ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern today named Alan Shaw as its chief executive officer, effective May 1, when current CEO Jim Squires will retire. Shaw, the railroad’s chief marketing officer, was promoted to president effective today. The NS management team now reports to Shaw, who has been with the railroad for 27 years and has served […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
U.S. rail traffic slump continues in November
WASHINGTON — A slump in rail traffic continued in November, with lagging intermodal traffic leading to a 4.5% drop in overall volume, compared to the same month in 2020. The latest statistics from the Association of American railroads show that U.S. railroads originated 1,028,039 containers and trailers in November, a 9.6% decrease from November 2020. […]
RSI Logistics, R.J. Corman announce transload partnership
OKEMOS, Mich. — RSI Logistics Inc. and R.J. Corman Railroad Co. have announced a partnership involving marketing and operation of R.J. Corman Transload Connect sites. RSI Logistics will promote the Transload Connect facilities as part of a marketing alliance, and will be the third-party operator at several locations in the eastern and midwestern U.S. The […]
Norfolk Southern working to alleviate crew shortages and improve service
NASHVILLE — Norfolk Southern is doing all it can to solve its crew shortage problem and restore service to normal levels, executives said today. NS has been hit hard by the double whammy of higher-than-expected attrition among its current train and engine crews and difficulty hiring conductor trainees in an extremely tight job market. The […]
DC Metrorail issues lead to NTSB safety alert
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a safety alert, asking commuter rail and rail transit systems to check wheelsets for possible out-of-gage situations. Safety Alert 083, issued Wednesday, results from an October derailment on the DC Metrorail system, which revealed problems in which some wheels moved outward from their mounted position on […]
CN expects to reopen mainline to Vancouver this weekend
NASHVILLE — Canadian National expects to have its severed British Columbia main line back in service by the weekend, which will help ease a logjam of traffic bound to and from Vancouver, Canada’s busiest port. Heavy rains lashed southern British Columbia last month, causing landslides, flooding, and major washouts in the directional running zone where […]
Union Pacific lowers 2021 expectations as intermodal volume slumps
NASHVILLE — Union Pacific has trimmed its volume, productivity, and operating-ratio expectations for the year amid sluggish operations and a sharp decline in international intermodal traffic due to global supply chain problems. UP now says it will see a 4% volume gain this year, down from the previous forecast of 5% growth; productivity gains will total […]
VIA unveils first new corridor trainset
OTTAWA, Ontario — VIA Rail Canada has provided the first detailed look at its new equipment for corridor service, unveiling the first full trainset at the Ottawa station. A total of 32 Siemens-built trainsets will serve the Quebec City-Windsor, Ont., corridor. Testing of the first trainset will begin this month, with the first of the […]
Study sees rail move to battery-electric propulsion as feasible, cost effective
BERKELEY, Calif. — A new study says railroads could save $94 billion over 20 years by reducing air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions — and help avoid health impacts including an estimated 1,000 premature deaths each year — by retrofitting diesel-electric locomotives with battery power. The study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley […]
Canadian government delays grade-crossing requirements
OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian government has extended deadlines for grade crossing improvements, while removing the lowest-risk crossings from the improvement requirements. Following up on a proposal made earlier this year [see “Digest: Canadian government proposes delay …,” Trains News Wire, June 21, 2021]. Transport Canada will provide a one-year extension beyond the original deadline […]
STB adopts streamlined emergency temporary trackage rights rule
WASHINGTON – Federal regulators have adopted a final rule that will streamline the process railroads follow when applying for emergency temporary trackage rights. The new Surface Transportation Board rule, adopted in a decision today, eliminates a required 30-day notice period. Instead, the trackage-rights exemption would become effective within five days. The rule will make it easier […]
STB grants Amtrak access to CSX yard in Mobile, Ala.
WASHINGTON — Score one small win for Amtrak in its ongoing effort to launch service along the Gulf Coast. The Surface Transportation Board on Monday issued a decision honoring Amtrak’s request for an order allowing it access to CSX Transportation’s Choctaw Yard in Mobile, Ala., to conduct a survey to determine a possible site for […]