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!
The European Commission has released its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. Massive investments and infrastructure are needed to meet the EU Commission’s sustainability milestones.
Who will get to the front of the COVID vaccination line? Virtually everyone agrees front-line doctors and nurses, and people in nursing homes, should be first, but after that industry sectors are fighting over who is more important. Freight transportation groups say they should be in the top tier.
U.S. weekly carloads last week were only 1.4% lower than year-ago levels, while intermodal traffic is still experiencing double-digit percentage increases.
Train lengths, improving network velocity and coronavirus uncertainties are among the big themes expressed by Class I railroad executives at a recent investor conference.
Major railways are classified as leaders among thousands of companies that disclosed climate information to the CDP this year.
“This is one of the most difficult seasons we’ve been facing trying to move our cargo out of the United States,” says a California almond producer.
A cross-industry working group for freight rail cautions workers following three recent fatalities related to switching.
Alpenglow Rail is seeking customers for its new Port Arthur railcar storage, switching and transloading logistics park.
Important railroad customers are not satisfied with a business-as-usual case.
The GEODIS Women’s Network “is also intended to improve the reputation of the logistics and transport industry, a field traditionally dominated by men.”
On Dec. 1, KCS announced that the blockades had officially come to an end. The Mexican economy has taken a hit due to the pandemic and the protests only added to the hurt.
Warehousing jobs continue to soar
November was a bright spot for U.S. and Canadian grain carloads.
The railway has started reaching out to First Nations groups and the broader public to share its plan.
Samantha Brooks and Ellen Reiche were arrested Saturday night in connection with an alleged terrorist attack on train tracks north of Seattle.
Five Class I railroads ask the Surface Transportation Board to consider an alternative arbitration program.
A rail blockade in west-central Mexico has ended, freeing key rail lines connecting to the Mexican seaport of Lázaro Cárdenas on the Pacific coast.
CP will serve Hapag-Lloyd at the New Brunswick port through 2025.
Regardless of a transport or logistics manager’s objectives, the digital age name of the game is to estimate the dollar savings provided by an application like this.
Wabtec shares its “30 by 30” strategy for combating climate change. Greenbrier plans to track its emissions and energy intensity in 2021.
The Association of American Railroads recently laid out some issues that Amtrak, host railroads and the federal government must grapple with as they implement on-time performance metrics and standards for Amtrak.
Larry Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department for the AFL-CIO, died Sunday after sustaining injuries in a biking incident.
The acquisition would add Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont to CSX’s 23-state network.
The $229 million deal comes as CAI International seeks to focus on its containing leasing business.
A few images convey a great deal about the intermodal rail model.
Transportation PACs offer a way for trade associations — and the smaller companies they represent — to have a political voice, proponents say.
KCS says Mexico protests are impacting fourth-quarter revenue, and Norfolk Southern announces leadership changes.
The rules reflect the latest science on fatigue management, Transport Canada says.
The railroads say they are ensuring their networks keep running as coronavirus cases surge in the Midwest. Meanwhile, union members want the railroads to be more consistent in their responses to the pandemic.
Rep. Joseph D. Morelle of New York says LNG unit trains would pose a safety threat to the local community.
As a major shareholder of CN and CP, TCI Fund Management has submitted proposals for climate action. TCI also requested shareholder votes on climate plans at yearly meetings.
October’s total employment level among the U.S. Class Is was the second lowest for 2020 as railroads implement PSR.
CP’s partnership with Maersk is starting early, with the first vessel coming into Vancouver in December versus March 2021.
The railroad has opened a new intermodal terminal in Minneapolis, and service to and from Los Angeles will begin in January.
Railroads are leveraging automation and evaluating assets to improve fuel efficiency. Corporate climate goals are on the rise as railroads increase their conservation and emission-reducing efforts.
The facility aims to provide plastics producers with an alternative to the Gulf Coast.
The Senate has confirmed the appointments of Robert Primus and Michelle Schultz.
U.S. carload traffic on a weekly basis was 3.1% lower last week on a year-over-year basis and 1.7% higher sequentially.
Nearly 92% of the U.S. Class I rail network is interoperable and close to fulfilling the federal positive train control mandate by the Dec. 31 deadline, according to FRA data.
Which of the big seven railroad companies has a volume growth strategic plan to sync with J.B. Hunt?
1998: The Surface Transportation Board has approved the division of Conrail between Norfolk Southern and CSX, which will be left in control of most railroad traffic in the eastern half of the United States.
Tight container market, COVID-19 pandemic concerns and sufficient network capacity are among top concerns of some grain shippers.
Given the tight market, Hunt customers can expect to hear from company soon on need for rate increases to cover higher costs
Former Bethlehem Steel plant site at Sparrows Point, Maryland, attracts shippers and 3PLs to build Northeast distribution centers.
The city of San Angelo, Texas, approved a deal with South Plains Lamesa Railroad to create a rail port connecting to Mexico.
The rule defines performance and service metrics for Amtrak and it requires freight rail to meet an on-time performance standard.
Protestors blocking ports and rail ramps in the Mexican state of Michoacán are disrupting Kansas City Southern de Mexico’s operations and damaging Mexico’s economy.
CSX and Union Pacific executives talk about their companies’ plans to grow the business.
What won and what lost in the third quarter for the rails?
FreightWaves Classics will present articles about key events, companies,, organizations, etc. from the history of transportation, logistics, supply chain and freight.
Weekly intermodal traffic is still higher year-over-year although on a sequential basis, volumes appear to be leveling off for trailers.
Market conditions hastened the railcar manufacturer’s decision to move all of its railcar production to Mexico, according to company executives during the third-quarter earnings call.
Management from J.B. Hunt sees the current inventory replenishment cycle sustaining a high freight demand environment through the first quarter of 2021.
A railroad from Mexico’s Port of Mazatlan to Winnipeg, Manitoba, would require enhanced container-handling facilities at both sites.
Canadian Pacific, CN, and the Canadian government are taking steps to ease the social and reputational risks, according to a Monday report by Moody’s Investors Service.
Loadsmart has added less-than-truckload (LTL) and rail services as the digital freight brokerage continues to expand its multimodal offerings. The expansion, announced Tuesday, allows customers to book shipments across all […]
The Rail Pulse members control a potential car fleet universe of about 300,000 units.
Third-quarter revenue fell 14% year-over-year, parent company Berkshire Hathaway said. However, lower operating costs led BNSF to a sub-60 operating ratio.
XPO is `very comfortable with where we are’ heading into 2021, Jacobs says.
Jaguar acquires five short lines, while OmniTRAX readies more business-ready sites.
Rail jobs resume downward slide after increase a month earlier
With intermodal volumes growing in the third quarter and October, how will the railroads handle intermodal traffic in the fourth quarter?
Research on dangerous goods transportation is still ongoing, the agency said. The announcement follows an audit published last month that suggested that Transport Canada failed to fully implement several safety recommendations.
Exports drive Canada grain volumes higher.
A panel of economic experts weighs in on the future of the Surface Transportation Board and the rail industry itself.
Overall, there will be lower rail volume levels continuing into the first quarter of 2021.
The bond credit ratings firm updates its outlook for the freight rail industry from negative to stable amid rising rail volumes.
The U.S. Department of Transportation hopes the changes will help more short line and regional railroads modernize and upgrade their infrastructure.
A politician’s perceived influence over transportation policy may factor into who gets financial support.
Envase Technologies platform will expand its presence in Canada with the acquisition of TMS provider Tailwind Transportation Software.
The international market for freight rail services and equipment is pulling ahead of the North American market, but that should catch up eventually, Wabtec said during its third-quarter earnings call.
U.S. rail volumes on a weekly basis were 2% higher last week amid a 9% increase in intermodal traffic.
Zeta, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall Wednesday, could cause some service issues.
Privately owned short line operator Patriot Rail is planning to acquire the 26-mile short line as it eyes business opportunities in Utah.
The railroad will be idling rail yards around Atlanta and will cease humping operations at its Macon, Georgia, yard.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding $291 million to 11 intercity rail projects. Some of the projects will benefit freight rail.
Rail stakeholders debate the legacy of precision scheduled railroading and the common carrier obligation.
The Eastern U.S. railroad reported an adjusted net income of $643 million in the third quarter of 2020, compared with $657 million a year ago.
Separate protests in Mexico have been disrupting railways and highways in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Michoacán since mid-August.
Lower volumes blamed for the job reductions in Kansas.
David Fisher’s 30 years of industry experience is expected to advance the university’s graduate program for transportation, logistics and supply chain executives.
Rail freight needs to become more truck-like as to timely inventory reporting.
The railcar manufacturer sees mid-2021 as a possible time frame for a post-coronavirus economic recovery for the rail industry.
The railcar lessor has developed a new strategy that will focus on providing rail-related services and products as part of a broader effort to boost its profitability.
UP expects longer and heavier trains in its future as it seeks to take more intermodal market share away from trucks.
The company is also eyeing opportunities to develop its real estate offerings and will bring on more assets to handle additional volumes, executives said during CSX’s third-quarter earnings call.
Intermodal traffic props up rail volumes and gains for retail sales; CSX, Union Pacific announce new appointments.
Lower fuel prices drove Union Pacific’s operating ratio lower. Meanwhile, third-quarter net profit fell 12% year-over-year.
Just like its other Class I counterparts, CSX grappled with lower volumes year-over-year in the third quarter as the broader economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rail equipment and technology provider is one of many companies that have laid off or furloughed employees because of the lower-volume environment exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Higher rail volumes continue to be a trend in the fourth quarter, but the pace of volume growth could depend on how the COVID-19 pandemic plays out this winter.
Revenue growth in the railcar lessor’s international segment and in its portfolio management program affiliated with Rolls-Royce helped offset losses for its North American segment.
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to put pressure on CN’s volumes in the third quarter.
The railroad has 1,000 acres it can develop with partnering customers.
The Agriculture Transportation Coalition, together with TradeLanes, surveys hundreds of American shippers about the cost to their bottom lines of uncommunicated earliest return dates from ocean carriers.
Canadian Pacific’s net income fell 3% in the third quarter.
An investigation is underway into a fatality that occurred last week at CSX’s Acca Yard in Richmond, Virginia.
Executives are confident about an economic recovery but uncertainty persists over how much volumes will grow in the fourth quarter and into 2021.
Canadian Pacific Railway will pay $312 million for full ownership of a 1.6-mile tunnel linking U.S.-Canada via Detroit and Windsor
Genuflecting toward Wall Street has symbolically become part of the North American Class 1 rail company culture.
