Railroads continue to play a significant role in North America’s economic infrastructure. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration, the U.S. rail freight network covers almost 140,000 route miles and is generally considered the largest, safest, and most cost-efficient freight system in the world. In addition, says the FRA, the almost $80 billion rail freight industry creates more than 167,000 jobs across the country.
In essence, rail freight companies charge businesses to carry cargo across their network of rails. Their rates are overseen by the Surface Transportation Board, a federal agency that regulates financial aspects of surface transportation. Major railroads in North America include Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway.
Keep up with the latest news, trends and reports concerning rail freight transport here!
With a Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern merger, grain shippers in the Dakotas will have a real single-line option to reach their end markets rather than having to rely solely on UP or BNSF, says former U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan.
The Surface Transportation Board will need to scrutinize a proposed merger between Kansas City Southern and either Canadian Pacific or CN to ensure it doesn’t hurt the operations of competing railroads, Union Pacific’s head said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call.
Wabtec is working with railroad customers to transition from diesel power to cut emissions.
FreightWaves introduces FreightWaves Carbon Intelligence. Learn more here!
A 4% drop in operating revenue contributed to a 9% decline in net income for Union Pacific’s first quarter.
For now, Canadian Pacific is not planning to take part in a bidding war with rival CN to acquire Kansas City Southern, saying that its offer is more likely to meet regulators’ litmus test for mergers.
Canadian Pacific’s revenue for the first quarter of 2021 dipped 4% to CA$1.96 billion.
Canadian Pacific and CN both filed letters to the Surface Transportation Board asking the panel to consider the merits of their competing requests to acquire Kansas City Southern.
CSX has capacity on its network, space on its trains and the workforce and locomotives it needs to handle an anticipated growth in service needs in 2021, according to company executives.
CP, which is also seeking to acquire KCS, describes rival CN’s bid to acquire KCS as “massively complex and likely to fail” because it decreases competition.
CSX’s first-quarter net income fell 8% to $706 million from $770 million a year ago.
A merged CN and Kansas City Southern would compete against long-haul trucking for north-south intermodal opportunities, CN said Tuesday.
Not to be outdone by rival Canadian Pacific, CN offers to acquire Kansas City Southern for $33.7 billion.
Union Pacific plans to close a car repair facility in Palestine, Texas, which could result in the layoffs of as many as 57 employees.
This AskWaves column explains why investors and other transportation stakeholders look at operating ratio as a way to gauge a company’s financial health.
Kansas City Southern expects to maintain its financial targets for 2021 on a recovering economy and an anticipated volume rebound. It declined to comment on post-merger operational changes.
Cass data published Friday highlights new records as volumes reaccelerate and rates soar.
Kansas City Southern’s net income for the first quarter of 2021 rose 0.7% despite a 4% decline in revenue and a 1% drop in carload volumes.
U.S. weekly rail volumes were 24.5% higher last week, although last year’s figures reflect the volume downturn that occurred at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Justice raised concerns about how Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern are using a voting trust to facilitate their proposed merger. The two railroads respond.
Potential service disruptions from the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger could be a key issue explored by regulators reviewing the merger, FTR says. The consulting firm also projects favorable market conditions for intermodal rail and carloads in 2021 and into 2022.
Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern provided the Surface Transportation Board 75 more letters explaining why their proposed merger should be approved.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators will look into what led to the death of a 24-year veteran of BNSF at a customer facility in Missouri.
The Surface Transportation Board’s final rule on what information should be included in a demurrage billing statement provides transparency and accountability in a process shippers sometimes see as opaque.
U.S. rail traffic rose 14% in March amid higher grain and intermodal volumes. But some commodities are also reflecting uneven year-over-year comparisons because of the pandemic-induced volume downturn that began in late March 2020.
Railcar manufacturer Greenbrier expects economic conditions and the rail market to improve in the second half of the year and that optimism is starting to be reflected in higher inquiry activity.
Engage Construction Management and Consulting Inc. has been selected for the Canadian piece of a $1 billion infrastructure project connecting Mexico’s Pacific Coast to Winnipeg, Canada.
The Surface Transportation Board defines what billing information should be included in demurrage invoices to rail users as a means to provide more transparency.
Canadian Pacific submitted to the Surface Transportation Board 45 more letters of support from shippers and other stakeholders for the proposed merger of CP and Kansas City Southern.
CN beat its previous March record of 2.74 million metric tons set in 2020, moving 2.95 million metric tons last month.
Wabtec’s chief technology officer chats with FreightWaves about ways technology can help the freight rail industry decarbonize.
Two rail shipper coalition groups and four Class I railroads want the Surface Transportation Board to review Canadian Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern under “new” rules that gauge whether a merger would enhance market competition.
The March report may be the last for a while in which a comparison to last year is meaningful.
The pandemic-induced volume downturn from last year is making year-over-year comparisons inflated. However, strength in the consumer economy could support rail volumes.
Other highlights from the monthly report: Soaring employment in warehouses is starting to moderate.
Freight rail associations and shippers praise President Joe Biden’s efforts to modernize U.S. transportation infrastructure, but some are worried about how to foot the costs. Also, congressional leaders introduce bills on railcar recycling, highway grade crossings, and loans for rail and intermodal facilities.
FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller writes about FreightWaves, as well as transportation today and moving forward.
Canadian Pacific has submitted a 531-page filing to the Surface Transportation Board that includes letters from 259 entities supporting the proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern.
The $3.7 billion partnership calls for the construction of a $1.9 billion passenger rail bridge that would relieve traffic from the Long Bridge.
CN is selling its noncore assets in southern Ontario, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin to Watco.
The Georgia Ports Authority has approved projects to increase the annual container capacity at the Port of Savannah to over 6 million TEUs from the existing 4.7 million TEUs.
This transaction will benefit the automotive supply and distribution network throughout North America.
Employment totals for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads were flat to higher between January and February, rising 0.5%. But headcount was down nearly 11% year-over-year. Also, rail union BMWED is monitoring CP’s proposed merger with KCS.
VIP Rail and Procor announce partnership that provides Procor’s railcar repair and cleaning services to VIP Rail customers in Ontario, while Navis Rail develops a workforce management system.
Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: KCS expands Mexico rail service to Port of Veracruz; furniture maker leases space in Laredo, PGT Trucking opens new terminals in Arizona and Arkansas; and CBP seizes $1.4 million in drugs in Laredo.
February rail service issues are still being felt in March, raising concerns about the Canadian rail network’s ability to handle increased grain volumes in future years.
An anticipated increase in North American rail traffic, coupled with FreightCar America’s move of its manufacturing to Mexico, should provide support to the company in 2021, executives said.
Union Pacific and logistics company Savage Services are constructing Idaho’s first-ever intermodal terminal at UP’s rail yard in Pocatello.
CSX must again file its plans to acquire New England short line Pan Am Railways as a “significant” transaction.
Canadian Pacific wants to acquire Kansas City Southern. Here are five thoughts from Wall Street transportation analysts about the transaction.
STB Chair Marty Oberman shares the board’s views on two proposed acquisitions: CSX’s acquisition of New England short line Pan Am Railways and Canadian Pacific’s merger with Kansas City Southern.
Rail technology provider Wabtec plans to acquire Nordco as Wabtec eyes the railcar mover market and the technologies associated with it.
The publicly traded Class I railroads expect rail volumes to improve this year despite severe winter weather curtailing operations in February.
Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern executives outline the benefits and the rationale behind CP’s proposed acquisition of KCS.
Canadian railway Canadian Pacific plans to merge with Kansas City Southern in a deal worth $29 billion.
Short line operator Vermont Rail System and legislators from Vermont and Massachusetts question how CSX and Norfolk Southern would handle joint ownership of Pan Am Southern because it would involve a competing short line railroad
Two bullish equity research reports this week on transportation stocks both highlight expectations around consumer spending and what that means for freight demand.
Amtrak wants to establish passenger rail service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, but CSX, Norfolk Southern and the Port of Mobile have some reservations. Amtrak has filed a petition with the Surface Transportation Board to turn its plan into fruition.
Wabtec, short line operator Genesee & Wyoming and Carnegie Mellon aim to establish public-private institute that would research, demonstrate and commercialize advanced freight rail technology.
February freight data from Cass shows a deceleration in the growth rates of shipments and expenditures. Recent weather events have only “coiled the spring” for a continuation of high demand and rising rates.
U.S. intermodal traffic on a weekly basis continues to show strength, rising last week by 22%, according to the Association of American Railroads. The increase comes amid higher U.S. retail sales in February year-over-year, despite a sequential decline.
Nevada’s 2021 rail plan lays out how the state can leverage freight rail more often and utilize existing infrastructure in light of nearshoring and emissions reductions opportunities.
Changes in export volumes for certain types of wheat may be reflected in changes in freight flows, according to reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Positive train control, also known as PTC, is a safety technology aimed at automatically stopping a freight or passenger train before a collision. This Ask Waves article describes what it is, its history and its future implications.
Witnesses at a U.S. House hearing on Wednesday stressed the need for a multimodal approach in federal support of the railroads, citing freight rail’s connection with both rural, inland towns and coastal ports.
A February incident involving an Ontario train derailment led Canada’s Ministry of Transport to issue two orders aimed at preventing the uncontrolled movement of rail equipment.
International intermodal volumes for the U.S. have risen 44% year-over-year, according to FreightWaves SONAR, amid higher import activity.
Transportation Technology Center Inc. is undergoing a management change that would enable the group to expand work to multiple sites, while the Surface Transportation Board appoints two short line railroad representatives to the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council. Also, a Manitoba transload facility at the U.S.-Canadian border seeks customers.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report describes the events leading up to the incident in Vail, Arizona, that killed a Union Pacific employee.
Wells Fargo transportation research analyst Allison Poliniak-Cusic raises expectations for intermodal providers in a new report. Favorable catalysts for the mode are expected to carry into 2022.
February generally shows an increase in the number of trucking jobs, but not in 2021
U.S. weekly intermodal volumes moved higher last week amid support from retail and e-commerce, while carloads slumped as some U.S. Gulf Coast facilities seek to fully return to normal following February’s winter storm.
Three investigators will try to determine what caused the death of a BNSF worker on Wednesday at a rail yard near Los Angeles.
J.B. Hunt believes recent winter storms will negatively impact first-quarter operating income by $15 million to $20 million. The company said it had been successful advancing its intermodal service initiatives prior to the storms.
Drayage trucking and logistics company ContainerPort sold its container yard and depot division to ITS ConGlobal, a company with intermodal, finished vehicle and depot service terminals.
For the 12th consecutive month, CN hauled a record amount of Canadian grain.
The AAR released climate policy proposals encouraging partnerships and market solutions that promote competition and carbon capture, utilization and storage technology.
Adoption of technology has influenced U.S. Class I railroads’ staffing. Will additional technological innovation cut headcount even more, or will other factors have greater weight?
U.S. rail operator CSX says it is investigating a “data security incident” after a ransomware gang appears to have leaked personal information of employees and retirees.
Lower fuel expenses helped privately held BNSF’s net income grow by 5% in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Eastern U.S. railroad CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) has started the regulatory process to acquire New England short line operator Pan Am Railways in a move that CSX hopes will strengthen its […]
FreightWaves is bringing back its in-person events this year with the F3: Future of Freight Festival in November, celebrating all things freight in a communitywide celebration throughout the city of Chattanooga.
The extreme cold and heavy snow dampened U.S. rail volumes last week.
Although market conditions are improving for Trinity Industries (NYSE: TRN), the railcar lessor and rail equipment manufacturer anticipates persistent headwinds through the first half of 2021 as prospective customers take […]
A U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Tuesday vacated the Federal Railroad Administration’s May 2019 order on train crew size, saying the agency didn’t conduct an adequate public review prior to the order.
Communications between the railroads about fuel surcharges can be included in legal proceedings pertaining to alleged price fixing that occurred in the early 2000s, a federal judge ruled Friday.
U.S. Class I rail headcount totaled 113,461 employees in January.
The revised rules under the Railway Safety Act address winter operations of higher-risk key trains.
Two workers died after entering a tank car that carried natural gasoline at a TrinityRail facility in Oklahoma, according to OSHA. TrinityRail disagrees with OSHA’s findings.
The railroad says it will no longer build a rail transfer facility after the City of Atlanta raised objections to the Surface Transportation Board because of the site’s historical and cultural significance.
U.S. Class I rail operations are seeking to return to normal, with intermodal terminals opening in the central and western U.S. But the overall network is experiencing delays in multiple locations.
Prospective North American and international customers are inquiring about Wabtec’s battery electric, heavy-haul locomotive, which is undergoing advanced tests with BNSF. The company reported its fourth-quarter results on Thursday.
Cass freight data released Thursday shows a huge surge in freight spending with solid growth in shipments. The report indicated that 2021 is unlikely to produce the “rate relief” to shippers that 2019 provided.
FreightCar America makes Terry Rogers its permanent CFO, the Association of American Railroads reports weekly U.S. rail volumes rose 0.3% year-over-year, and The Broe Group updates its progress on a Savannah, Georgia-area industrial park.
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.
Appearing at an investor conference, J.B. Hunt CEO John Roberts said this year’s intermodal bid season will go a long way in determining whether the company curtails the division’s margin target.
Preeti Pande, the hydrogen solution provider’s chief marketing officer, comes with extensive fuel cell industry experience and a Ph.D.
Extreme cold and lots of snow in the Midwest and other areas could impact rail operations and cause delays, according to some railroads.
