TRAINS: David Lassen
More Tuesday morning rail news:
Domestic traffic boosts third-quarter intermodal volume
North American intermodal volume rose 1.2% in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the same period a year earlier, thanks to the strength of domestic container and trailer traffic, according to figures from the Intermodal Association of North America. Domestic volume increased 9.8% year over year, while international shipments dropped 6.5%. “Inventory replenishment and increasing e-commerce activity, along with some capacity constraints on the trucking side, have helped intermodal to turn the corner this quarter,” Joni Casey, president and CEO of IANA, said in a press release. “This trend is expected to continue, but dependent on the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.” The seven highest-density corridors, which account for more than 60% of total volume, were up 1.9% in the quarter, led by the Midwest-Southneast and Northeast-Midwest corridors, both up 6.6%.
CP has biggest-ever month for Canadian grain in October
Canadian Pacific announced it had set a single-month record for Canadian grain movement in October, passing the 3-million-metric-ton mark for the first time ever. The 3.04 million metric tons exceeds the record set in April 2020 by 6.9% and the previous October high of 2.66 million metric tons by 14.2%. As with a series of similar grain records set by Canadian National [see “Digest: Department of Transportation announces expanded financing program …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 1, 2020], the records in part reflect an expanding fleet of new, higher-capacity grain hoppers. CP has placed 3,300 new hoppers in service, out of a total order of 5,900; those cars carry 15% more by volume and 10% more by weight.
REMSA offers webinar on veterans in the workplace
The Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association and Stahl Recruiting are offering a complimentary webinar, “The Value of Veterans in the Workplace,” on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. EST. The live event with a Q&A will feature guest speaker Carl Halbert, regional human resources manager for Rail Works. More information and registration is available at the REMSA website.
