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!
U.S. rail imports from Vancouver and Prince Rupert are imperiled again. ILWU Canada has rejected the proposed dockworkers contract.
Union Pacific will expand the utility role in Nebraska and Colorado and make it more responsive to train movements.
Now that the labor strike at Canada’s ports is over, it’s time to take a look at the delays it created.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Rio Grande Foundation and others are urging senators to leave some items out of the rail safety bill before Congress.
Although international intermodal traffic has come to a halt at the Canadian West Coast ports since the start of the work stoppage on July 1, carload volumes for commodities such as coal and grain have grown, according to supply chain data visibility firm RailState.
The Surface Transportation Board will look into whether freight rail operations are affecting the on-time performance of Amtrak’s passenger rail service between New Orleans and Los Angeles.
Union Pacific and the union representing train conductors have reached a sick leave agreement.
U.S. imports via Canadian ports face rising fallout as the war of words escalates between dockworkers and employers.
The Association of American Railroads is suing the state of Ohio over its new law on freight train crew sizes.
As the labor strike continues at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, Class I railroads are taking steps to ensure that their networks face minimal disruptions.
The rail industry has taken steps to prevent another Lac-Mégantic derailment, but more needs to be done, said the chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants President Joe Biden to declare East Palestine a disaster area, while Norfolk Southern calls for rail car owners associated with the Feb. 3 derailment to help pay cleanup costs.
Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are looking at the idea of using the battery systems of battery-electric locomotives as a way to back up the U.S. power grid.
The Greenbrier Companies sees “steady production” as the rail equipment manufacturer prepares to close out its 2023 fiscal year.
The Reliable Rail Service Act would charge the Surface Transportation Board to provide more clarity on the freight railroads’ common carrier obligation.
Research and development initiatives in the freight rail industry should turn their focus on integrating systems that are typically siloed in railroad operations, sources tell FreightWaves.
Some families of victims of deadly railway accidents say railway police are torn between seeking the truth and protecting the company name. Railroads say safeguards are in place.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CSX and Genesee & Wyoming railroads aim to establish a direct interchange connection near Myrtlewood, Alabama.
The Surface Transportation Board has ordered BNSF to meet the Navajo Transitional Energy Company’s request for more coal trains.
A train derailment Saturday morning sent multiple tanker cars carrying hazardous materials into the Yellowstone River.
