Power outages, bitter cold and heavy snows have caused temporary intermodal-related closures and significant delays.

UP appoints three employees to new roles within Loup Logistics and the company’s marketing and sales department.

The trade agreement’s rules governing how much of a car must consist of North American parts could incentivize automakers to set up more assembly plants in the U.S.

Extreme cold and lots of snow in the Midwest and other areas could impact rail operations and cause delays, according to some railroads.

CenterPoint acquires Houston-area distribution facility while Genesee & Wyoming reports industrial development results for 2020.

Plans to halt construction of the Keystone XL pipeline will likely mean more crude oil volumes being shipped by rail. But how much more will depend on a variety of factors, including oil price spreads, other pipelines, oil storage options and the railroads’ ability to juggle volumes.

OmniTRAX sets sights on Sand Springs; advisory group approves Union Pacific’s emission reduction targets.

The U.S. housing market is tight heading into 2021, with higher housing starts and limited inventories helping to support lumber and wood carloads.

Customers taking part in BNSF’s program to develop facilities on BNSF-owned real estate invested $1.1 billion in those facilities in 2020.

CSX’s tunnel widening plans are still moving forward; Canadian Pacific sees record grain volumes for January.

Railcar manufacturer Greenbrier is forming a joint venture with transportation asset management firm Longwood to lease railcars.

Retailers will want to pull forward inventory ahead of the 2021 peak season, the intermodal marketing company said. Fourth-quarter 2020 revenue grew by 6% although net profit slipped by 20% year-over-year.

U.S. rail volumes rose 5.3% in January as gains for intermodal, chemicals and grain were enough to offset losses for coal and petroleum products, according to AAR data.

The Union Pacific employee, who was working in Vail, Arizona, was struck by a rail tamper and fatally injured, according to the railroad and the National Transportation Safety Board.

During a panel discussion, Home Depot and others talk about how to grow freight rail.

Higher consumer spending, inventory restocking and rising import levels contributed to a 9.6% gain in North American intermodal volumes in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the Intermodal Association of North America.

TrinityRail, Canadian Pacific and Rocky Mountain Industrials announce company news; unions seek appointments to the National Mediation Board.

A train conductor in Georgia stopped a CSX train from hitting a homeless man on the tracks who was suffering from hypothermia.

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.

Revenue gains and lower costs in the fourth quarter weren’t enough to offset losses from GATX’s passenger airline-affiliated joint venture with Rolls-Royce.

With its acquisition of an Atlantic short line railroad in place, Canadian Pacific said the next opportunities to expand its network lie in its land holdings and partnerships.

Norfolk Southern seeks to increase train lengths and weights as part of its next stage of precision scheduled railroading deployment, executives said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday.

Canadian Pacific reported a fourth-quarter operating ratio of 53.9%, a record low. Fourth-quarter net profit was CA$802 million, up nearly 21% year-over-year.

CN expressed confidence that it has the network capacity available to handle more volumes in the second half of 2021. But pandemic uncertainties loom in the first quarter.

Fourth-quarter net profit was $671 million. An 8% decrease in operating expenses helped to offset a 4% decline in operating revenues.

Two FreightWaves SONAR charts illustrate Union Pacific’s views of the West Coast intermodal spot market.

CN’s fourth-quarter net income was C$1.02 billion amid a 2% increase in revenue and a 5% decrease in operating expenses.

Former CSX executive Dean Piance will serve as CEO of short line operator and logistics provider OmniTRAX.

KCS plans to deploy the third phase of its precision scheduled railroading program this year as it eyes an operating ratio goal in the mid-50s by 2022.

Marty Oberman has been appointed to serve as the chairman of the Surface Transportation Board.

Elevated numbers of CSX employees who contracted COVID-19 or are in quarantine have resulted in operational challenges to the railroad in the fourth quarter and into 2021.

KCS’ fourth-quarter 2020 net profit was $165.7 million, compared with $127.2 million in Q4 of 2019.

CSX’s fourth-quarter net income slipped 1% to $760 million amid a 2% decline in revenue.

Union Pacific has the network capacity to handle an anticipated rebound in rail volumes in 2021, executives said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday.

Union Pacific’s net profit was $1.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020, on par with the fourth quarter of 2019.

The Western U.S. railroad expects to invest $2.99 billion in capital projects to maintain and upgrade its infrastructure and assets.

U.S. weekly rail traffic rose nearly 6% last week amid a 43% increase in grain carloads and a 13% rise in intermodal traffic.

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.

Short line operator is seeking companies that might be interested in constructing facilities on sites located on the Georgia Woodlands Railroad, which interchanges with CSX.

The Federal Highway Administration, in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, awarded grants to five commuter rail agencies for incident-prone areas.

Anticipated higher natural gas prices could prompt coal’s share in U.S. power generation to grow in 2021 and 2022, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook.

A towing vessel struck a CSX swing bridge near Slidell, Louisiana, very early Wednesday morning. Rail operations have since resumed at a reduced speed.

OneRail’s $6.7 million in late seed financing will help the delivery orchestration and fulfillment platform scale its business development, sales and marketing operations.

Michelle Schultz’s appointment brings the board to five members, the full complement prescribed by federal law.

The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the factors that may have contributed to a fatal accident at the Acca rail yard in Richmond, Virginia, in October.

A federal district court judge in Nebraska determined that it would be illegal for the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division to take action against Union Pacific over the railroad’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A change in plans for the Brazos yard in Texas contributed to Union Pacific reaching an operating ratio in the mid-50s.

Robert Primus gets confirmed as the newest member of the Surface Transportation Board while the Intermodal Association of North America names Barbara Melvin as its new board member.

Rail shippers discuss what issues they would like to see addressed in 2021. Among them: further action by the Surface Transportation Board and Congress on ensuring rail competition and adequate rail service.

The railcar manufacturer sustained a net loss of $10 million in its fiscal-year first quarter, but it’s eyeing a market recovery in the second half of 2021.

Falling U.S. coal carload volumes reflect the decline of U.S. energy consumption of power generated by coal. Also, U.S. intermodal traffic offset volume losses in 2020.

Acquisitions and record Canadian grain loadings round out rail news

BNSF and Wabtec conduct advanced tests on a battery-electric locomotive by putting it in service in California with two Tier 4 diesel locomotives.

From volume volatility to a busy board, here are five themes that dominated the rail industry this year.

XPO Logistics garners a spot on FreightWaves’ FreightTech 25 list.

The U.S. District Court in Nebraska sides with Union Pacific’s request to prevent Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees division from striking over the railroad’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

The coronavirus relief bill that passed Congress includes language that would make permanent a tax credit encouraging short line railroads to invest in capital projects.

Initial reports reveal seven tank cars derailed in Washington state and two were on fire, said.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division is considering action against Union Pacific over quarantine pay and “common sense” COVID-19 safeguards.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the freight rail industry needs to reconsider where it places buffer cars on high-hazard flammable trains in order to reduce potential accident severity.

Using artificial intelligence to cull insights from freight transportation’s massive amounts of data can not only encourage safe environments, It also has the potential to improve productivity and efficiency, as well as provide supply chain visibility that benefits all stakeholders, says a tech executive.

Railway supply workers support critical infrastructure, the trade group says.

The Eastern U.S. railroad attributed its decision to furlough employees to changing market conditions.

CN has partnered with other organizations to develop a plastics resins export facility in Alabama near the Port of Mobile. The facility will open in late 2021.

Freight rail groups and others congratulate the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, on his nomination to lead DOT; also, U.S. weekly rail volumes rise nearly 5% year-over-year

Expanding what service and performance data Transport Canada collects could help demystify the freight rail operations, the agency said.

CSX is looking for customers interested in developing facilities at the 225-acre Columbia Tennessee Rail Site.

FreightWaves chats with CEVA Logistics on what it takes for retail customers to transition successfully to e-commerce. What’s the answer? Flexibility.

All 50 states plus the District of Columbia must now develop and implement safety measures for high-risk highway-rail grade crossings.

The railroad has named three locations to be part of its site-ready industrial development program.

The new rule takes into account recent technological advancements and harmonizes U.S. regulations with Canada’s.

CN joins other Class I railroads in courting automotive and container shippers in the Upper Midwest through this latest offering.

U.S. weekly carloads last week were only 1.4% lower than year-ago levels, while intermodal traffic is still experiencing double-digit percentage increases.

Train lengths, improving network velocity and coronavirus uncertainties are among the big themes expressed by Class I railroad executives at a recent investor conference.

“This is one of the most difficult seasons we’ve been facing trying to move our cargo out of the United States,” says a California almond producer.

A cross-industry working group for freight rail cautions workers following three recent fatalities related to switching.

Alpenglow Rail is seeking customers for its new Port Arthur railcar storage, switching and transloading logistics park.

November was a bright spot for U.S. and Canadian grain carloads.

The railway has started reaching out to First Nations groups and the broader public to share its plan.

Author Robert Jacobson describes how Main Street investors today can invest in the space-related logistics of tomorrow.

Five Class I railroads ask the Surface Transportation Board to consider an alternative arbitration program.

CP will serve Hapag-Lloyd at the New Brunswick port through 2025.

The Association of American Railroads recently laid out some issues that Amtrak, host railroads and the federal government must grapple with as they implement on-time performance metrics and standards for Amtrak.

Larry Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department for the AFL-CIO, died Sunday after sustaining injuries in a biking incident.

The acquisition would add Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont to CSX’s 23-state network.

The $229 million deal comes as CAI International seeks to focus on its containing leasing business.

Transportation PACs offer a way for trade associations — and the smaller companies they represent — to have a political voice, proponents say.

KCS says Mexico protests are impacting fourth-quarter revenue, and Norfolk Southern announces leadership changes.

The rules reflect the latest science on fatigue management, Transport Canada says.

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.

Rep. Joseph D. Morelle of New York says LNG unit trains would pose a safety threat to the local community.

October’s total employment level among the U.S. Class Is was the second lowest for 2020 as railroads implement PSR.

CP’s partnership with Maersk is starting early, with the first vessel coming into Vancouver in December versus March 2021.

The railroad has opened a new intermodal terminal in Minneapolis, and service to and from Los Angeles will begin in January.

The facility aims to provide plastics producers with an alternative to the Gulf Coast.

The Senate has confirmed the appointments of Robert Primus and Michelle Schultz.

U.S. carload traffic on a weekly basis was 3.1% lower last week on a year-over-year basis and 1.7% higher sequentially.

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.

Tight container market, COVID-19 pandemic concerns and sufficient network capacity are among top concerns of some grain shippers.