Feds want service improvement updates from 4 Class I railroads
The Surface Transportation Board wants Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern to provide service recovery plans following reports and testimony about deteriorating rail service.
The Surface Transportation Board wants Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern to provide service recovery plans following reports and testimony about deteriorating rail service.
A hearing at the Surface Transportation Board raised hard questions that could influence the trajectory of the freight rail industry.
The Coordinated Bargaining Coalition, which represents the unions at the negotiating table, panned the Class I railroads’ offer to advance payments amid stalled talks over a new labor agreement.
Class I railroads’ offer of advance payments is rebuffed by one union as contract talks continue.
The Surface Transportation Board wants ‘act on its own initiative’ to modify rules governing its response to service emergencies
As investors and rail stakeholders digest the Class I railroads’ first-quarter 2022 financial results, discussions about service metrics, crews and capacity, and inflation could creep into earnings calls.
How trains help make a car
The Class I railroads say they have been trying to improve service, which has deteriorated amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Surface Transportation Board questions whether headcount reductions come into play.
The union coalition calls on federal agencies and railroads to ensure attendance policies don’t result in overly fatigued locomotive engineers and train conductors.
Four Class I railroads have donated funds to support humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine and surrounding areas. Also, U.S. and European rail sector officials form a task force to support Ukrainian freight and passenger rail.
The board held a two-day hearing on reciprocal switching to help it determine how it should move forward.
The North American rail system can learn a lot from the Europeans as both seek to incorporate battery and autonomous technologies into their freight rail networks.
Congress should fund the Surface Transportation Board, agreed panelists at a U.S. House hearing on the board’s funding reauthorization. But they disagree on what STB’s role should be in regulating the freight railroads.
The North American railroads engage in cross-border movements too. So why hasn’t the vaccine mandate erupted into protests over cross-border rail operations in the same way trucking has? This AskWaves article explores that question.
Ten unions want a mediator to assist with negotiations for a new labor agreement between the unions and U.S. freight railroads. The railroads agree.
Infrastructure and capacity expansion projects, regulatory uncertainties and progress toward supply chain visibility and sustainability are the themes that rail and intermodal stakeholders have set their sights on in 2022.
Several rail shippers had asked the Surface Transportation Board to temporarily suspend a proceeding on a voluntary arbitration program for small rate disputes, but the board denied that request.
From M&A to supply chain disruptions, the freight rail industry navigated an often unpredictable 2021.
U.S. utilities are facing record low coal stockpiles, and network congestion on the rails is only adding to the stress.
The Surface Transportation Board is advancing two rulemakings on small rate disputes concurrently to determine how best to address such disputes. The railroads prefer one rulemaking while shippers prefer another.
Growing headcount and relieving supply chain congestion dominated Class I railroads’ third-quarter 2021 earnings commentaries — and these issues look poised to persist in Q4 and into 2022.
The Clure Public Marine Terminal now can handle “international shipping containers transported by vessel.”
Union members say precision scheduled railroading affects the ability to conduct thorough safety inspections.
The plan, which goes to 2055, seeks to restore and develop intercity passenger rail along four “cornerstone corridors.”
The Association of American Railroads applauds the 24/7 approach to container operations, which the association says is similar to the way freight railroads function.
Despite flat-to-higher rail volumes in August both year-over-year and sequentially, the number of employees working at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads fell slightly.
The railroads have been facing a number of headwinds in recent months, all of which could put pressure on their financial outlooks for 2021, according to investment firm Cowen.
Labor and chassis shortages, as well as congestion in the wider supply chain, have contributed to lower U.S. intermodal traffic compared with a year ago.
The agency is seeking comments from freight railroads on whether it should collect data pertaining to first- and last-mile movements.
FreightWaves market expert Mike Baudendistel chats with Norfolk Southern’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Alan Shaw about intermodal challenges and opportunities confronting NS and other Class I railroads.
As fall harvest nears, grain shippers and freight railroads are taking steps to ensure network fluidity for export-bound grain trains in and out of the Pacific Northwest.
Canadian Pacific, Norfolk Southern and the broader freight rail industry describe how they plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Class I railroads are keeping an eye on Hurricane Ida as the storm is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend.
Both Canada and the U.S. have provisions that allow for reciprocal switching, or interswitching. But rail shippers’ ability to participate in the program differs in the two countries.
As this year’s peak season gets underway, dislocations in the supply chain are increasing. However, this is really nothing new as the industry has been in peak mode for a year.
The Association of American Railroads responds to regulator’s inquiry about supply chain congestion, while GoRail advocates for regulation supporting freight rail industry growth.
The CEOs of five Class I railroads tell the Surface Transportation Board that the root causes of the congestion facing rail intermodal terminals are beyond the railroads’ control.
APM Terminals on the U.S. Gulf Coast wants potential importing customers to know it has access to the Midwest via five Class I railroads.
STB Chairman Marty Oberman has sent letters to all the Class I railroads asking them how the railroads are applying storage fees at key container terminals while the supply chain is congested.
U.S. rail carloads showed strength in 19 of 20 commodity categories in June. Second-quarter intermodal traffic climbed 22% even with network congestion and equipment shortages as the backdrop.
Employment levels at the U.S. operations of Class I railroads were flat to higher from April to May. But year-over-year totals show a nearly 3% decline. Meanwhile, the Class I railroads say they’re actively hiring and training in 2021.
Reducing dwell times for equipment and at the terminals is one way the Class I railroads are seeking to relieve systemwide supply chain congestion, according to executives at recent investor conferences.
The American Chemistry Council wants the Surface Transportation Board to look into whether operational changes and cost cutting exacerbated the rail service issues that chemicals shippers have been having in the first half of this year.
The rail regulatory body sent several letters to Class I railroad heads last week, asking them to provide plans on how they expect to handle workforce and equipment in light of broader supply chain disruptions and anticipated service demand post-pandemic.
See why Freight Railroads are Separated Into Classes
April employment levels at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads were up 0.42% from March but down 7% year-over-year.
This AskWaves article explains what Class I, Class II and Class III railroads are and why they exist.
Amtrak must follow new on-time performance metrics starting July 1. Democratic congressional leaders and the Surface Transportation Board are looking at different ways to help Amtrak reach that goal. Amtrak and the freight railroads share track in certain U.S. regions.
The Surface Transportation Board has determined that a waiver that exempted Kansas City Southern from post-2001 merger rules governing rail mergers applies in the proposed merger between KCS and Canadian Pacific.
The U.S. Department of Justice raised concerns about how Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern are using a voting trust to facilitate their proposed merger. The two railroads respond.
The Surface Transportation Board defines what billing information should be included in demurrage invoices to rail users as a means to provide more transparency.
Two rail shipper coalition groups and four Class I railroads want the Surface Transportation Board to review Canadian Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern under “new” rules that gauge whether a merger would enhance market competition.
Canadian Pacific wants to acquire Kansas City Southern. Here are five thoughts from Wall Street transportation analysts about the transaction.
The publicly traded Class I railroads expect rail volumes to improve this year despite severe winter weather curtailing operations in February.
Two bullish equity research reports this week on transportation stocks both highlight expectations around consumer spending and what that means for freight demand.
J.B. Hunt believes recent winter storms will negatively impact first-quarter operating income by $15 million to $20 million. The company said it had been successful advancing its intermodal service initiatives prior to the storms.
Adoption of technology has influenced U.S. Class I railroads’ staffing. Will additional technological innovation cut headcount even more, or will other factors have greater weight?
Anticipated consumer spending levels, retail restocking and tight truck capacity are among the factors that could support intermodal volumes this year, according to Class I rail execs.
U.S. operations of the Class I railroads employed fewer employees in 2020 than in any year since at least 2012. Headcount was 14% lower than in 2019.
FRA announces the full implementation of PTC as well as interoperability among competing railroads.
From volume volatility to a busy board, here are five themes that dominated the rail industry this year.
Total employment among the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads fell nearly 14% year-over-year amid the railroads’ continued deployment of precision scheduled railroading.
Expanding what service and performance data Transport Canada collects could help demystify the freight rail operations, the agency said.
The railroads say they are ensuring their networks keep running as coronavirus cases surge in the Midwest. Meanwhile, union members want the railroads to be more consistent in their responses to the pandemic.
Nearly 92% of the U.S. Class I rail network is interoperable and close to fulfilling the federal positive train control mandate by the Dec. 31 deadline, according to FRA data.
The rule defines performance and service metrics for Amtrak and it requires freight rail to meet an on-time performance standard.
What won and what lost in the third quarter for the rails?
The U.S. rail network comprises nearly 140,000 miles of track, broken into three main categories.
A railroad from Mexico’s Port of Mazatlan to Winnipeg, Manitoba, would require enhanced container-handling facilities at both sites.
A politician’s perceived influence over transportation policy may factor into who gets financial support.
Zeta, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall Wednesday, could cause some service issues.
Rail freight needs to become more truck-like as to timely inventory reporting.
Genuflecting toward Wall Street has symbolically become part of the North American Class 1 rail company culture.
Although the hurricane isn’t expected to make landfall until later this week, the Class I railroads are preparing now for potential service disruptions.
The independent federal rail agency is looking at the market factors determining exemption from board oversight. The board also separately declared five Class I railroads as being revenue adequate in 2019.
U.S. intermodal traffic continues its upward trend but carloads are still lower year-over-year.
Kathryn M. Farmer will assume the role of president and CEO in January, taking the reins from current President and CEO Carl R. Ice. Ice is retiring but will remain on BNSF’s board of directors.
Iowa transportation company Travero plans to open a multimodal cross-dock operation by next September.
The Class I railroads update agencies on service issues; shippers use the opportunity to ask for data collection on first-mile and last-mile movements.
The railroads are taking precautions to ensure their networks are secure ahead of two U.S. Gulf Coast storms.
The Class I’s have reached 100% compliance with three of the five categories required to reach full implementation.
Two logistics parks are in operation nearby and more are to come in Alabama.
Rail traffic continued to build through June. U.S. intermodal traffic was only off 5% year-over-year in week 26.
Deutsche Bank analyst Amit Mehrotra favors a few transportation stocks as the second quarter comes to a close.
Class 1 railroads reiterate that some measures they took to cut costs because of the coronavirus could become permanent.
The active railcar fleet fell by 25% in May. Multiple headwinds face railcar demand, but volumes may be turning a corner.
Alabama State Port Authority and APM Terminals Mobile will help get products to customers quickly
Interoperability between host and tenant railroads nears 60% at the end of the first quarter, up from 48% in December.
Like all industries, the coronavirus has impacted railroads. What should they be doing to gain market share and better serve their customers?
Employee counts at U.S. Class I railroads continue to be lower in 2020 than 2019, although total headcount rose slightly from February.
The groups want the Federal Railroad Administration to ensure that railroads’ requests to waive certain regulations stem from a true labor shortage.
In terms of financial results for the Class I railroads in 2020, it could get worse before it gets better, according to several Wall Street analysts.
A report from Boston Consulting Group suggests that the Class I railroads must look beyond precision scheduled railroading and operating ratios if the industry wants to be a competitive transportation mode.
After a surge in freight over the past few weeks, UBS transportation analyst Tom Wadewitz is predicting a rough two months.
Hub Group joins other transportation companies in accessing revolving credit to improve liquidity.
Freight rail trade and labor groups applaud the U.S. federal government for passing the $2 trillion stimulus package aimed at stabilizing the American economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Total headcount falls to its lowest level amid continued declines in U.S. rail volumes.
The Class I railroads would need to ensure that Amtrak can meet FRA’s on-time performance metrics for the routes they share with Amtrak.
OmniTRAX announces new CFO following several additions to the management team.
Economic uncertainties, including the prospect of a coronavirus-induced recession, could spur the railroad to update its 2020 guidance.