Canadian National blasts Amtrak proposal for dispatching control as ‘outrageously self-serving’

City of New Orleans hurries through Matteson, Ill., on May 21, 2020

WASHINGTON — Canadian National calls an Amtrak proposal that would give it dispatching control over CN lines with poor passenger performance “an outrageously self-serving recipe” that would “cause profound harm to freight railroads, freight customers, American consumers, and the broader economy,” and urges the Surface Transportation Board to reject the concept “out of hand.” Amtrak, […]

Read More…

Rock Island perishable traffic in the 1970s

Blue and white diesel locomotives with refrigerated freight cars for Rock Island perishable traffic

Rock Island perishable traffic: One thing you learn quickly as a new railroad employee is that if you can hold a regular job, it’s because nobody else wants it. In 1973 Rock Island perishable traffic stopped icing at Silvis, Ill. This coincided with Pacific Fruit Express’s exit from the iced reefer business and represented the […]

Read More…

Weekly U.S. carload traffic rises above 2021 levels

Weekly table showing US carload traffic by commodity plus overall intermodal traffic

WASHINGTON — U.S. carload traffic moved back above 2021 levels for the week ending July 23, while overall traffic was down by a small margin, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Total volume was 498,901 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 0.8% compared to the corresponding week a year […]

Read More…

BNSF extends embargo on California-bound carload traffic

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway’s embargo of certain types of carload traffic bound for California has been extended into August as its Southern Transcon remains congested in the Southwest. The embargo, which took effect on June 27, applies to automotive shipments as well as specific agricultural and industrial commodities. “In response to our temporary […]

Read More…

CN reports record quarterly results as operations improve

MONTREAL – Canadian National reported record revenue and operating income in the second quarter amid a dramatic operational turnaround that has the railway performing at its highest levels in five years. “The network is fluid and the operating team has done a great job of improving performance across the network,” CEO Tracy Robinson told investors […]

Read More…