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!
Despite lower volumes in BNSF’s consumer, agricultural, industrial and coal segments, the railroad’s freight revenue rose to nearly $6.3 billion on higher revenues per carload.
The Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis studied the potential environmental impacts resulting from a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern.
Improvements in rail service and “unparking” locomotives are market signals that could bode well for Wabtec in the back half of this year.
Jobs in the truck transportation sector have risen every month post-pandemic except one, but the pace of growth is slowing.
Even though macroeconomic uncertainties lie ahead, Hub Group expects to find support in the medium term through improving rail service, market conditions that encourage more conversions to rail and the diversification of its business, executives said on Wednesday’s earnings call.
A Democrat-backed bill in the U.S. House of Representatives addresses rail service concerns raised during recent hearings by the House transportation committee.
FreightWaves chats with international trade attorney Ashley Craig about what the troubles in labor talks for both rail and maritime mean for the broader supply chain.
CN and Canadian Pacific say they’re ready for an anticipated grain volume rebound in the new crop year that runs from Aug. 1 to July 31.
While headcount for train and engine employees is up for the first six months of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021, the freight rail headcount across all categories hasn’t risen.
Shippers want to move more goods via rail, and they will do so once rail service improves. This will ultimately benefit lessors like Trinity Industries, CEO Jean Savage told investors on a recent earnings call.
Canadian Pacific executives on the company’s second-quarter 2022 earnings call discussed precision scheduled railroading, synergies with Kansas City Southern and intermodal strength in the second half of the year.
The Canadian government wants the railways to submit details on how they will maintain equipment when it gets cold in winter as part of a rail safety initiative.
The new rail hub is designed to respond to a growing need to expand domestic intermodal capacity within the greater Seattle region.
Converting two flat switching yards back to hump yards and adjusting train schedules are broader initiatives that aim to serve customers better, Norfolk Southern executives said during the company’s second-quarter 2022 earnings call Wednesday.
In proposing a minimum train crew size of two members, FRA reverses its stance that crew size questions should be left to the railroads and the unions.
Union Pacific on Wednesday enlisted Wabtec to modernize 600 locomotives to improve fuel efficiency, reliability and haulage ability.
Anticipated strength in domestic intermodal and higher grain volumes will support CN in the back half of this year, company executives said during the Canadian railway’s second-quarter 2022 earnings call.
Consumer demand, vessel diversions and efforts to avoid congested West Coast ports drove the Georgia Ports Authority to break its record for annual volumes.
Senators and two U.S. House representatives from Illinois object to the railway merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern as currently proposed, saying the Surface Transportation Board should respond to their constituents’ concerns.
The Surface Transportation Board will conduct a three-day hearing in late September to find out from Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern directly about issues related to the railways’ proposed merger.
