The American Chemistry Council says a rail strike lasting a month or longer could significantly damage the U.S. economy.

El grupo comercial insta al Congreso a intervenir en caso de que la huelga parezca inminente

Western U.S. carrier BNSF has added four new locations to the railroad’s certified sites program.

Norfolk Southern says Paul Duncan will succeed Cindy Sanborn, who will leave her role as COO at the end of 2022. Also, Indiana Rail Road has named a new operating officer.

The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers’ refusal to ratify the latest deal sends the rail union back to the bargaining table.

Regional Rail, which is backed by infrastructure investment firm 3i, has acquired freight rail assets in western Canada that serve agricultural and energy interests.

TTD, a union coalition affiliated with the AFL-CIO, is asking Congress for regulation that would hold freight railroads to maintain sufficient infrastructure investments and workforce levels.

Both the railroads and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division say the extension will help all parties make the best decision on how to proceed with the outstanding tentative labor agreements.

High utilization rates show a demand for rail cars, executives for FreightCar America said during a third-quarter 2022 earnings call Tuesday.

Higher revenues in Q3 weren’t enough to offset a 30% increase in operational expenses for western U.S. rail carrier BNSF.

The rail division of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers will ratify the latest tentative labor agreement between itself and the freight railroads.

El voto a favor de la ratificación del contrato fue del 52%.

Railcar manufacturers expressed five themes in recent earnings calls. Their consensus: There is still much to be upbeat about.

Agricultural shippers urge Congress to take action to prevent a rail strike while Canadian Pacific has a banner month for moving grain in October.

David Shillingford, chief strategy officer at Everstream Analytics, chats with Lance Starks, Shaw vice president of global sourcing, on the steps companies should consider to restore the supply chain.

FreightWaves’ Mary O’Connell chats with Torc Robotics analyst Frank Mabry about his company’s vision for autonomous trucking.

CN boasts record Canadian grain volumes, Watco completes a Texas terminal expansion, and the Association of American Railroads and the Intermodal Association of North America detail volume ups and downs.

FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller talks with Andrew Berberick and Nate Robert about why they created Baton and then sold the company to Ryder.

Los miembros del sindicato votan esta semana si ratifican el acuerdo provisional revisado

FreightWaves chats with a representative of the rail division of the International Association of Machinists about the labor agreement talks with the freight railroads.

Federal board wants four Class I railroads to continue submitting rail service data that shows how service is improving.

Last week saw a number of updates on port infrastructure funding and terminal project statuses.

Concerns that not all of the unions will agree to ratify their labor agreements have caused rail shippers and other transportation industry stakeholders to push President Joe Biden to act.

Canadian Pacific is working to ensure that merging operations with Kansas City Southern goes smoothly, officials said during the railway’s third-quarter 2022 earnings call.

Faster train speeds and shorter dwell times will open up network capacity for NS, officials said during the company’s third-quarter 2022 earnings call.

BRS follows the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division, which earlier this month rejected the tentative labor agreement.

Campbell Soup Co. is taking sustainability seriously. The company has completed a risk assessment study looking at how much water resources Campbell and its partners use.

CN expressed confidence it can handle any market downturns, pointing to areas such as grain and coal where demand strips away any potential macroeconomic softness, officials said during the railway’s third-quarter 2022 earnings call.

Freight projects get underway in Chicago and Laredo, Texas; CN beats its grain record; Patriot Rail appoints a new COO; and Canadian Pacific disputes a court ruling on an Alberta land sale.

Railroad Workers United recently adopted a resolution calling for public ownership of U.S. rail infrastructure. FreightWaves chats with an RWU member on why the group wants the change.

Rallying employees to serve customers better will ultimately help CSX gain more business, the new president and CEO said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call Thursday.

UP is keeping a “growth mindset” as it looks to 2023 despite economic headwinds and an unresolved labor situation.

The National Carriers’ Conference Committee signaled that freight railroads will reject the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division’s counteroffer on a new labor deal.

Freight and passenger rail carriers must develop actionable items to prevent a cyberattack from crippling the rail network, according to a new TSA security directive.

The South Carolina Ports Authority will join other major East Coast ports in providing near-dock rail via the planned Navy Base Intermodal Facility at the Port of Charleston.

Promoting competition, Laredo’s rail conversion potential and passenger rail in Louisiana were among the themes explored in the second half of the seven-day hearing proceeding on the CP-KCS merger.

The National Conference of Firemen & Oilers voted by a nearly 59% margin to approve its labor agreement with the freight railroads.

Although Hurricane Ian dented volumes at Georgia’s ports, Georgia Ports Authority still saw quarterly volumes grow by 9.6% year over year.

A labor agreement with U.S. freight railroads passed the latest ratification test with members of the mechanical and engineering division of SMART-TD voting to accept the contract.

Canadian railway CN and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers members who are part of CN’s Canadian operations have a new labor contract at hand.

Despite reports that U.S. imports are slowing down, South Carolina Ports reported a nearly 11% increase in overall volumes in September year over year.

Labor negotiations and rail service issues dominated an otherwise quiet third quarter.

Railroad intermodal volumes are down, but consumer spending remains relatively strong. Carloads of coal are up, but forest products are down. Whether these volume changes reflect broader macroeconomic slowing remains less clear.

Canadian railway CN says it is positioning assets and adding more horsepower in order to keep the network fluid during extreme winter weather.

The Surface Transportation Board logged over 25 hours last week to hear from stakeholders about the advantages and drawbacks of the proposed Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern merger.

American Train Dispatchers Association members have approved the new labor contract with freight railroads by a 64% majority vote.

Trinity Rail Group will supply a mix of 15,000 tank and freight railcars to GATX over a span of six years.

The ports of Halifax and Saint John in Atlantic Canada seek opportunities to bolster volumes and greening efforts.

BNSF is planning to invest more than $1.5 billion to develop a Southern California facility aimed at easing congestion at the West Coast ports.

Norfolk Southern names new leaders to transportation and network operations team. BNSF and California passenger rail explore green technologies to power trains.

Rail workers with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have voted to ratify the union’s labor agreement with U.S. Class I railroads.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin has introduced the Reliable Rail Service Act in response to calls from shippers’ groups and the unions to help restore the nation’s rail network capacity.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 19 has reached a new agreement with the U.S. Class railroads, one that modifies an agreement initially rejected by the group.

A Canadian whistleblower wants STB to press CP on how it plans to operate its private police force in the U.S. after its merger with Kansas City Southern.

Watco and Telegraph are collaborating in an effort to provide rail shippers with more information on where their railcars might be located on Watco’s network.

The hurricane could hit central Florida later this week, causing Tampa-area port facilities to brace for Ian’s impact.

AskWaves looks at what carbon calculators are and why potential and existing customers of freight rail might benefit from them.

The ports of Halifax and Saint John are taking steps to protect operations as Hurricane Fiona approaches Atlantic Canada.

Union Pacific and the Railway Supply Institute are among those forming partnerships, while the CREATE Program gets a $70 million federal grant.

‘No quiero que todo el mundo piense que ahora que hemos resuelto este tema laboral, hemos terminado’

Just because a labor agreement is in sight between the railroads and the unions, that doesn’t mean rail service will instantly improve, shippers told FreightWaves.

The ports of Halifax and Saint John could be affected by Hurricane Fiona.

News briefs involving short line acquisitions, Class I rail headcount in August and rail technology developments.

El acuerdo tentativo del jueves para los maquinistas de locomotoras y conductores de trenes evita la huelga

In a Q&A, FreightWaves chats with Joseph R. Hinrichs, CSX’s incoming president and CEO, in the wake of the announcement that current CEO Jim Foote is retiring at the end of month.

Freight railroads are attempting to rapidly resume normal operations now that a deal has been reached to avoid a strike on Friday.

Ahead of a strike that could occur after midnight Friday, U.S. freight railroads are winding down operations and the White House is preparing contingency plans.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, whose ranks total nearly 5,000 members, has voted to reject the tentative labor agreement between it and the Class I railroads. But two unions voted to ratify their agreements.

Uncertainties over whether union members will go on strike next Friday are causing the U.S. Class I railroads to embargo certain shipments and tell customers to expect delays.

The CEOs of Union Pacific, CSX and Norfolk Southern anticipate rail volumes to grow amid service improvements and despite macroeconomic uncertainties, according to their comments at an investor conference this week.

The Association of American Railroads estimates that a nationwide strike could cost about $2 billion each day, while shippers groups rally Congress to intervene in the event a strike seems imminent.

FreightWaves’ Alan Adler chats with NFI’s Bill Bleim and Schneider’s Rob Reich about the first deployments of battery-electric truck fleets.

KCS has sites in the southern U.S. and in Mexico that are primed for the construction of warehouses and manufacturing facilities.

Thanks to a federal grant, the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University will be working with four other colleges to develop climate-resiliency strategies and tools for U.S. freight and passenger railroads.

La temporada alta está en pleno apogeo en octubre y noviembre

Two more unions, whose membership totals about 6,000 freight rail employees, have tentatively agreed to a new labor contract that calls for substantial wage increases.

Peak harvest season begins in the U.S. soon, and grain shippers are hoping rail service will be able to meet market demand.

The soybean associations say helping offset construction costs of AG Procressing’s terminal expansion at the Port of Grays Harbor will help soybean exporters in the long run.

Two of the larger unions, BLET and SMART-TD, were unable to reach a tentative labor agreement last week. But both “remain committed” to reaching one.

Three railroad unions plan to send their members a tentative labor agreement for ratification. However, there are still nine unions that have yet to strike a deal.

El acuerdo propuesto afectaría a casi el 11% de todos los empleados sindicalizados

Transport Canada says it is initiating the first steps toward implementing a version of positive train control in the country.

The Utah Inland Port Authority, short-line operator TNW Corp. and the Surface Transportation Board have announced appointments and promotions.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada wants the country’s major railways to install enhanced train-control technology similar to positive train control in the U.S.

La verdad es que sus negociadores sindicales sienten un
nivel de decepción porque las recomendaciones de la Junta
Presidencial de emergencias (PEB por sus siglas en inglés)
quedan cortas en muchas de nuestras peticiones’

Railroad union representatives have been reticent publicly about how they plan to proceed with contract talks following last week’s recommendations from an independent board.

The American Chemistry Council says freight rail service still leaves much to be desired, despite the railroads’ efforts to improve.

The Surface Transportation Board wants to know how the seven Class I railroads expect to meet demand for rail service during the harvest season running from September into the new year.

July was a record month at the Port of Virginia. At SC Ports, July’s volumes were up from June as the Port of Charleston sought to improve port flows.

Canadian midstream operator Keyera and CN are considering creating an energy terminal that would serve the production-rich region.

Pymnts CEO Karen Webster chats with Bryzos founder and CEO Shep Hickey about the challenges and opportunities involved in creating an online marketplace to sell steel for industrial uses.

The presidential emergency board is charged with examining the sticking points in the stalled contract negotiations between U.S. freight railroads and their unions.

Canadian Pacific has won clearance from U.S. regulators for its KCS acquisition and has reached a labor agreement with union leaders for train and engine employees.

Inland port projects and rail cargo handling facilities are among the projects awarded grants through the Department of Transportation’s RAISE program.

Precision scheduled railroading again took center stage during a roundtable concerning rail service.

The two eastern U.S. Class I railroads say they’re well on their way to meeting greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.

Transport Canada is considering making the data collection of rail service metrics permanent — a move the Forest Products Association of Canada supports.

Recent filings to the board from various parties focus on wo bears the burden to show if or how Amtrak service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans would affect freight operations.

Despite economic headwinds, the rail car manufacturing market will find support in the second half of 2022 amid tight rail car supply and improving rail service metrics, FreightCar America executives said on an earnings call.

Georgia Ports Authority kicks off the start of its new fiscal year with volumes at over a half million TEUs.