Surface Transportation Board

The proposed actions address major rail shipper complaints voiced to the Board earlier this year.

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.

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

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

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

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

A federal appeals court denies a request by rail shippers to form a class lawsuit, and U.S. Senators press the Surface Transportation Board to take action.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) is seeking public comments on Brookfield Asset Management’s proposed acquisition of shortline operator Genesee & Wyoming. Broofield announced plans to acquire GWR earlier this month in a deal valued at $8.4 billion.

U.S. railroads had fewer employees on their payroll in June amid lower rail volumes overall and company decisions to trim workforce levels as part of changes to their operating models.

Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific are modifying some of the ways they collect demurrage and accessorial charges for some commodities, but some shippers are questioning the modifications.

Although the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has voted in favor of the nomination of an additional board member to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), whether and when she will be installed remains to be seen.

The service problems associated with precision scheduled railroading (PSR) have motivated forest products and scrap recycling shippers to press the Surface Transportation Board to renew a longstanding request for regulatory oversight.

Should the Class I railroads see U.S. rail volumes sustainably increase, furloughed workers could be called back to meet network capacity needs, resulting in a bump up of headcount levels. But another factor that could affect headcount levels in the long-term is the deployment of automation technologies.

The Surface Transportation Board is considering initiating a more formal review of how it resolves rail rate disputes.

Market expert Jim Blaze dissects the recent Surface Transportation Board hearings on demurrage and accessorial charges. Read his observations on the relationships between the railroads and their shipper customers…

“The board has the authority to define reasonable practices. If you were in our shoes, what would you do?” said Surface Transportation Board vice chairman Patrick Fuchs to a panel representing BNSF, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific.

Regulators frustrated by carriers’ lack of candor in justifying service fees

At least 35 groups will be testifying before the Surface Transportation Board this week to provide their perspective on how the Class I railroads assess demurrage and accessorial charges. The charges have become controversial because some shippers say the changes that the Class I railroads have made in administering the charges are unfair.

Nevada joins Colorado in requiring freight trains to have at least two crew members on board. Meanwhile, preliminary data from the Surface Transportation Board shows April rail headcount level to be the lowest so far in 2019 and since January 2017.

FreightWaves market expert Jim Blaze looks at a regulatory spat between Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway over the concept of “open access.” Learn why that is important to all railroads – and shippers!