BNSF Railway’s profits, revenue and volume all increased for the third quarter, thanks to surging intermodal and agricultural shipments.
An early peak shipping season, strong economy and resilient consumer spending boosted container volume to a record quarter at the Port of Los Angeles.
U.S. railroads see the highest weekly intermodal traffic since the pandemic, and ongoing supply chain issues could aid further gains as a threatened longshore strike creeps closer.
Internal email reveals $105 million in maintenance cutbacks at BNSF that could lead to service disruptions.
Regulators may consider more oversight as a way to improve rail volumes.
Minnesota’s federally mandated State Freight Plan identifies key areas for investment in the statewide transportation system to ensure goods movement that is safe, efficient and sustainable.
The agreements were announced just days after CSX completed early deals with its unions as labor flexes its newfound strength with employers following the pandemic.
The Biden administration is calling railroad executives to Washington to explain how they plan to reverse negative cargo trends and grow their business.
This week in Borderlands: Private sector investment in Mexico $39B so far in 2024; BNSF announces intermodal logistics hub near Phoenix; Trailer manufacturer launches production facility in Eagle Pass, Texas; and Doosan Bobcat begins construction of $300M plant in Mexico.
This week in Borderlands: China-to-Mexico freight spurs growth in Laredo, Texas; BNSF sues Texas city over stalled logistics center; RJW Logistics acquires second warehouse near Dallas; and sportswear giant Puma opens distribution center near Phoenix.
BNSF Railway has filed an appeal for an asbestos trial verdict that ruled the railroad was liable in the deaths of two people in Montana.
BNSF Railway reportedly furloughed hundreds of mechanical department workers at train yards in 4 states.
A case in Illinois involving BNSF Railway and a federal law on biometric information privacy has its settlement figure: $75 million.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reopened the international border crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, according to the freight railroads affected by the five-day closure.
Union Pacific wants customers to lobby Congress to get U.S. Customs and Border Protection to say when suspended freight rail operations in El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, will resume.
U.S. border officials on Monday suspended freight rail operations in El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, in response to a surge in migrants in the region.
Two environmental groups say BNSF should do more to reduce deaths of grizzly bears being hit by freight trains on federally protected grounds in Idaho and Montana.
J.B. Hunt and BNSF Railway are heralding a new era in freight transport with an intermodal partnership called Quantum. With it, they hope to add enough value to win market share from truckload freight.
Outgoing STB Chair Martin Oberman had harsh words for Union Pacific at the RailTrends conference.
Two sites in Iowa and one in Kansas have been added to BNSF’s certified sites list for locations that are primed for industrial development and near BNSF’s rail network.
BNSF, J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Mexico’s GMXT are launching an intermodal service in January between Mexico and the Midwest.
BNSF and Navajo Transitional Energy Co. have reached a settlement on NTEC’s request for more rail service to export coal.
A 13% decline in total revenues dented BNSF’s net profit for the third quarter.
A BNSF coal train derailed at a bridge north of Pueblo, Colorado, spilling coal and rail cars onto Interstate 25 beneath. The highway remains closed for now.
U.S. intermodal volumes actually grew in September, according to the Association of American Railroads. And with the harvest season in full swing in the fourth quarter, expect rising grain volumes.
BNSF and SMART-TD have reached a tentative agreement addressing how BNSF handles work schedules for train conductors and other related union members.
BNSF has reached a settlement in a lawsuit it lost earlier that threatened it with a payout of $228 million.
BNSF and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division have struck a sick leave deal for union members.
Regulatory policy expert Rosyln Layton says it’s dangerous to have the Surface Transportation Board lay the grounds for defining how rail service should look under the common carrier obligation.
Union Pacific is seeking to bring operations back to normal at two of its California subdivisions that were hit by Tropical Storm Hilary.
In a 3-2 vote, the Surface Transportation Board denied BNSF’s request to halt an order compelling the railway to ship 1 million more tons of Montana coal should it reach the capacity to do so.
BNSF’s Sandpoint Junction project entailed the construction of a new bridge and the rehabilitation of an older bridge across Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho.
Second-quarter freight volumes fell 11% across BNSF’s segments for consumer, agricultural and industrial products and coal.
BNSF wants a court to throw out an order from the Surface Transportation Board that BNSF ship more export coal on behalf of Navajo Transitional Energy Co.
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division says BNSF is relying too much on contracted work and isn’t doing enough to grow its ranks of maintenance-of-way employees.
BNSF has reached a sick leave and work-rest agreement with BLET; CSX and SMART-TD have partnered to extend CSX’s conductor trainee program.
The National Transportation Safety Board says more frequent track inspections could have helped prevent a fatal September 2021 Amtrak derailment that was caused by “poor track conditions.”
Sites in Arizona, Alabama and elsewhere are being prepared to host rail-served industrial facilities.
The Surface Transportation Board has ordered BNSF to meet the Navajo Transitional Energy Company’s request for more coal trains.
BNSF is seeking a waiver from the Federal Railroad Administration to expand a brake health technology program, and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen supports the effort.
BNSF is offering additional sick leave days to some members allifated with SMART-TD.
Navajo Transitional Energy Co. is asking the Surface Transportation Board to declare an emergency service order that would compel BNSF to ship more export coal from the company.
BNSF will expand intermodal service offerings between Alliance, Texas, and its facility at the Port of Houston, which could benefit the markets of Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver.
Higher expenses and lower carload volumes contributed to a year-over-year dip in BNSF’s net profits for the first quarter.
Union Pacific, BNSF and Norfolk Southern need to go further in improving rail service, according to a Surface Transportation Board decision requiring the railroads to submit service performance reports.
BNSF is conducting further analysis on a piece of fractured rail from the March derailment of a BNSF train in Minnesota, according to an initial investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Four rail cars caught fire when a BNSF train 100 miles northwest of Minneapolis derailed early Thursday morning. The incident spurred an evacuation of area residents within a half-mile of the scene.
Canadian railway CN and the union Unifor have reached a tentative collective deal, thus averting a potential strike. BNSF and Canadian Pacific also have reached agreements.
BNSF and three unions reach sick leave deals; Trinity Industries acquires a 3PL; and STB names new members to an energy transportation advisory committee.
Three rail unions representing mechanical workers say BNSF violated federal labor laws because of the way it has handled the staffing for its locomotive maintenance program. The unions also argue that BNSF has been deferring maintenance and adhering to a minimum standard.
Despite an increase in revenues for BNSF, higher fuel costs contributed to a softer operating income for the fourth quarter of 2022.
BNSF signs deals with the Transportation Communications Union and National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (NCFO), while NS also seals a pact with NCFO.
BNSF has set a $3.96 billion capital expenditures budget for 2023.
Patriot Rail seals a deal; BNSF signs an MOU; Trinity strengthens its position; Port of Pasco secures project funding; Indiana Rail Road sets titles; and Hedlund succeeds Schulz as STB vice chair.
Norfolk Southern has announced plans to acquire the Cincinnati Southern Railway while BNSF has opened a bridge in Idaho meant to ease bottlenecks.
The head of the railroads’ key regulator spoke at RailTrends and was highly critical of the industry’s job cutting of recent years.
Western U.S. carrier BNSF has added four new locations to the railroad’s certified sites program.
Higher revenues in Q3 weren’t enough to offset a 30% increase in operational expenses for western U.S. rail carrier BNSF.
The Surface Transportation Board logged over 25 hours last week to hear from stakeholders about the advantages and drawbacks of the proposed Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern merger.
BNSF is planning to invest more than $1.5 billion to develop a Southern California facility aimed at easing congestion at the West Coast ports.
Ahead of a strike that could occur after midnight Friday, U.S. freight railroads are winding down operations and the White House is preparing contingency plans.
Despite lower volumes in BNSF’s consumer, agricultural, industrial and coal segments, the railroad’s freight revenue rose to nearly $6.3 billion on higher revenues per carload.
The new rail hub is designed to respond to a growing need to expand domestic intermodal capacity within the greater Seattle region.
The STB is sifting through hundreds of pages on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern.
BNSF’s brief embargo aims to reduce Southern California network congestion, which the railway partly blamed on bad weather.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators wants the Surface Transportation Board to take action to address service delays and congestion on the freight rail network.
BNSF has made some changes to the attendance policy that it implemented in February, but unions say the changes don’t go far enough to prevent worker fatigue.
Higher revenues contributed to increased profits in the first quarter for BNSF.
On its first-quarter call with analysts, management from J.B. Hunt said demand indications from customers have been strong. The path is likely not as easy for smaller players in the space.
El primer trimestre supera con creces las previsiones
The letter sent by the National Grain and Feed Association to regulators about subpar rail service is finding support among other rail industry stakeholders.
The union coalition calls on federal agencies and railroads to ensure attendance policies don’t result in overly fatigued locomotive engineers and train conductors.
BNSF Railway Co. last week acquired 3,508 acres in the Phoenix region with plans to develop it as its Western hub.
FreightWaves rounds up recent freight rail-related news items.
The National Grain and Feed Association is asking the Surface Transportation Board to compel three Class I railroads to provide weekly and annual service updates.
Short line operator G&W and Class I railroad BNSF announce their industrial development results for 2021.
BLET and SMART-TD have decided to pursue binding arbitration in front of a third-party board instead of an appeal.
Despite a 3% decrease in overall volumes, BNSF’s net income was $1.7 billion for the fourth quarter of 2021.
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.
The Surface Transportation Board wants more details about the concessions that BNSF and CN are seeking as Canadian Pacific acquires Kansas City Southern.
A BNSF employee was fatally injured at the Globeville rail yard on Wednesday.
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.
Members of BLET and SMART-TD plan to continue pursuing legal action despite a federal judge’s temporary restraining order barring them from striking.
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.
El transportador dijo en el 10-K de 2020 que su negocio
intermodal estaba en BNSF y CSX
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.
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.
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.
The three companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue the demonstration project to test the feasibility of hydrogen-powered locomotives.
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.
Two unions representing railroad employees want the federal court to make BNSF negotiate with the unions over implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The railroad says CP’s and KCS’ traffic diversion analysis is incomplete, and so the board should compel CP and KCS to revise its merger application.
BNSF is suing four railroad unions over its ability to require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. BNSF says it needs to comply with President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate.
BNSF’s third-quarter net income rose 14%, to $1.5 billion, despite supply chain disruptions.
To make room for more containers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, UP and BNSF are offering incentives to ocean carrier customers to move out the containers already there. UP is also temporarily pausing westbound marine container movement to its Long Beach facility.
The Port of Los Angeles had its busiest September ever, while Long Beach had its second busiest.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against BNSF over alleged sexual harassment at BNSF’s rail yard in Alliance, Nebraska.
