BNSF train derails in North Dakota

BNSF Railway logo

BISMARCK, N.D. — Approximately 15 cars of a BNSF coal train derailed Sunday afternoon in Bismarck, KX TV news reports. No injuries were reported. Bismarck police and fire and the Burleigh County Sheriff’s responded to the incident just outside the southeast border of the city limits. The derailment initially blocked one roadway, Yegen Road, but […]

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BNSF Railway’s quarterly earnings improve as volume returns

Two locomotives pulling train in large vista of open spaces

FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway’s second-quarter earnings improved as volume and revenue surged compared to a year ago, when the onset of the pandemic led to historic traffic declines. BNSF’s operating income rose 32.5%, to $2 billion, as revenue increased 26%, to $5.6 billion, the railroad’s parent company, Berkshire Hathaway, reported on Saturday. The […]

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Shareholder advisory firm says KCS investors should back CN deal

Canadian National and Kansas City Southern logos

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A shareholder advisory firm has recommended that Kansas City Southern investors approve Canadian National’s $33.6 billion offer to acquire the company. Institutional Shareholder Services, in a report issued Friday, said that the “premium, valuation, and strategic rationale for the transaction are compelling.” KCS shareholders are scheduled to vote on the deal […]

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Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern working to clear intermodal congestion

WASHINGTON — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern told federal regulators today that congestion in their busiest international intermodal terminals has been due to disruptions that are beyond their control. Both railroads have taken steps to limit the flow of containers, particularly to their terminals in Chicago, where bottlenecks have arisen from an unprecedented combination of […]

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Analysis: STB affirms Amtrak’s right to pursue New Orleans-Mobile service

Crowd at train platform including woman holding sign, "Bay St. Louis loves Amtrak"

WASHINGTON—Calling the issue “ripe for adjudication,” the Surface Transportation Board has agreed with Amtrak’s request for expedited hearings to determine what, if any, infrastructure improvements must occur before it can begin operating between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. Amtrak had sought to start two daily round trips along the Norfolk Southern-CSX Transportation route in January […]

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Final environmental statement released for Uinta Basin project

Map showing proposed rail route in Utah

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis has released its final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Uinta Basin Railway, and selected the Whitmore Park Alternative as the environmentally preferred route for the approximately 85-mile rail line to serve a remote portion of northeastern Utah. The 637-page environmental document, accompanied by more […]

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North American Rail Shippers meeting now will hear from five Class I CEOs

North American Rail Shippers logo

CHICAGO – The North American Rail Shippers association annual meeting, scheduled for Sept. 7-9 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, now will feature presentations from five Class I railroad chief executives and the president of Genesee & Wyoming’s North American operations. CSX Transportation CEO Jim Foote has been added to the agenda, along with G&W’s Michael Miller. […]

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Company service

Electric locomotive pulls coal train on private railroad

Company service Texas Electric Utilities E25B No. 2304, southbound with coal for Monticello, Texas, in May 1984, represents the first generation of motive power on the power plant railroad. Alex Mayes photo […]

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BNSF Railway details international intermodal congestion issues

Aerial view of intermodal facility

WASHINGTON — On a typical day, BNSF Railway has about 30 international stack trains staged along its main lines, waiting for space to open up at intermodal terminals in Chicago, Memphis, and Alliance, Texas. The terminals are clogged due to an unprecedented combination of record volume and shippers and receivers being slow to pick up […]

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