WASHINGTON — With a major winter storm predicted, Amtrak has cancelled all service on Saturday, Jan. 29, between New York and Boston, as well as all New Haven-Springfield, Mass., shuttles and the Vermonter. Forecasts call for up to 2 feet of snowfall for the Boston area and lesser but uncertain amounts further south through Rhode […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Union says BNSF move toward new attendance policy violates Railway Labor Act
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway’s plans to institute a new attendance policy while a new labor agreement is under negotiation is contrary to the terms of the Railway Labor Act, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen argues in a new court filing. The Thursday filing with the U.S. District Court in Fort Worth […]
Union Pacific orders 20 battery-electric locomotives for yard service (second update)
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will purchase 20 battery-electric locomotives to test in yard service, the largest commitment to date for the technology by any rail operator. In separate announcements Friday, the railroad announced purchase of 10 Wabtec FLXdrive locomotives and 10 of Progress Rail’s EMD Joule locomotives. The railroad said the cost of the […]
Norfolk Southern adds hybrid cranes at Chicago, Atlanta intermodal terminals
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has installed five hybrid overhead gantry cranes at intermodal terminals in Chicago and Atlanta, part of an ongoing effort to replace existing cranes with hybrid or electric-powered units across its network over the next decade. The 60-foot-tall cranes are diesel-electric hybrids, which use battery power in normal use and battery and […]
Severe weather, small grain crop, and merger costs weigh on CP earnings
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific’s fourth-quarter earnings declined due to a combination of harsh weather, a smaller Canadian grain crop, and costs related to the Kansas City Southern merger. CEO Keith Creel said on the company’s earnings call Thursday afternoon that while railroading is an outdoor sport, the extreme conditions in November and December tested the […]
Rebuilt Reading & Northern 4-8-4 to debut on freight trains
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Reading & Northern 4-8-4 No. 2102 will mark its return to service following a six-year, $1.45 million rebuild by pulling freight, according to railroad owner and CEO Andrew M. Muller Jr. Muller told Trains News Wire that he expects the engine to break in on R&N freight trains in mid-March. Four […]
Overseas demand for metallurgical coal likely to bolster U.S. coal carloadings in 2022: Analysis
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Steelmakers around the world continue to have a strong appetite for America’s metallurgical coal, with railroads in a position to benefit in 2022. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s short-term outlook expects demand for coal used in steelmaking to increase 16% in 2022. Brazil and India have historically been the largest buyers of […]
Norfolk Southern reports record quarterly, full-year profits and operating ratio
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern on Wednesday reported record fourth-quarter and full-year operating income as well as a record low operating ratio. CEO Jim Squires said the railroad hit or exceeded the three-year financial targets set in 2019 when NS adopted a Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model. “Through a multiyear effort, we delivered on our commitments, […]
NS hiring more conductors, preparing new operating plan to improve service
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern service will improve this spring as crew shortages ease and the railroad rolls out a new operating plan, executives said on Wednesday. “Our service quality was significantly below where we needed it to be” in the fourth quarter due to ongoing crew shortages on several portions of the NS system, Chief […]
Judge blocks strike by BNSF unions over attendance policy (updated)
FORT WORTH, Texas — A judge has granted BNSF Railway a temporary restraining order, blocking a threatened strike by two of its unions over new work rules. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports U.S. District Court Judge Mark Pittman said that his ruling does not address whether the dispute between BNSF and the unions — the […]
Watco sets startup dates for former CN lines in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario
Watco short line railroads will begin operating former Canadian National branches in the Badger State, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and Ontario in the next week. On Jan. 29, Watco will begin operations on the 328.5-mile Fox Valley & Lake Superior in Wisconsin, as well as the 142.6 miles of trackage on the Upper Peninsula […]
Utilities look to stockpile more coal in 2022 even as coal-fired plant retirements loom: Analysis
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Railroads are likely to haul more coal to American power plants this year even as coal’s share of electric generating capacity declines. Utilities that use coal are eager to replenish inventories after high natural gas prices and supply chain issues severely depleted their supply in 2021. In a recent short-term outlook, the […]