Class 1 railroads reiterate that some measures they took to cut costs because of the coronavirus could become permanent.
With the second half of the year just weeks away, Class I rail executives are eyeing at least some recovery in rail volumes as shelter-in-place restrictions ease.
BNSF and others are monitoring their rail networks as Cristobal moves up the Mississippi River Valley.
The railroad’s deployment of precision scheduled railroading resulted in faster and longer trains and reduced car sorting, according to the company’s recent sustainability report.
Despite U.S. rail traffic remaining sharply lower on a year-over-year basis, rail volumes for commodities such as grain and motor vehicles and parts helped to push volumes higher on a week-to-week basis.
The western U.S. railroad can deploy additional cost reduction measures, but how much cost savings it can realize from those measures will depend on how much rail volumes fall in the second quarter.
Despite lower revenues, the western U.S. railroad saw its first-quarter net income increase as the company trimmed quarterly expenses by 10%.
The railroads say the coronavirus pandemic could influence their financial results in 2020, but how deep that impact will be will depend on how long the pandemic lasts.
Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific each have employees who have contracted the virus, and they and those around them are in self-quarantine.
The three Class I railroads have set or will set targets as part of their involvement in a global initiative.
Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific say they have contingency plans should the coronavirus threaten to disrupt operations.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen wants freight and passenger railroads to temporarily alter their sick leave policies and provide stronger sanitizing materials.
Uncertainty is still an underlying theme facing North American freight railroads.
The transportation of goods and people was transformed when eastern and western rails were connected in 1869.
Union Pacific opens lanes, while Norfolk Southern talks lane opportunities to take market share from trucks.
Quarantines and factory shutdowns could deepen and extend the traditional Chinese New Year trough.
The railroad eyes slight volume growth in 2020 amid plans for longer trains and reduced headcount.
Net income falls in the fourth quarter amid a decline in operating revenue and a decrease in rail volumes.
Los Angeles port signals efficiency gains as the third-largest container alliance plans additional SE Asia stops.
Lower rail volumes, an active Surface Transportation Board and a strike were among the key events that the U.S. and Canadian freight rail industry experienced this year.
