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!
A Canadian National freight train derailed at an intersection with a West Chicago commuter line. Service remained disrupted early Monday afternoon.
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.
TrinityRail will permanently close a plant in Vidor, Texas, laying off 59 workers by April 30.
Day Two of FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week virtual conference includes experts from DHL, SVT Robotics, Geodis and JLL Inc.
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.
The number of jobs in the warehousing and storage sector also fell from December to January.
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.
What suggestions would you give new Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg? Our reporters share theirs in this FreightWaves roundtable.
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.
“Demand in the intermodal and trucking sectors is at an all-time high, which makes this an ideal time to optimize FYX’s many assets and take it to the next level,” says new CEO Kenneth Forster.
FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week will feature media expert Gary Vaynerchuk, Tyson Foods’ John Tyson, and Johnson & Johnson’s Kathy Wengel among dozens of speakers scheduled to appear at the free virtual event, scheduled for Feb. 22 through March 3.
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.
Rail could leap forward with on-time management of shipper goods if it were bolder and faster at innovating.
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.
Kansas City Southern’s new, more stringent emission target will keep the company in line with the Paris Agreement emission goals.
U.S. weekly rail traffic rose nearly 6% last week amid a 43% increase in grain carloads and a 13% rise in intermodal traffic.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ fourth quarter came in better than expected. However, the company said it was reviewing long-term margin targets across all segments. Intermodal margin forecasts may be reduced but other units could see upward revisions.
Cortera report shows surge in business spending as the year drew to a close.
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.
Medical records from UPS truckers and Norfolk Southern rail workers exposed as hackers leak data from a Virginia occupational health-care provider after an apparent ransomware attack.
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.
The December rates subindex jumped 13% year-over-year, setting the stage for big rate hikes in 2021, according to Cass data.
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.
AAR disregards that straight electric locomotives are easier to maintain. Plus each electric locomotive could be as powerful as perhaps two diesel-electric units.
A towing vessel struck a CSX swing bridge near Slidell, Louisiana, very early Wednesday morning. Rail operations have since resumed at a reduced speed.
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.
Dachser promotes Burkhard Eling to CEO; GlobalTranz hires Bryan Foe as SVP; the Containerization & Intermodal Institute appoints Randy Bayles to its board; and Illinois Railroad Association taps Michelle Kelm as executive director.
U.S. short line rail operator OmniTRAX confirms it was the victim of a ransomware attack and data breach targeting its owner, Broe Group.
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.
Emerge founder Andrew Leto and content marketing expert and best-selling author Joe Pulizzi will keynote FreightWaves’ upcoming virtual Sales & Marketing Summit.
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.
UBS equity research analyst Tom Wadewitz’s 2021 outlook calls for a continuation of healthy freight activity during the first half of the year with a little more uncertainty in the back half.
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.
Momentum for increasing railroad chemical traffic should continue in 2021.
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.
While the pace of growth in the supply chain cooled during December, transportation and warehouse capacity remains tight and prices are high.
Missouri-based Boomerang Tube lays off 185 workers from its manufacturing operation in Liberty, Texas.
A train carrying more than 160 Volkswagen vehicles was derailed in Mexico last week by thieves, according to Mexican authorities.
FRA announces the full implementation of PTC as well as interoperability among competing railroads.
Railcar lessor GATX acquires tank container lessor Trifleet in 175 million euro deal.
From volume volatility to a busy board, here are five themes that dominated the rail industry this year.
Mexico’s new fuel import regulations are seen by critics as an attempt to boost state oil firm Pemex.
Top 10 lists dominate the end of any year. American Shipper’s Top 10 stories list is voted on throughout the year by readers simply by reading our stories on americanshipper.com. Here are the stories you read the most in 2020.
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.
The abnormal year of 2020 cannot be ignored. It simply is less relevant for strategic purposes when tracking rail’s progress.
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.
Canadian Pacific has announced a pilot project to develop North America’s first line-haul hydrogen-powered locomotive.
Disruptions in one corner of the world can impact operations at home. With the turbulence of 2020 hopefully behind us, Global Supply Chain Week will examine where the dust has settled and share lessons on reacting to the enormous disruptions of the previous year.
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.
Railroads assert work time flexibility is needed to respond to emergency situations on their tracks.
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division is considering action against Union Pacific over quarantine pay and “common sense” COVID-19 safeguards.
Drayage provider ContainerPort Group announces intermodal terminal operator FSI Inc. will start operating under the CPG banner at the beginning of the year.
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.
Cybersecurity skills are among the gaps identified in GAO review of DOT’s workforce.
The Eastern U.S. railroad attributed its decision to furlough employees to changing market conditions.
Rapid platform developer Vantiq has partnered with Infosys to launch an accelerator to speed development of supply chain digitization solutions.
The Cass Freight Index sees sequential weakness in shipments but logs year-over-year improvement with expenditures data advancing.
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.
J.B. Hunt issues intermodal service advisory as railroads BNSF Railway and Norfolk Southern implement gate restrictions in Los Angeles and Chicago.
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.
All 50 states plus the District of Columbia must now develop and implement safety measures for high-risk highway-rail grade crossings.
Superior market intel can be a game changer.
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.
