railroads

U.S. rail volumes have been trending lower all year.

Jim Blaze writes about the North American railroads KPIs, and what the railroads need to do to increase railcar use, revenue and shipper loyalty.

Hunter Harrison’s timing was perfect for someone breaking into the rail transport industry, bestselling author Howard Green, who penned “Railroader: The Unfiltered Genius and Controversy of Four-Time CEO Hunter Harrison,” said during the keynote fireside chat Wednesday at FreightWaves LIVE Chicago. Harrison served as the CEO of Illinois Central Railroad, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific […]

The regulatory agency for rail receives a flurry of feedback on rail rate reasonableness and demurrage and accessorial charges.

TrinityRail has two new railcars: the Hourglass™ and the TrinFlo™.

The Class I railroads furlough workers in times of lower volumes but unions think the cuts have been too deep as a result of precision scheduled railroading.

BNSF placed in service approximately 2.5 miles of second main track near Westmond, Idaho, closing the gap between two larger sections of double-track main line on one of the busiest segments of BNSF’s Northern Corridor.

Third-quarter revenue fell for the shortline operator.

Market expert Michael Baudendistel writes about whether there is a rail recession, or are railroads paring operations and employees to fatten their bottom lines.

U.S. rail volumes fell 8.1% amid trade uncertainty and “sluggish” growth abroad.

Railway rebounds after slow start in August and September.

U.S. rail trade associations say changes will help employees responding to unplanned events.

Shipping liquified natural gas by rail is a controversial topic. Read what Jim Blaze thinks about the idea in his latest commentary.

Connecting the Alaska Railroad with rail service in Canada and the U.S. is a bold, expensive plan. But it would generate tremendous benefits. Read more here.

The credit ratings firm sees coal and intermodal volumes under continued pressure next year.

Train crew size, healthcare are among the key issues, on top of grappling with systemic changes to the industry

Ben Thrower writes about the positive and negative aspects of precision scheduled railroading in this commentary article.

Year-to-date U.S. rail traffic continues to trend lower.

The rail equipment and technology manufacturer sees international opportunities as an area for business to grow.

The number of employees working for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads slumps to its lowest level in years.

Jim Blaze writes about Conrail Shared Assets and its accomplishments on behalf of CSX and Norfolk Southern.

The rail equipment manufacturer said it delivered record railcar deliveries in the quarter.

Rail volumes fell yet again and the industry is casting its doubts about the fourth quarter.

Despite lowering its operating ratio, the railroad tempers its 2019 outlook.

Jim Blaze explains the new CSX trip compliance reporting… perhaps the first step for railroads to compete more effectively with the trucking industry.

With U.S. rail volumes still slumping, the Class I railroads wondered in third-quarter earnings calls when the downward trend would end.

The eastern U.S. railroad declined to share its expectations for 2020 but said it would be prepared should rail volumes rebound.

Government initiatives are encouraging the freight rail sector to address cyber threats. But what else needs to be done?

Market View commentator Jim Blaze writes about the advantages short line railroads offer to shippers.

Freight shipments and expenditures declined on a year-over-year basis again in September according to the latest Cass Freight Index Report. The firm now believes that the index is “signaling an economic contraction.”

Reports have been surfacing that the Alberta government could grant more crude-by-rail contracts.

Excerpt: The companies promote and assign new roles to longstanding employees.

Jim Blaze writes about the competitiveness of railroads vs. trucks and the railroads’ lack of interoperability.

The railroads say the union refuses to negotiate on train crew size as both sides prepare for a new collective bargaining agreement.

For decades, the European freight rail system has had no major upgrades with regard to axle load capacity, train length or car vertical height.

The new executives contributed greatly to CSX as the railroad made operational changes, the company said.

Companies file a flurry of lawsuits against the big four U.S. Class I railroads, alleging their fuel surcharge programs violated antitrust laws.

The rulemakings address cost of capital calculations and rail performance data for chemicals and plastics traffic; shippers also press Board to act on fuel surcharges.

Groups say existing federal laws trump Illinois’ mandate on train crew size.

The railway grappled with not only the potential for cold temperatures but also macro uncertainty in crafting plan.

The upgrades come as company and state officials eye anticipated volume growth at the Port of Savannah.

Jim Blaze writes about the decisions that will go into determining 2020 capital expenditures by the freight railroads.

Year-to-date U.S. rail traffic down 3.8 percent from the same period in 2018.

To meet future rail demand, stakeholders must confront communication dysfunction.

Declining coal consumption in the U.S. may have led to the dispute.

Mike Baudendistel, a 13-year equities analyst with deep expertise in rail, intermodal, Jones Act and transportation OEMs, joins FreightWaves as a market expert.

As precision scheduled railroading takes hold, headcount levels drop to their lowest in years.

The rail equipment manufacturer will close its Boise facility and move operations to Erie.

Two lawmakers want more extensive review of the risks and practice of using tank cars to haul liquefied natural gas.

Trade uncertainty and loose truck capacity continue to weigh on rail traffic.

The Port of Savannah’s expansion plans will benefit shippers — so long as infrastructure needs outside the port are met.

The trade group has been lobbying Congress to make permanent a tax credit for infrastructure investments.

The railroad, which has dedicated operations in Mexico, has invested in capital infrastructure related to energy.

The Surface Transportation Board has proposed two rules that could ease shippers’ burdens when contesting rail rates.

CSX needs to be more proactive if wants to compete with trucks, CSX’s chief said.

U.S. rail volumes are down nearly 4% year-to-date amid a 6.6% decline for coal and a 4% drop for intermodal.

Three Class I U.S. rail operations earned enough returns on investment in 2018 to support their capital projects.

The railcar manufacturer says the covered hoppers are shorter but enable faster grain discharges.

This week’s addition of intermodal volume data to our SONAR platform brings us one step closer to having price, volume, and capacity for all modes of transport including air cargo, trucking, inland waterways (barge), ocean and rail.

The two railroads said customers should expect delays and possible rerouting.

The decline in U.S. coal production could cost the railroads billions in lost revenue.

Weakness in the manufacturing sector is dragging U.S. rail volumes lower, AAR says.

Grain shippers wonder if the Canadian railways will keep up with demand in the 2019-20 crop year.

With rail traffic lower year-over-year and PSR initiatives in full swing, it’s understandable that soft railcar demand attracted attention at an investor conference.

Slumping coal demand, trade wars and a competitive truck market are weighing on rail volumes for the remainder of the year.

The railroads say customers should expect delays and rerouting because of the hurricane

Market Voice Jim Blaze contents that railroads are using the wrong KPIs to increase volume and capture market share from trucks.

The line serves communities in western New York and eastern Canada near the St. Lawrence River.

Logistics and transport sector ramps up contingency plans for Hurricane Dorian, while continuing to operate until better forecasts are available.

The new appointments could indicate how the companies are preparing to respond to future market trends.

Year-to-date U.S. rail volumes are still slumping this year, due in part to a competitive truck market for intermodal shipments.

The acquisition seeks to build upon the company’s rail assets in Ohio and expand its presence into the Port of Cleveland.

Market Voice Jim Blaze writes about rail intermodal and what is happening to this area of the railroad sector.

The railroad contends the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act and the Federal Railroad Safety Act preempt Oklahoma’s law.

The continued slump in U.S. rail volumes is putting pressure on overall North American rail volumes.

Headcount continues to fall at U.S. rail operations as the railroads implement precision scheduled railroading.

Jim Blaze writes about FreightWaves SONAR and how it could be a helpful tool for the freight railroads.

Competition from other grain-producing countries weigh on U.S. grain exports – and on U.S. rail volumes for grain.

Year-to-date North American rail volumes fell 2.3 percent last week. But what about for the rest of the year?

The states of Illinois, Nevada and Washington are seeking to push ahead with state laws requiring a train crew size of at least two individuals, despite a federal declaration saying that such laws have been voided.

Volatility appears to be the only certainty for transportation stocks as trade concerns loom. The transportation stocks walked through a less than stellar earnings season, but renewed trade concerns has them bouncing about.

The announcements confirming Canada’s planned investments in rail infrastructure come as the country prepares for a federal election in October.

As railroads cut less profitable routes, shippers should learn as much as possible about railroads plans for future service.

U.S. rail carloads no longer appear to be following the lead of broader economic indicators. Why? Look to concerns about rail service reliability and trade uncertainty as answers.

CSX and Canadian National’s partnership to create new intermodal service between Montreal and Toronto and the greater New York City area is a strategy to expand each other’s geographical reach and compete with the long-haul trucking market.

Railcar manufacturer Greenbrier will invest $16 million in an American Railcar Industries facility that produces tank cars.

U.S. railroad operations loaded 5.5 percent fewer carloads and intermodal units in July, and trade uncertainty could threaten to maintain that downward trend in rail volumes for the remainder of 2019.

Genesee and Wyoming sees second-quarter operating income decline amid lower freight revenues from its Australian and European operations and flat year-over-year revenue from its North American operations.

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden’s (D-Oregon) new bill would require the railroads to supply information on crude volumes to emergency responders, and it would mandate that the railroads share crude-by-rail data annually.

Jim Blaze writes about the recent history of intermodal rail service and what may happen in the next few years.

Second quarter revenue for BNSF rose 0.3 percent despite lower volumes for agricultural products, consumer products and industrial products.

“If a shipper can share some of its production forecast information to railroads, railroads can plan better to meet that capacity. Conversely, if railroads can open up and show where their empty railcars are to the shipper so that the shipper has a bit more confidence that the right number of railcars are going to show up, then the shipper can more confidently choose rail.”

“I think we’re at a critical juncture. Six months from now I think we’ll be able to take a closer pulse to where things are.”

Ben Thrower examines the costs – in money, lost land and lost businesses – of the high-speed rail line in California.

North American rail volumes are still lower year-over-year, but U.S. carloads recovered somewhat last week.

The Class I railroads have reported their second quarter/first-half of 2019 results. Jim Blaze writes about what may happen during the remainder of 2019.

Train products manufacturer and supplier Wabtec lowered its sales guidance for 2019 but kept its projections for how much profit it expects to make from its operations.

Greenbrier said the acquisition will enable the company to provide customers not only with direct sales or leasing options but also with after-market services. Customers seeking tank cars and covered hoppers will also benefit from Greenbrier’s expanded geographic footprint as a result of the acquisition.

Winchester & Western Railroad is being acquired by OmniTrax in a $105 million deal.

Despite uncertain economic conditions, Trinity Industries (NYSE: TRN) expects rail volumes to improve in the second half of the year, based on “healthy” inquiry levels for its railcars, company leaders said during TRN’s second quarter earnings call on July 25.