Inventory restocking and demand for domestic intermodal service will support Hub Group into next year, executives said.

Although macroeconomic factors and lower train speeds support railcar leasing, the growth trend might be choppy as the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions still weigh on the market, Trinity Industries and GATX said during their third-quarter 2021 earnings calls.

Current Chief Operating Officer Lorie Tekorius will be railcar manufacturer Greenbrier’s next CEO in March 2022. Tekorius and others discussed 2022 market headwinds during Greenbrier’s quarterly earnings call on Tuesday.

Like its Class I peers, Norfolk Southern encountered supply chain disruptions brought on by a lack of workers in dray and warehousing.

The Jacksonville Port Authority handled more than 1.4 million TEUs in its 2021 fiscal year, an all-time annual record, and it says it’s ready to take on more for those wanting “congestion-free” service.

To make room for more containers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, UP and BNSF are offering incentives to ocean carrier customers to move out the containers already there. UP is also temporarily pausing westbound marine container movement to its Long Beach facility.

Following UP’s recent actions, Norfolk Southern takes the unions to court over its ability to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine.

Amtrak has petitioned the Surface Transportation Board to compel CSX and Norfolk Southern to allow access to their Gulf Coast networks as part of a broader plan to restore passenger service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans.

News items detailing new facilities, new faces and an environmental nod.

Railcar order backlogs can help the freight rail industry understand where the railcar market is in the supply-and-demand cycle, according to this AskWaves article.

Union Pacific could’ve handled more intermodal volume in the third quarter were it not for longer chassis dwell times and a shortage of dray drivers, executives said during the company’s earnings call.

CSX has been aggressively pursuing new employees in order to meet network capacity needs, executives said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call.

The railway is working with customers and steamship lines to find opportunities to divert traffic from Los Angeles and Long Beach, executives said during CP’s third-quarter 2021 earnings call.

In a quarterly earnings call, outgoing CEO JJ Ruest insists CN’s board of directors will conduct an extensive search for his successor. An activist investor is seeking to install its own CEO choice.

JJ Ruest, who has been criticized recently by an activist investor over CN’s attempt to merge with Kansas City Southern, has served CN for more than 25 years and will depart in January or whenever a successor is found.

The railroad won’t give new guidance because of uncertainties surrounding chip shortages and events in Mexico creating limited visibility.

TCI Fund Management continues to press CN shareholders to install a new CEO and four new board members.

Union Pacific and several rail unions are arguing that the other party has failed to properly negotiate how UP should comply with President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has determined that there is no link between July’s devastating fire in Lytton and sparks coming from CN or Canadian Pacific trains.

‘‘Muchas cosas pasan desapercibidas y eso se empieza a
notar’’

Union members say precision scheduled railroading affects the ability to conduct thorough safety inspections.

The plan, which goes to 2055, seeks to restore and develop intercity passenger rail along four “cornerstone corridors.”

The Association of American Railroads applauds the 24/7 approach to container operations, which the association says is similar to the way freight railroads function.

Tiger Cool Express is acquiring a cold storage warehouse in the Pacific Northwest, while Greenbrier’s leasing subsidiary is exceeding the target for the value of its first-year leasing fleet.

“The growth we’re seeing is not artificial, and the movement of loaded and empty containers is up, for both exports and imports.”

The platform will help improve supply chain visibility for shippers, KCS said.

Intermodal rail volumes were lower again year-over-year in September as the ability to process containers and imports is stymied by ongoing supply chain capacity constraints.

Officials say a proposed inland port near where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet will have ample capacity to serve Midwest customers seeking export access via barge, rail and truck.

The NS terminal will serve “strong growth in the Louisville intermodal market.”

Canadian railway CN and shareholder TCI Fund Management are publicly squabbling about who should run the company as CN sets a March meeting date to address TCI’s board candidate picks.

Two rail unions contend that NS is forcing some locomotive engineers to perform train conductor and brakeman duties following NS’ efforts to reduce its workforce.

CN and CP unveil their annual winter operational plans, which include expectations that grain shipments will be down this year and that a La Nina event could mean lower winter temperatures for western Canada.

The board affirms its previous approval of Canadian Pacific’s voting trust application.

Industry observers grapple with the complexities of implementing reciprocal switching on U.S. rail networks.

Despite flat-to-higher rail volumes in August both year-over-year and sequentially, the number of employees working at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads fell slightly.

The East Coast ports of Savannah and Jacksonville are adding more container capacity amid long-term plans to serve as an alternative to West Coast ports.

The railroads have been facing a number of headwinds in recent months, all of which could put pressure on their financial outlooks for 2021, according to investment firm Cowen.

AskWaves answers why rail industry observers like to keep track of the number of railcars in storage. Hint: It has to do with broader economic trends.

Instapay, a factoring company, and its parent company Flexible Funding are seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to court filings with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against BNSF over alleged sexual harassment at BNSF’s rail yard in Alliance, Nebraska.

Elevated steel prices are driving railcar owners to scrap outdated equipment, according to a Greenbrier manager.

The Transportation Technology Center Inc. appoints a new president while truckers recognize TRAC Intermodal for its performance.

2022 could be a busy year for the Surface Transportation Board if it decides to tackle a number of long-standing, hot-button issues.

INRD’s expansion will benefit Indianapolis-area intermodal customers seeking access to the Asian market.

BlueTriton Brands, formerly known as Nestlé Waters North America, gets recognition for trailer loading ease and efficiency.

CN is seeking to generate CA$700 million in additional operating income in 2022 through cutting labor and operational costs and seeking pricing opportunities.

Expanding intermodal, grain and automotive offerings would be part of the growth strategy pursued by a merged Kansas City Southern-Canadian Pacific.

Recent rail news includes investments, technology purchases and cleanup fees.

Kansas City Southern returns to its old flame and opts to merge with Canadian Pacific. Rival railway CN acknowledges its merger plans have been scrapped.

August was a record month for the Port of Virginia in Norfolk, and the trend of higher year-over-year volumes could persist through the rest of 2021 as peak season approaches.

The three have signed agreements committing to work together on developing advanced locomotive power technologies.

Major CN shareholder TCI Fund Management wants CN’s board to have more operational experience. The company is also still pushing for the removal of CN’s current CEO.

Kansas City Southern is returning to its original merger partner after federal regulators rejected CN’s proposed voting trust, which would’ve been used to acquire KCS.

Labor and chassis shortages, as well as congestion in the wider supply chain, have contributed to lower U.S. intermodal traffic compared with a year ago.

Container volumes were “strong” in August amid continued retail import volume growth at the Port of Charleston, the South Carolina Ports Authority said.

The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development and OnTrackNorthAmerica have formed the Southwest Supply Chain Coalition as a way to develop a regional approach to supply chain infrastructure investments.

The Vancouver transload facility will primarily handle fast-moving consumer goods and auto parts.

Kansas City Southern shareholders pushed back a vote on whether to approve CN’s merger agreement to Sept. 24.

The agency is seeking comments from freight railroads on whether it should collect data pertaining to first- and last-mile movements.

Stakeholders and observers such as Amtrak, Canadian Pacific and the Vermont Department of Transportation want the Surface Transportation Board to consider placing conditions that would bolster both competitive access and passenger rail service.

Kansas City Southern shareholders must decide whether to continue to pursue merger plans with CN or go with Canadian Pacific.

FreightWaves market expert Mike Baudendistel chats with Norfolk Southern’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Alan Shaw about intermodal challenges and opportunities confronting NS and other Class I railroads.

The Surface Transportation Board rejected CN’s application to establish a voting trust, which would be used as part of the process to acquire Kansas City Southern.

As fall harvest nears, grain shippers and freight railroads are taking steps to ensure network fluidity for export-bound grain trains in and out of the Pacific Northwest.

Canadian Pacific, Norfolk Southern and the broader freight rail industry describe how they plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Class I railroads are keeping an eye on Hurricane Ida as the storm is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend.

U.S. rail terminals that handle imports are still grappling with chassis shortages, although efforts are being made to address overflow at the terminals.

Railcar manufacturer Greenbrier’s Q4 orders total over $530 million, plus U.S. weekly rail volumes dip on an intermodal traffic decline.

The facility at CP’s Bensenville, Illinois, rail yard, which is already in operation, will support the construction industry’s supply chain.

Both Canada and the U.S. have provisions that allow for reciprocal switching, or interswitching. But rail shippers’ ability to participate in the program differs in the two countries.

Progress Rail will use Union Pacific locomotives that are capable of handling a biodiesel blend of 20%.

KCS’ board of directors confirmed plans to postpone the shareholder vote on the CN-KCS merger agreement until after the Surface Transportation Board renders a decision on CN’s proposed voting trust.

News about BNSF, Kansas City Southern, Trinity Industries and TTCI.

July’s volumes are a monthly record and the second highest for 2021.

Container volumes rose 25% at the Port of Savannah, while auto and machinery units grew 39% at Brunswick.

Although Canadian grain shippers anticipate lower grain harvest volumes for the 2021-2022 crop year, adequate rail service remains a chief concern.

The Association of American Railroads responds to regulator’s inquiry about supply chain congestion, while GoRail advocates for regulation supporting freight rail industry growth.

AskWaves looks at the regulatory might of this small, independent federal agency.

NS plans to reopen a Pennsylvania intermodal facility in response to e-commerce rise, market demand and supply chain congestion.

Kansas City Southern declined Canadian Pacific’s revised bid, opting to stick with CN. But a shareholder vote to approve the CN-KCS merger agreement could be held off if the Surface Transportation Board doesn’t issue its decision on CN’s voting trust by Tuesday.

South Carolina ports started the fiscal year off with a bang, moving a record volume of containers in July.

FreightWaves Executive Publisher Kevin Hill chats with Hickey & Associates Managing Director David Hickey about the many factors that companies should consider when looking for a cold storage site.

The CEOs of five Class I railroads tell the Surface Transportation Board that the root causes of the congestion facing rail intermodal terminals are beyond the railroads’ control.

CP is offering a stock-and-cash “superior proposal” worth an estimated US$31 billion.

The Surface Transportation Board will review Amtrak’s request to restore Gulf Coast service, dismissing calls by CSX and Norfolk Southern, whose networks will be affected by the service restoration, to reject the request.

A 26% gain in revenues helped boost BNSF’s net profits in the second quarter of 2021 to $1.5 billion.

The rail manufacturer has been modernizing locomotives to improve their fuel efficiency and longevity.

The pace of U.S. rail volume growth slowed in July, according to Association of American Railroad data. But still expect intermodal growth through 2021 in North America, the Intermodal Association of North America said.

A Norfolk Southern employee suffered fatal injuries Wednesday at its Enola yard, outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

NS is investigating the cause of the derailment, which stopped train traffic from Monday afternoon to early Wednesday.

Canadian Pacific and CN shattered records for hauling Canadian grain and grain products in the 2020-2021 crop year, which ran from Aug. 1, 2020, to July 31, 2021. More efficient […]

TRAC Intermodal President and CEO Daniel Walsh chats with FreightWaves about chassis availability and market conditions into 2022.

Transport Canada has approved updates to the rules, regulations and standards regarding switching operations as part of a broader effort to make operations safer.

Four shipper associations have asked the Surface Transportation Board to see if demurrage charges can be applied to privately owned railcars to improve the flow of railcars through the network.

The railroad reopened the Dry Canyon Bridge in Northern California weeks ahead of schedule.

Kansas City Southern told its shareholders to focus on the proposed CN-KCS merger transaction and not on Canadian Pacific’s attempts to cast doubt on the merger’s chances of being approved by federal regulators.

The Surface Transportation Board has accepted CSX’s revised application to acquire Pan Am Railways, allowing the acquisition proceedings to continue.

The “significant” damage has caused BNSF to reroute trains, and the railroad is uncertain when service in the area might be restored.

SMART-TD must negotiate with Class I railroads on train crew size; Rail Customer Coalition calls on STB to take up reciprocal switching; ASLRRA praises progress on infrastructure bill; and Canadian Pacific urges KCS shareholders to vote against the proposed CN-KCS merger.

The trucking industry’s issues with driver availability along with customers’ commitment to sustainability are factors that could support growth for intermodal beyond 2021 and 2022, executives said during Hub Group’s earnings call on Thursday.