WASHINGTON — The trade group representing coal mining operators has asked federal regulators to take action regarding erratic rail service, particularly in the east on CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern. Mines have had to curtail production due to poor rail service that’s only getting worse even as demand for coal rises, the National Mining Association […]
Train Topic: Rail Industry
Innotrans trade fair opens in Berlin
BERLIN — The world’s biggest rail industry trade fair, InnoTrans, has returned after a four-year gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The show opened its doors in Berlin today (Tuesday, Sept. 20), with 2,834 exhibitors from 56 countries using the entire Messe Berlin exhibition grounds, which includes 26 buildings covering more than 1.7 million square feet, […]
Livonia, Avon & Lakeville acquires controlling interest in Ontario Midland Railroad
LAKEVILLE, N.Y. — The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corp. has completed acquisition of a controlling interest in the Ontario Midland Railroad Corp., operator of 52 miles of track in New York’s Wayne and Monroe counties. The LA&L now owns 55% of Ontario Midland stock, giving it ownership or control of four railroads, the others […]
As stopgap to relieve crew shortages, CSX seeks transfers to Water Level Route terminals
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation expected train crew availability to improve at its Selkirk, N.Y., hub after Labor Day as the summer vacation season wound down. But it appears crew shortages at Selkirk and elsewhere on the former Water Level Route across New York are getting worse, not better. In system notices sent last week, […]
Vote on rail labor deal awaits final contract language
WASHINGTON — Ratification of the tentative agreement between railroads and a dozen unions remains in limbo while final contact language is being formalized, according to a message from one of the operating unions to its members. A final version of the tentative agreement not expected until sometime this week at the earliest, the International Association […]
OmniTRAX has agreement in principle to buy San Luis & Rio Grande, bankruptcy trustee says
ALAMOSA, Colo. — Denver-based short line operator OmniTRAX has signed an agreement in principle to purchase the bankrupt San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad, Colorado’s Valley Courier newspaper reports. Bankruptcy trustee William Brandt told the newspaper that a letter of intent has been signed but negotiations are continuing to purchase the former Iowa Pacific Holdings […]
Union Pacific drops Canadian Pacific from EMP intermodal program
Union Pacific is booting Canadian Pacific out of the EMP domestic container pool. EMP, which rosters a 44,000-unit fleet of green 53-foot containers, is an interline intermodal partnership between UP and Norfolk Southern. CP, Canadian National, Kansas City Southern, and Florida East Coast also participate in EMP, which allows intermodal marketing companies to book loads […]
Details emerge of 20-hour meeting that produced labor deal
WASHINGTON — Details of the negotiations that led to a tentative agreement between railroads and unions began emerging Thursday night, with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh saying he kept the two sides in his office for more than five hours at the end of 20 straight hours of talks. “The unions were very persistent on what […]
Carload Considerations: Lessons from a near strike
CHICAGO — Class I railroads reached tentative agreements with unions in the early-morning hours of Thursday, Sept. 15, putting to rest uncertainties about the prospect of a widespread work stoppage that could have begun as soon as today (Friday, Sept. 16). In the days leading to Thursday’s tentative agreements, Class I railroads started curtailing certain […]
CN updates sustainability data for 2021
MONTREAL — Canadian National has released the 2021 data supplement to its sustainability report, providing information on the railroad’s progress in meeting its environmental and other social goals. Among the data released: — The railroad reduced its greenhouse gas emission intensity by 3.3% from 2020 and has reached 15% progress toward its target of a […]
Rail strike averted for now, but the industry’s not out of the woods yet: Analysis
The prospect of a disruptive U.S. freight railroad strike was averted thanks to the tentative deal reached overnight between the Class I railroads and the labor unions that represent engineers and conductors, but three key questions remain unanswered. And all of them suggest that railroads, their workers, shippers, and the U.S. economy are not out […]
The Trains Interview: A Q&A with new CSX Transportation CEO Joseph Hinrichs
Trains spoke with incoming CSX Transportation CEO Joseph R. Hinrichs today about his goals for the railroad that he’ll begin leading on Sept. 26. Hinrichs, 55, is an outsider who comes to CSX after a 30-year career in the auto industry. He previously served as president of Ford Motor Co.’s automotive business. The question-and-answer session […]