CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City had a challenging first quarter as a combined system as demand softened and costs rose while the railway was carrying extra train crews in anticipation of merger-related growth later this year. “No doubt a challenging quarter as we dealt with a softer demand environment,” CEO Keith Creel said […]
Type of Train: Freight
Norfolk Southern operations and service rebound to levels not seen since 2019
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern’s operations and service have bounced back from the disruptions created by the Feb. 3 East Palestine hazardous materials derailment and changes the railroad made to its train makeup rules after a March 4 wreck. “Service is now at levels comparable to our best performance in 2019,” CEO Alan Shaw told investors […]
East Palestine derailment costs take toll on Norfolk Southern’s quarterly earnings
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern’s second-quarter earnings took a hit from costs related to the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, which more than doubled to $803 million and consumed 42% of the railroad’s operating income. “Our financial results were challenged this quarter … They reflect the decisive actions we have taken to advance our strategy and keep […]
Norfolk Southern, SMART-TD announce plan to improve conductor trainee program
Norfolk Southern and the union representing conductors will collaborate on efforts to improve the training program for conductor trainees and increase compensation for conductors who provide the training, the two parties announced Wednesday. The agreement by NS and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) comes after the Federal […]
CSX seeks to overturn Pennsylvania community’s grade-crossing citations
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Police in Chambersburg have cited CSX Transportation 49 times this year for violation of a state blocked-crossing law, the local newspaper reports. The railroad is seeking to invalidate those citations on the grounds the law is not enforceable. The Chambersburg Public Opinion reports Chambersburg police began tracking issues at Orchard Drive in […]
Vermont Rail System repairs continue
RUTLAND, Vt. — Vermont Rail System continues to make progress in repairs to flood damage sustained by its lines earlier this month, company president Selden Houghton told a local news site on Wednesday. “Hopefully, by next week, we’ll be 100% put back together,” Houghton said in a phone interview with the VTDigger. Houghton detailed the […]
U.S. weekly rail traffic figures continue to show more moderate drop
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remains about 3% below 2022 levels in the latest weekly statistics from the Association of American Railroads, maintaining a trend in recent weeks. For the week ending July 22, total U.S. rail volume was 473,736 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.2% decline from the same week a year earlier. That […]
Union Pacific lowers volume forecast as traffic and earnings decline for second quarter
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific today lowered its volume outlook for the year as soft demand across its bulk, industrial, and premium business segments led to lower second quarter revenue and profits. As recently as June, UP expected its volume this year to exceed the level of industrial production, which at the time was forecast […]
Union Pacific names Vena as new CEO (updated)
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific today named Jim Vena, its former chief operating officer, as the railroad’s next chief executive. The announcement comes five months after one of UP’s largest investors publicly demanded that the board oust CEO Lance Fritz and hire Vena as his replacement [see “Union Pacific to seek new CEO …,” Trains […]
CN’s outlook dims due to economy, port strike, and fire and flood impact
MONTREAL — Canadian National has lowered its outlook for the year in light of the slowing economy and the impact of Canadian wildfires, flooding, and the two-week port strike in British Columbia. CN, in reporting lower earnings on Tuesday, pushed its volume recovery expectations into next year instead of later this year. Second-quarter volume was […]
NTSB releases preliminary report on MRL bridge-collapse derailment
WASHINGTON — Sixteen tank cars, 15 of them carrying hazardous materials, derailed in the Montana Rail Link incident involving the Reed Point bridge collapse on June 24, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on the incident released on Monday. The NTSB’s investigation is only considering the performance of DOT-111 tank cars […]
News & Products for the week of July 24th 2023
News & Products for the week of July 24th 2023 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of July 24th 2023. […]