Intermodal continues to pace weekly U.S. rail traffic while carloads edged downward, according to the Association of American Railroads.
Continuing consumer demand and frontloading by importers in November helped the Port of Los Angeles to double-digit gains in container volumes.
U.S. rail traffic is back on track after November swings, with intermodal gains outpacing weaker carloads.
The Port of Los Angeles posted record container volume in October on resilient consumer spending and a strong economy.
This week in Borderlands: Toyota pumping $1.45B into Mexico to boost Tacoma production; Union Pacific to serve Volkswagen hub at Texas seaport; South Korean freight transporter to open subsidiary in Mexico; and Nefab expands in Arizona with warehousing and logistics facility.
The Surface Transportation Board has taken Union Pacific to task for an ongoing lack of cooperation in a new decision on the railroad’s effort to construct a 6-mile rail line in Arizona’s Maricopa and Pinal counties.
Union Pacific Corp. in the third quarter saw double-digit gains for income and earnings on modest carload volume improvement and lower fuel prices.
An early peak shipping season, strong economy and resilient consumer spending boosted container volume to a record quarter at the Port of Los Angeles.
As BNSF Railway, CSX and Norfolk Southern continue to sign tentative contract agreements with their labor unions well in advance of the start of national negotiations, one U.S. Class I railroad has been conspicuously absent: Union Pacific.
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.
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.
As eastbound import traffic continues to grow, Union Pacific announced surcharges for its premium EMP and UMAX services out of the Southern California gateway.
Construction continues on a Chicago bridge project designed to reduce delays and improve flow by untangling freight and passenger rail lines.
Union Pacific’s profits rose in the second quarter despite a sharp drop in coal traffic.
This week in Borderlands: Evans Transportation launches cross-border service amid trade boom; TexAmericas Center receives Union Pacific “focus site” designation; Chemvest Holdings US acquires Texas rail-served industrial park; and DHL Express expands retail presence in Houston area.
This week in Borderlands: Port of Eagle Pass, Texas, fastest-growing border crossing in the U.S.; Port of Brownsville snags Westa flour mill; Siete Leguas Automotive opens $54M factory in Durango, Mexico; and CBP intercepts $18M worth of meth in shipment of squash.
Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena defended the railroad’s safety record, which recently has come in for criticism from Federal Railroad Administration Chairman Amit Bose.
Union Pacific recently won a state court ruling in a legal battle to close a rail car shop in Palestine, Texas.
A Norfolk Southern train derailed in Pennsylvania on Saturday amid an already heated battle over railroad safety issues. Here’s the latest.
This week in Borderlands: Shifting supply chains boost trade in California-Baja mega-region; Union Pacific opens expanded Phoenix intermodal terminal; Radiant Logistics expands air cargo operations in Texas; and avocado workers in Mexico file labor complaints.
It was a tough earnings report for Norfolk Southern, and a few Wall Street analysts let management know of their disappointment.
Labor peace was won at what will be higher costs for shippers and carriers.
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.
In this fireside chat, FreightWaves’ chief economist Anthony Smith talks with Union Pacific’s Matt Gloeb about how collaboration between the railroad and truck carriers in the intermodal space can help customers reach sustainability goals.
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division is continuing to express its disappointment over planned furloughs at Union Pacific. But UP insists that it will call back furloughed employees as the railway pursues rail service and safety goals.
Union Pacific is seeking to beef up its intermodal offerings via a terminal in Phoenix and the addition of destinations for its on-dock rail service at Port Houston.
A leading industry conference in New York about the state of railroads was unusually positive this year.
Outgoing STB Chair Martin Oberman had harsh words for Union Pacific at the RailTrends conference.
Executives with CSX, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern at recent investor conferences listed some of the ways they expect to improve rail service.
On his first earnings call as Union Pacific’s CEO, Jim Vena said his goal for the railway is to “win and be the best in the industry.”
Lower revenues dented Union Pacific’s earnings for the third quarter of 2023.
Union Pacific will be offering intermodal service between two cities in Mexico and the U.S. Southeast.
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.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against Union Pacific in federal court over the dismissal of 21 conductors and locomotive engineers who had failed the railroad’s vision test.
Expanded service offerings, such as a reduction in transit time for the Falcon Premium intermodal service, should help support Union Pacific in the third and fourth quarters, UP leaders said at an investor conference this week.
Union Pacific is asking the Federal Railroad Administration for more details on the safety defects that federal inspectors reportedly found during focused inspections this summer.
Union Pacific plans to respond this week to concerns of Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose that the railroad is being cavalier in ensuring its locomotives are safe.
A decline in rail volumes has led Union Pacific to store locomotives — which in turn has led to furloughs of at least 94 employees, according to a union official.
Union Pacific is seeking to bring operations back to normal at two of its California subdivisions that were hit by Tropical Storm Hilary.
Union Pacific’s Mojave and Yuma subdivisions are out of service due to high waters and mud over the tracks caused by Tropical Storm Hilary; electrical outages at some terminals are also impacting operations.
What will Union Pacific look like once incoming CEO Jim Vena assumes the role later this month? That’s the question industry stakeholders have been wondering.
New sick leave agreements and other deals will increase Union Pacific’s labor costs. Investors on UP’s second-quarter 2023 earnings call wanted to know by how much.
Former Union Pacific and CN executive Jim Vena will be UP’s next CEO, while sustainability and strategy EVP Beth Whited has been promoted to president.
Union Pacific will expand the utility role in Nebraska and Colorado and make it more responsive to train movements.
The Surface Transportation Board will look into whether freight rail operations are affecting the on-time performance of Amtrak’s passenger rail service between New Orleans and Los Angeles.
Union Pacific and the union representing train conductors have reached a sick leave agreement.
This week in Borderlands: Florida tomato growers want the U.S. to terminate a Mexico trade deal; a Texas border bridge is shut down temporarily by migrant crossings; Union Pacific will provide rail access to an Arizona industrial park; and Tesla issues a second recall for the electric Semi truck.
Passenger rail advocates call for swift action to resolve Amtrak’s substandard on-time performance for its Sunset Limited service. But freight rail supporters say better data is needed to assess what the problems are.
Union Pacific and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have reached a deal that will provide locomotive engineers with up to seven days of paid sick leave.
Union Pacific’s expanded service allows ocean carriers and BCOs to utilize on-dock rail at the Barbours Cut Container Terminal at Port Houston.
Union Pacific and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have struck a deal that addresses how train engineers might have a better work-life balance.
Union Pacific wants a federal court to review STB’s approval of the merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern.
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.
The California Air Resources Board has passed a regulation that compels freight and locomotive operators in California to adopt technologies to reduce locomotive emissions and phase out diesel locomotives.
Not to be outdone by CPKC, CN said it is partnering with Union Pacific and Grupo México to provide a new, cross-continent intermodal service that will seek more truck-to-rail conversions.
Union Pacific’s earnings guidance for the year is based on the assumption that a recession won’t occur, officials said during the railroad’s first-quarter 2023 earnings call Thursday.
Trammell Crow and CBRE Investment Management have acquired 192 acres in Arizona and are seeking companies interested in developing facilities on their rail-served site.
Union Pacific will hold off on plans to redeploy the train conductor from the locomotive cab to grounds-based work, according to a tentative agreement between UP and SMART-TD.
Union Pacific is the latest railroad to set an agreement with several unions granting workers paid sick days.
A roundup of recent news items from Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, Amtrak and the Surface Transportation Board.
Inside this edition: workplace trends for 2023; growing demand for industrial space at the border; and the hunt for a new CEO.
Union Pacific confirmed that CEO Lance Fritz will be leaving his role. The railroad is looking for a replacement.
Union Pacific reached sick leave agreements with the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen over the weekend.
The Surface Transportation Board recently took action on Union Pacific’s use of embargoes in the Midwest and rejected the Class I railroads’ request to delay a program related to smaller rate disputes.
On Union Pacific’s list of resolutions for 2023 are plans to improve rail service, enhance quality of life for craft employees and achieve productivity gains, according to executives on the railroad’s fourth-quarter 2022 earnings call Tuesday.
Eight U.S. representatives from Iowa and Minnesota want the Surface Transportation Board to require Union Pacific to fix service issues and lift weather-related embargoes in the region.
Union Pacific’s proposed testing of one-person crews is on hold because the program can’t proceed without negotiations between the railroad and affected union members.
Four Class I railroads have asked the Surface Transportation Board and U.S. appeals courts to review an order that seeks to resolve small rate disputes through voluntary arbitration.
The Surface Transportation Board wants Union Pacific to address service hiccups at California’s Foster Farms. Also, CN reports rail traffic controllers have ratified a new collective agreement.
Major U.S. railroads have pushed for years to eliminate the in-cab conductor role. But unions think the cost-cutting rule could undermine safety.
Following last week’s hearing on embargoes before the Surface Transportation Board, Union Pacific has decided to pause the program. Meanwhile, the board is considering what it can do to encourage rail volume growth.
Union Pacific has been recognized for sustainability practices. Commtrex and Railinc are working together to develop a product aimed at using data to simplify rail movements.
STB Chairman Marty Oberman told UP it didn’t provide enough information on its embargo practices ahead of a two-day hearing next week.
Norfolk Southern plans to pursue other measures than furloughs to get through market downturns, and two activist investors press NS and Union Pacific to address paid sick leave.
What’s it like to ride a historic locomotive? Go behind-the-scenes during FreightWaves’ ride on the No. 4014.
The Surface Transportation Board wants to know why Union Pacific has been issuing hundreds of embargoes since 2018.
The head of the railroads’ key regulator spoke at RailTrends and was highly critical of the industry’s job cutting of recent years.
UP is keeping a “growth mindset” as it looks to 2023 despite economic headwinds and an unresolved labor situation.
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.
Union Pacific and the Railway Supply Institute are among those forming partnerships, while the CREATE Program gets a $70 million federal grant.
Uncertainties over whether union members will go on strike next Friday are causing the U.S. Class I railroads to embargo certain shipments and tell customers to expect delays.
The CEOs of Union Pacific, CSX and Norfolk Southern anticipate rail volumes to grow amid service improvements and despite macroeconomic uncertainties, according to their comments at an investor conference this week.
Companies tout it as ‘largest investment in modernized locomotives in rail industry history’
Union Pacific on Wednesday enlisted Wabtec to modernize 600 locomotives to improve fuel efficiency, reliability and haulage ability.
Union Pacific executives said it wasn’t precision scheduled railroading but running the network too tightly that brought on the service issues.
The STB is sifting through hundreds of pages on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern.
Union Pacific is seeking to extend its tests on wheel temperature detectors, but the Transportation Trades Department disagrees with the way UP wants to deploy the technology.
Foster Poultry Farms asked STB last week to order UP to improve rail service to two poultry processing plants in California. The board agreed to that request.
Japanese shipping firm Ocean Network Express has filed a lawsuit against Union Pacific because a shipment of solar panels was stolen in transit.
OceaNS Bridge Express, a partnership among NS, Union Pacific, Hapag-Lloyd and the Port of Virginia, could be a means to avoid West Coast port congestion while taking advantage of East Coast port capacity improvements.
The Western U.S. railroad joins the seven-member industry coalition as well as provides an update at an investor conference on how operations are going.
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.
TuSimple, the autonomous truck developer is delaying its purpose-built driverless truck to 2025 while slowing its roll in other areas.
Precision scheduled railroading will help the western U.S. railroad recover service more efficiently, UP executives argue.
The Sweeteners Users Association asks federal regulators to address rail service issues, plus news from Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern and Commtrex.
Illinois-based CF Industries says UP’s plan would hamper CF Industries’ ability to deliver fertilizer during the spring application season.
If UP and customers can’t reduce the number of active railcars on the network, the railroad may temporarily resort to metering.
