Railroad

As truck-plus-rail becomes increasingly popular, shippers need to find sites where the modes meet.

BNSF placed in service approximately 2.5 miles of second main track near Westmond, Idaho, closing the gap between two larger sections of double-track main line on one of the busiest segments of BNSF’s Northern Corridor.

Third-quarter revenue fell for the shortline operator.

Market expert Michael Baudendistel writes about whether there is a rail recession, or are railroads paring operations and employees to fatten their bottom lines.

U.S. rail volumes fell 8.1% amid trade uncertainty and “sluggish” growth abroad.

Railway rebounds after slow start in August and September.

U.S. rail trade associations say changes will help employees responding to unplanned events.

Shipping liquified natural gas by rail is a controversial topic. Read what Jim Blaze thinks about the idea in his latest commentary.

Connecting the Alaska Railroad with rail service in Canada and the U.S. is a bold, expensive plan. But it would generate tremendous benefits. Read more here.

Lower operating expenses helped to increase profits.

The credit ratings firm sees coal and intermodal volumes under continued pressure next year.

Ontario Trucking Association lauds crackdown by province’s workers’ compensation agency on companies that skirt payroll deductions by misclassifying drivers. But the OTA calls on Canada’s federal government to do more.

Train crew size, healthcare are among the key issues, on top of grappling with systemic changes to the industry

Ben Thrower writes about the positive and negative aspects of precision scheduled railroading in this commentary article.

Canadian province will allow producers to exceed limits exclusively for rail shipments to meet higher demand.

Year-to-date U.S. rail traffic continues to trend lower.

The rail equipment and technology manufacturer sees international opportunities as an area for business to grow.

FreightCar America sees net loss more than double as it navigates the downside of railcar demand. The company’s cost restructuring remains on track.

The rail equipment lessor said corrosion damage was found in 160 railcars.

The number of employees working for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads slumps to its lowest level in years.

Jim Blaze writes about Conrail Shared Assets and its accomplishments on behalf of CSX and Norfolk Southern.

Freight railroads need push to ensure Amtrak’s trains are on time, Durbin says.

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference could go on strike as early as Nov. 19 should talks deteriorate with Canadian National.

Merchandise of almost any kind is valuable. Packaging it correctly is one key to making sure it arrives at its destination undamaged. Learn some tips about how to package correctly.

The rail equipment manufacturer said it delivered record railcar deliveries in the quarter.

Rail volumes fell yet again and the industry is casting its doubts about the fourth quarter.

The railway also earned record third-quarter revenue.

Intermodal was a particularly weak spot; OR at Swift a concern to Deutsche

Further operational efficiencies will push the railroad to its target, the company said.

Railroads face an uphill battle in elevating their intermodal business.

Despite lowering its operating ratio, the railroad tempers its 2019 outlook.

Jim Blaze explains the new CSX trip compliance reporting… perhaps the first step for railroads to compete more effectively with the trucking industry.

The rail equipment manufacturer sees high utilization rate but says economy faces uncertainty.

Coal production in the region could fall significantly in 2020, affecting rail volumes.

LNG export proposal immediately slammed by Democrat lawmakers.

The Port of Long Beach saw a slide in container volumes arrested in September and hopes to attract more cargo with incentives.

Company eyes cross-border volume growth and efficiency improvements.

A wide-ranging roundtable discussion on the implementation of precision railroading will highlight FreightWaves Radio on SiriusXM Road Dog Trucking the weekend of Oct. 19-20. The show will bring together two […]

Japan’s freight industry is set for a downturn on the back of declining economies in the U.S., China and the Eurozone, new research reveals.

With U.S. rail volumes still slumping, the Class I railroads wondered in third-quarter earnings calls when the downward trend would end.

Rationalizing additional network assets is still a possibility in 2020.

The eastern U.S. railroad declined to share its expectations for 2020 but said it would be prepared should rail volumes rebound.

Government initiatives are encouraging the freight rail sector to address cyber threats. But what else needs to be done?

Market View commentator Jim Blaze writes about the advantages short line railroads offer to shippers.

Kristy Knichel keeps a level head while growing the business her father started.

Now Goldman thinks that ISM data won’t turn positive until Q2 2020.

Reports have been surfacing that the Alberta government could grant more crude-by-rail contracts.

What’s next at FMCSA after Ray Martinez departs? Tune in to FW Radio.

With U.S. rail volumes slumping in the third quarter, can PSR soften that blow to the rail’s bottom line?

Carloads on the railroads remained under water in the first week of the fourth quarter 2019. Intermodal weakness will be in the spotlight as third quarter earnings season approaches.

The Chinese city of Yiwu has announced a new freight train route to Belgium’s Liege, with trains expected to finish the journey in about 20 days.

Excerpt: The companies promote and assign new roles to longstanding employees.

Awarded projects could benefit freight rail indirectly.

Jim Blaze writes about the competitiveness of railroads vs. trucks and the railroads’ lack of interoperability.

The railroads say the union refuses to negotiate on train crew size as both sides prepare for a new collective bargaining agreement.

The U.S. imports corn from Brazil ahead of the harvest season.

The proposed actions address major rail shipper complaints voiced to the Board earlier this year.

For decades, the European freight rail system has had no major upgrades with regard to axle load capacity, train length or car vertical height.

File this one under the category of “be careful what you wish for.” In a letter to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA) filed as part of a […]

The new executives contributed greatly to CSX as the railroad made operational changes, the company said.

Companies file a flurry of lawsuits against the big four U.S. Class I railroads, alleging their fuel surcharge programs violated antitrust laws.

Heading into earnings season, the railroads clearly have a revenue headwind as carloads declined again in the latest week.

The rulemakings address cost of capital calculations and rail performance data for chemicals and plastics traffic; shippers also press Board to act on fuel surcharges.

Groups say existing federal laws trump Illinois’ mandate on train crew size.

The railway grappled with not only the potential for cold temperatures but also macro uncertainty in crafting plan.

The upgrades come as company and state officials eye anticipated volume growth at the Port of Savannah.

Jim Blaze writes about the decisions that will go into determining 2020 capital expenditures by the freight railroads.

The company is following through on a pledge to acquire 1,000 branded intermodal containers by the end of 2020.

The federal agency on hazardous materials transport has received over 4,000 comments about the law.

Jennifer Hamann will succeed Rob Knight on January 1, 2020.

The outlook for intermodal freight transportation and what’s going on with driver cash flow and factoring issues will be two of the key topics of discussion on the September 28-29 […]

Year-to-date U.S. rail traffic down 3.8 percent from the same period in 2018.

The Canadian class I railroads outlined a number of growth opportunities at an investor conference. Intermodal capacity expansion at the ports and grain delays provided the big takeaways.

To meet future rail demand, stakeholders must confront communication dysfunction.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture agency looks forward to receiving import documentation through Customs and Border Protection’s International Trade Data System.

Declining coal consumption in the U.S. may have led to the dispute.

But a lot depends on stabilizing global growth and an industrial recovery in the United States.

Norfolk Southern announced that Claude Mongeau has been elected as a director. The former Canadian National Railway head may be viewed as an effort to improve PSR initiatives or to explore potential opportunities to partner with other Class I railroads.

The recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board relate to a fatal October 2018 accident in which a moving train struck a stationary one.

As precision scheduled railroading takes hold, headcount levels drop to their lowest in years.

FreightCar America entered a joint venture to build a new manufacturing facility in Mexico as part of its cost improvement initiative.

Through the continued development of automated processes, U.S. Customs and Border Protection foresees the day when paper export manifests will no longer be necessary.

The rail equipment manufacturer will close its Boise facility and move operations to Erie.

Two lawmakers want more extensive review of the risks and practice of using tank cars to haul liquefied natural gas.

Executives at North America’s major railroads are making the case that intermodal service will be more reliable and consistent after a year of major service changes. This comes as weakness […]

Trade uncertainty and loose truck capacity continue to weigh on rail traffic.

The Port of Savannah’s expansion plans will benefit shippers — so long as infrastructure needs outside the port are met.

The trade group has been lobbying Congress to make permanent a tax credit for infrastructure investments.

The railroad, which has dedicated operations in Mexico, has invested in capital infrastructure related to energy.

The halt in vehicle production at General Motors [NYSE: GM] plants on Sept. 16 over a labor dispute is expected to have ripple effects throughout the automakers’ supply chain, but […]

Australia is linking its interior to its coasts and its export markets by building a giant railway to the main seaports. But someone forgot to link the railway to the northern port.

In Australia this week: new truck sales this year in Australia are slumping when compared to last year; transport company PAGE buys Allalong to exploit the Sydney to Tasmania freight market; seaport says millions of truck movements can be eliminated; electric truck is donated to charity; stink-trunk gets un-sunk.

Millions in private and public funding are going toward the two western Canadian ports.

The Surface Transportation Board has proposed two rules that could ease shippers’ burdens when contesting rail rates.

Pictured above, left to right: Glenn Smith, Wayne Farms; John Schmitter, KEP; Todd Tranausky, FTR) A shipper and a consultant talking about how precision railroading’s implementation has affected them both […]

CSX needs to be more proactive if wants to compete with trucks, CSX’s chief said.

U.S. rail volumes are down nearly 4% year-to-date amid a 6.6% decline for coal and a 4% drop for intermodal.

The railroad was building the train when it derailed and caused a tank car to catch fire.

The Class I railroads are steadily implementing positive train control, but the railroads overall still have a ways to go before the December 2020 deadline.

Three Class I U.S. rail operations earned enough returns on investment in 2018 to support their capital projects.