The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for federal, state and local governments to develop inland ports to improve network flows, say stakeholders.
Record earnings per share of $2.48 beat analysts’ estimates.
The investments rely on expectations that customers will want easy or green access to railroads’ intermodal offerings.
UP’s capital expenditures plan for 2022 includes investments to intermodal terminals and intermodal ramps, executives said during the company’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call Thursday.
Despite being stymied by labor shortages and lack of equipment such as chassis in the second half of 2021, U.S. intermodal volumes were actually pretty high considering the yearly total.
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.
From M&A to supply chain disruptions, the freight rail industry navigated an often unpredictable 2021.
The pilot program in Chicago and Kansas City aims to encourage trucks to come — and go — with a shipping container.
The state-of-the-art terminal has rail-to-truck transfer capacity domestic and international containers and deploys automated container handling.
Like its Class I peers, Norfolk Southern encountered supply chain disruptions brought on by a lack of workers in dray and warehousing.
To make room for more containers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, UP and BNSF are offering incentives to ocean carrier customers to move out the containers already there. UP is also temporarily pausing westbound marine container movement to its Long Beach facility.
Domestic intermodal container volume growth over the past two months may not signal a definitive end to the rail yard blues, but it is a positive sign for supply chain managers.
Union Pacific could’ve handled more intermodal volume in the third quarter were it not for longer chassis dwell times and a shortage of dray drivers, executives said during the company’s earnings call.
CSX has been aggressively pursuing new employees in order to meet network capacity needs, executives said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call.
The NS terminal will serve “strong growth in the Louisville intermodal market.”
INRD’s expansion will benefit Indianapolis-area intermodal customers seeking access to the Asian market.
The Department of Transportation seeks “practical solutions” from the freight industry to alleviate container shortages and supply chain chokepoints.
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.
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.
NS plans to reopen a Pennsylvania intermodal facility in response to e-commerce rise, market demand and supply chain congestion.
