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WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic slumped 4.3% in August, with both carload and intermodal volume showing declines, according to the Association of American Railroads. “August was the third straight month in which total year-over-year U.S. rail carloads have fallen,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “A major reason why is that other than […]
WASHINGTON – Shippers who suffer from inadequate railroad service would be able to gain access to a second carrier under a new reciprocal switching rule that the Surface Transportation Board proposed today. The board unanimously voted to approve the 51-page notice of proposed rulemaking, which it said would provide a streamlined path for access to […]
MINNEAPOLIS — Chromatic 3D Materials has begun providing 3D-printed components to be used on rail equipment in Europe. A partnership with the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) resulted in the production of bellows, grommets, cable glands, and valve covers, according to a recent statement from Chromatic. “At Chromatic, we take pride in the durability of our […]
ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern has invested $8 million in DrayNow as part of a joint venture to improve the intermodal drayage experience for truckers and customers. DrayNow’s app for mobile devices provides customers with real-time shipment tracking and connects small fleet owner-operators with brokers who need first- and last-mile drayage service – in much the […]
LOCARNO, Switzerland — The trains are new, modern, run on time, and everyone uses them to go everywhere. Clearly, I’m not at home. In fact, and as the dateline has given away, I am in Switzerland. This is night two of my second trip here, this time a three-week adventure. And while I am badly […]
BOSTON – CSX Transportation still expects to see growth in revenue ton miles this year despite declines in several key commodity segments, CEO Joe Hinrichs told an investor conference today. While the railroad’s automotive, coal, minerals, and metals business has been strong, its chemicals, forest products, and international intermodal traffic are all down year over […]
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives Oversight Committee is probing the Department of Transportation’s response to a series of rail and aviation safety issues. The committee’s Republicans sent a letter yesterday to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg regarding train derailments and near-misses involving airlines. The letter asks DOT to provide documents related to “efforts to investigate […]
Second of two parts Part one of this report appeared Tuesday, Sept. 5 EFFINGHAM, Ill. —The latest round of tests investigating ways to ensure trains always activate track circuits — the process known as “shunt” — involves shunt-enhancing antennas mounted on both trucks of a state-owned locomotive in Amtrak service in California. Here’s how the […]
HOUSTON – Union Pacific and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are seeking residents’ permission to conduct soil testing on their properties this month as part of the railroad’s ongoing effort to clean up contamination from the former Southern Pacific crosstie treatment plant in the Fifth Ward. The Houston Health Department independently conducted some additional soil […]
WASHINGTON — Five of the seven Class I railroads operating in the U.S. last year were revenue adequate in 2022, the Surface Transportation Board said today. Being revenue adequate means a railroads achieved a rate of return equal to or greater than the board’s calculation of the average cost of capital to the freight rail […]
I’m heartened to see Amtrak intends to explore a 200-mph Dallas-Houston passenger rail service in cooperation with Texas Central Partners. Having driven I-45 between the two megacities, I can vouch for its clear need and likely success. Not all of Amtrak’s plans have succeeded as envisioned, unfortunately. One, in particular, comes to mind: the short-lived […]
First of two parts EFFINGHAM, Ill, —What happens when electrical current connected with signal systems doesn’t reliably travel from one rail to another when a train passes? Dispatchers “lose” the train — it disappears from their screens — and warning lights don’t flash or gates don’t lower at highway crossings as the train approaches. The […]
