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 U.S. district court determined that objections by two unions over BNSF’s new attendance standards qualify as being a minor dispute under federal law, meaning that it would be illegal for the unions to strike over the issue.
Eight Chicago-area communities say a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern would result in more freight traffic and an increased likelihood of blocked crossings stemming from longer trains.
The Surface Transportation Board wants more details about the concessions that BNSF and CN are seeking as Canadian Pacific acquires Kansas City Southern.
Five takeaways on the precedent-setting Surface Transportation Board proceeding that could define how U.S. freight railroads navigate requests to expand passenger rail service on freight rail networks.
FreightWaves market expert Mike Baudendistel chats with Harris Ligon, co-founder and CEO of a stealth startup, about how recent growth trends for industrial production in North America will affect rail volumes and equipment availability.
Railcar leasing could be on the upswing for a number of car types, executives for railcar lessor Trinity Industries said during the company’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call on Thursday.
Adjusted earnings per diluted share increases 20.4% to $1.18.
Ceres Terminals will lease, operate and modernize the TraPac Jacksonville terminal in a $60 million deal.
The rail district, a public-private partnership with Merced County, will serve agricultural producers in the region.
The company, which seeks to create autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles, will use the funding to support a 29-month advanced testing program of its technology.
The North American railroads engage in cross-border movements too. So why hasn’t the vaccine mandate erupted into protests over cross-border rail operations in the same way trucking has? This AskWaves article explores that question.
A BNSF employee was fatally injured at the Globeville rail yard on Wednesday.
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference is polling members on whether it should call a strike at Canadian Pacific.
The Port of Savannah has seen monthly port records for the past 18 months.
Record earnings per share of $2.48 beat analysts’ estimates.
January marks the 11th consecutive month of year-over-year container records, according to SC Ports.
High scrapping rates and aging fleets provide support for railcar manufacturing as the company anticipates 2022 financial results that won’t be “obscured by restructuring activities.”
Union Pacific CFO Jennifer Hamann talks supply chain labor shortages and the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger at investment firm Stifel’s transportation and logistics conference.
The Canadian government will be working with stakeholders and labor to implement its version of PTC, called enhanced train control.
DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy and the Navy have been collaborating to construct and test what could be North America’s safest railcar — one that would carry nuclear fuel that had been used by power plants.
From executive transitions at Union Pacific and Pacific West to January rail volumes to new offerings in the MoW lessor space, here are some news items rounding out the week.
The seasonally adjusted jobs number for truck transportation has now been more than the previous high level for two consecutive months.
Two rail unions have sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Labor Secretary Martin Walsh criticizing the attendance policies of BNSF and other Class I railroads.
“We’re not looking to replace trains. We’re looking to augment trains with a system that is trying to be competitive as an alternative to trucks,” said Matt Soule, co-founder and CEO at Parallel Systems.
TuSimple advances its commercialization timetable for driverless trucking and adds intermodal freight for Union Pacific at the Port of Tucson in Arizona.
Paul Titterton will become president of GATX’s Rail North America division and Scott Pelkey has assumed the role of CFO of CSX.
Railcar orders rose more than 50% in the fourth quarter, according to the Railway Supply Institute.
The investments rely on expectations that customers will want easy or green access to railroads’ intermodal offerings.
UP will examine the locomotives’ performance at its yards and in California and Nebraska and see how the locomotives can be deployed for long-haul service.
Members of BLET and SMART-TD plan to continue pursuing legal action despite a federal judge’s temporary restraining order barring them from striking.
A Mexican government crackdown has shifted volumes of refined products to truck instead of rail. But KCS hopes for that traffic to return to rail, according to executives.
Any concessions that CP would consider as it seeks federal approval to merge with Kansas City Southern must be “reasonable” and grounded in supporting competition, CP said during its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call late Thursday.
NS plans to roll out an operations program that will progress beyond precision scheduled railroading, according to executives speaking on NS’ fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call.
Judge Mark T. Pittmann agreed to BNSF’s request calling for a temporary restraining order that would prevent union employees from striking as both sides potentially negotiate over BNSF’s new attendance program.
Canadian railway CN eyes volume growth from vaccine mandates and grain, and it expects higher volumes in the second half of 2022.
Canadian railway CN announced that former Canadian Pacific executive Tracy Robinson will succeed retiring CEO JJ Ruest at the end of February.
The railcar leasing market for 2022 feels more solid than past years, executives said Tuesday during GATX’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call.
The Port of Savannah handled a record 5.6 million TEUs in 2021.
The American Chemistry Council chats with FreightWaves about why government leaders should keep transportation issues at the forefront of policymaking, especially in light of anticipated growth in production of chemicals.
Ten unions want a mediator to assist with negotiations for a new labor agreement between the unions and U.S. freight railroads. The railroads agree.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state plans to lend policing and prosecution support to Union Pacific and other victims of cargo theft.
CSX has been hiring more aggressively not only to meet anticipated market demand but to safeguard against COVID-19-related absences, according to executives on its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call Thursday.
UP’s capital expenditures plan for 2022 includes investments to intermodal terminals and intermodal ramps, executives said during the company’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call Thursday.
From capital investments to competitive access, issues that CSX has brought before the Surface Transportation Board reflect concerns facing the freight rail industry as a whole.
“We founded Parallel to allow railroads to open new markets, increase infrastructure utilization and improve service to accelerate freight decarbonization,” said Matt Soule, co-founder and CEO at Parallel Systems.
Schneider’s intermodal profits in the first nine months of 2020 were double those of a year earlier.
The western U.S. railroad is asking a district court in Dallas to prevent two rail unions from striking over changes to BNSF’s attendance program, saying a strike would result in significant disruptions.
The railroad wants stricter penalties for those caught stealing from trains.
BLET and SMART-TD say the attendance program is overly restrictive and repudiates numerous collective bargaining agreements in place.
The 10th circuit court of appeals ruled that Oklahoma’s blocked crossing mandate violates the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act, ending a court battle that lasted over two years.
CN is asking the Surface Transportation Board to require Canadian Pacific to divest KCS’ Springfield Line in Missouri and Illinois to help ensure competition.
Amit Bose becomes the 15th head of the Federal Railroad Administration.
North American freight railroads can pursue sustainability that not only benefits customers but also the railroads’ bottom line, according to panelists at a Transportation Research Board session.
Rio Tinto is the second Australian mining company that will use Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive in mining operations.
2021 was a banner year for The Port of Virginia, SC Ports and Alabama Port Authority.
FreightWaves chatted with former STB Chairman Dan Elliott on the history of the board’s relationship with reciprocal switching and why the board should still review it today.
The panel on rail consolidations also addressed different approaches to creating competition on monopoly networks.
A federal district court has ruled that two rail unions must work with Chicago commuter rail Metra as it pursues a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The terminal in Orange, Texas, serves a diverse range of customers and is located between Beaumont, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The year 2023 and beyond could boost railcar production volumes for Greenbrier as global low-carbon mandates drive freight to rail, say Greenbrier executives.
Despite being stymied by labor shortages and lack of equipment such as chassis in the second half of 2021, U.S. intermodal volumes were actually pretty high considering the yearly total.
Canadian Pacific and CSX want to show federal regulators and the broader public that they have widespread support for their proposed acquisitions.
Infrastructure and capacity expansion projects, regulatory uncertainties and progress toward supply chain visibility and sustainability are the themes that rail and intermodal stakeholders have set their sights on in 2022.
Alabama officials announced plans for the A-USA Corridor, a $231.6 million program of rail projects to upgrade rail infrastructure throughout the state.
Stoughton Trailers was one of five companies that pressed for unfair trade practice rulings against China that led to massive duties.
Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern submit a plan to regulators detailing how they will merge their operations.
The two eastern U.S. railroads want the Surface Transportation Board to maintain its identity as an independent arbitrator as it decides whether to permit Amtrak to restore Gulf Coast service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans.
FreightWaves writers look at the most important issues on their beats heading into the new year.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. No injuries occurred as a result of the incident, CSX said.
Several rail shippers had asked the Surface Transportation Board to temporarily suspend a proceeding on a voluntary arbitration program for small rate disputes, but the board denied that request.
In this Q&A interview, FreightWaves chats with two CN executives about what customer benefits might arise from a seven-year partnership with Google Cloud.
Twenty-five port projects in 19 states are receiving U.S. Maritime Administration grants aimed at bolstering port infrastructure.
Canadian Pacific inks a potash contract while CN’s British Columbia operations are nearly back to normal.
From M&A to supply chain disruptions, the freight rail industry navigated an often unpredictable 2021.
U.S. utilities are facing record low coal stockpiles, and network congestion on the rails is only adding to the stress.
The pilot program in Chicago and Kansas City aims to encourage trucks to come — and go — with a shipping container.
The end of 2021 brings the confirmation of a Surface Transportation Board member and approvals of short line requests.
The railroad veteran removed himself from consideration over the weekend.
Auxo Investment Partners explains rationale for why it chose to invest in rail service providers.
New York City has released several blueprints on its freight future during the de Blasio administration.
Cylus raised $30 million in a recent funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to over $57 million.
An initiative to transport a type of heavy Canadian crude oil to the Gulf Coast via Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern has begun operations.
The three companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue the demonstration project to test the feasibility of hydrogen-powered locomotives.
The eastern U.S. railroad is aggressively courting new employees as well as seeking to retain current ones to improve traffic flow and reduce delays.
Freight costs reach a record, according to November data from Cass Information Systems.
Canadian Pacific has formally completed its acquisition of Kansas City Southern, and now both companies are waiting for the Surface Transportation Board to approve the merger.
November volumes rose nearly 4% year-over-year, although on a sequential basis, volumes fell nearly 9% from October.
Two bills in the Michigan Legislature are calling for freight train crews to consist of at least two people.
The Port of Savannah handled 6.7% more containers in November compared to a year ago, according to the Georgia Ports Authority.
Canadian Pacific says it will work to get passenger rail service going between Baton Rouge and New Orleans should its merger with Kansas City Southern pull through.
The three companies have partnered to produce a more sustainable gondola car in anticipation of the eventual retirement of the existing fleet.
A Tuesday federal court ruling puts on hold the requirement that federal contractors be vaccinated against COVID-19 — and that ruling extends to Union Pacific, BNSF and Norfolk Southern.
GATX President and CEO Brian Kenney is retiring, and EVP Bob Lyons will succeed him.
South Carolina Ports experienced an all-time high for the number of containers handled in November amid higher import volumes.
CN and CSX received recognition for their action on climate change. UP has upped its targets and released a plan to reach them.
Two unions representing railroad employees want the federal court to make BNSF negotiate with the unions over implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
CNGmotive’s solution for fueling locomotives provides potential to decarbonize rail using renewable natural gas.
CN begins moving trains on the Kamloops-Vancouver corridor three weeks after flooding and landslides in British Columbia knocked out its main Port of Vancouver rail link.
The terminal says it has “abundant space” at the Millennium Marine Rail facility in New Jersey, as well as competitive import dwell time.
Freight railroads will need to report cyber incidents and take steps to improve security under a new Transportation Security Administration directive.
