CULVER CITY, Calif. — Union Pacific has expressed interest in a new autonomous battery-electric intermodal car concept developed by a group headed by three former Space X engineers. The concept under development by Parallel Systems would see intermodal containers carried by pairs of powered battery-electric wheelsets, moving in “platoons” of cars, but capable of splitting […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific on Thursday reported record profits for 2021 despite the impact of the pandemic, wildfires, and congestion in the global supply chain. CEO Lance Fritz says the railroad expects another record-setting year in 2022, when UP will mark its 160th anniversary. But UP’s safety and service did not meet expectations last year […]
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Transportation and logistics firm Schneider will shift its primary western U.S. rail service to Union Pacific from BNSF Railway in January 2023, the companies have announced. “Schneider’s intermodal business is a great fit for Union Pacific’s diverse network,” Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz said in a press release. “We look forward […]
Railroads fall short of trucks in so many ways. The inability to offer seamless service from Point A to Point B shouldn’t be among them. But the Surface Transportation Board has said, in so many words, that Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern will be the last merger of Class I railroads. That’s a colossal mistake. Why? […]
PLEASANTON, Calif. — Supply-chain technology firm Blume Global has announced a collaborative information platform to coordinate cross-country shipments. Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and CSX will be partners in the end-to-end freight scheduler, intended to allow shippers and intermodal firms to synchronize shipments across railroads. “Coordination among railroads is essential, Seana Fairchild, assistant vice president of […]
MILWAUKEE — The long-orphaned Talgo trainsets built but never used for extended Hiawatha service to Madison, Wis., have finally found a home. In Nigeria. The website Urban Milwaukee reports Talgo will sell the equipment to the Nigerian government. According to a press release, it will be for a new 23-mile, 11-station commuter line in the […]
ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Work is set to begin in April on a new dispatching center for short line company Genesee & Wyoming near downtown St. Albans, the Valley News reports. The 10,000-square-foot building, on a long-vacant site, will replace an older facility in the building. St. Albans City Manager Dominic Cloud said the company […]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Supply-chain woes stemming from COVID-19’s economic rebound have been thoroughly scrutinized in the past year, specifically the interwovenness of intermodal container rail shipments and its role in the supply chain. Trains’ Bill Stephens summarized the topic as part of 2021’s year-end countdown of major stories: “News Wire Top 10, No. 3, a […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — Ian Jefferies, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, says he isn’t concerned by idea of a “dynamic” regulatory group at the U.S. Surface Transportation board. “The [STB] chairman, Marty Oberman, has made it clear that he has a new hearing room, and he wants to use it, and he likes open […]
CLEVELAND — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation union, who work for the BNSF Railway, initiated steps to go on strike following the railroad’s announcement of its so-called “Hi-Viz” attendance policy. Collectively, the unions represent more than […]
WASHINGTON – BNSF Railway and Norfolk Southern may both seek trackage rights over Kansas City Southern routes in order to preserve competition as part of the proposed Canadian Pacific-KCS merger. The railroads disclosed their intentions in regulatory filings posted today on the Surface Transportation Board website. The board’s deadline for such responsive applications is Feb. […]
MONTREAL – Canadian National wants to acquire Kansas City Southern’s line linking Springfield, Ill., with Kansas City, Mo., and East St. Louis, Ill. CN today said it would ask the Surface Transportation Board to condition approval of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger on divestiture of KCS’s Springfield Line. CN promises to spend at least $250 […]
