in the third quarter despite higher combined revenues.
Short-term pain will lead to long-term gain for Norfolk Southern, the railway’s CEO said when asked about his company’s higher margins amid plans to continue improvements to rail service.
NS’ third-quarter net income fell 50% amid a $163 million incident charge related to the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment in February.
Partnerships with other Class I railroads will help the freight rail industry gain market share, CN executives said during the Canadian railway’s third-quarter 2023 earnings call Tuesday.
The Prince Rupert Port Authority is starting construction on a project that will increase rail-to-container transloading at the Canadian port, particularly for agricultural, forestry and plastic resin products.
Soy Transportation Coalition director says farmers diverting product from weak export market.
The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and Norfolk Southern, with technical input from the Federal Railroad Administration, will conduct a one-year pilot program to identify best safety practices.
Enabling information sharing between departments will help CSX not only cut costs but discover new business opportunities, COO Mike Cory said on the railway’s third-quarter earnings call.
Eastern U.S. Class I railroad said its third-quarter net profit fell 24% amid lower operating revenues.
On his first earnings call as Union Pacific’s CEO, Jim Vena said his goal for the railway is to “win and be the best in the industry.”
Lower revenues dented Union Pacific’s earnings for the third quarter of 2023.
Officials from Nexxiot and Deloitte talk with FreightWaves in this Q&A about how combining data on container movements and a container’s financial streams can help ward off illicit trade.
Patrick Whitehead and Derek Taylor will lead different aspects of CN’s operations as the Canadian railway seeks to make its operations more “innovative” and “modern.”
J.B. Hunt’s overall financial performance in the third quarter was weak, but slight strengthening in intermodal volumes was celebrated.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen wants the Federal Railroad Administration to issue an emergency order prohibiting freight train lengths greater than 7,500 feet.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX are seeking approval from the Surface Transportation Board to acquire some of the assets of short line Meridian & Bigbee Railroad. They plan to beef up an Alabama interchange as part of an effort to create a Mexico-Southeast corridor.
A BNSF coal train derailed at a bridge north of Pueblo, Colorado, spilling coal and rail cars onto Interstate 25 beneath. The highway remains closed for now.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said a new rule calling for passenger trains to have inward- and outward-facing image recording devices should also have applied to freight trains.
