UP, BNSF say CP-KCS merger traffic will melt down Houston terminal

Train of auto racks meets locomotives

WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern executives say there’s plenty of capacity in Houston to handle the eight additional trains per day they’ll run through the busy terminal within three years after their merger. But Union Pacific and BNSF Railway told federal regulators, in testimony Thursday and Friday, that they have grave concerns […]

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Regulators add three days to CP-KCS hearing

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON – The three-day Surface Transportation Board hearing on the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger has ballooned to a six-day hearing. Testimony and questioning are taking longer than anticipated, STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman said at the start of the session this morning (Friday, Sept. 30) , which had been scheduled to be the […]

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Duncan to lead Norfolk Southern’s combined Transportation, Network Operations organization

Head shot of smiling man in coat and tie

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is revising its managerial structure, creating a combined Transportation and Network Operations organization to be led by Paul B. Duncan. Duncan, who is being promoted to senior vice president, transportation and network operations, will lead a team responsible for designing network operations, executing network plans, and coordinating train movements, the railroad […]

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FRA study sees issues with locomotive cab automation

Image of computer screen

WASHINGTON — A Federal Railroad Administration-sponsored study on the use of locomotive cab automation systems found human errors occurred in three of 10 sessions in a locomotive simulator, and recommends further training on the systems for engineers, conductors and dispatchers. The study, “Human Error Analyses Associated with Locomotive Cab Automation,” also calls for further study […]

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Senator introduces bill to address common-carrier rules

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced a bill this week seeking to better define railroads’ common-carrier rules and establishing criteria for the Surface Transportation Board to consider when assessing complaints about service issues, as well as a timeline to do so. Baldwin says in a press release that the “Reliable Rail Service Act,” introduced […]

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Canada’s government, railroads to assist Ukraine’s rail industry

Repair work underway on rail bridges

MONTREAL — The Canadian government and Canada’s railway industry will work to support reconstruction and operation of Ukraine’s rail and other transportation infrastructure, the government and the Railway Association of Canada announced Wednesday. The announcement includes formation of a working group involving the governments of both countries, the RAC — on behalf of railways including […]

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Weekly rail traffic figure take another dip

Weekly table showing U.S. carload traffic by commodity type plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic showed another significant drop for the week ending Sept. 24, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Total volume for the week was 489,111 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.4% decrease from the same week in 2021. Since the figures for the week ending Sept. 3 showed […]

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