NEW YORK — The RailTrends conference in New York has been called the greatest single collection of rail investors in one place, and has featured in recent years a level of introspection by an industry that hasn’t grown much despite regular promises to do so. But the event this year wrapped up Friday with presentations […]
Type of Train: Freight
BNSF remains committed to volume growth, chief marketing officer says
NEW YORK — BNSF Railway remains committed to volume growth even as it seeks to improve its profit margins. “Growth is foundational for us,” BNSF Chief Marketing Officer Tom Williams told the RailTrends conference last week, noting that BNSF has accounted for 72% of the industry’s volume growth since it was formed in 1996. In […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Just Add Water
Ride the waves with railfan/videographer Tom Danneman, as he makes another epic summertime trek into Big Skies & Iron Rails territory! But this time, he’s hard-pressed to keep his feet on dry land…especially when there are so many captivating angles to be found in, on, and along the trackside waterways on Montana. Join Tom and […]
Railroads have turned the corner on service and resiliency, analysts say
NEW YORK — The U.S. Class I railroads have turned the corner on service and resiliency and are poised for volume growth for the first time in years. That’s the view of a trio of analysts – Anthony B. Hatch, Rick Paterson, and Larry Gross – who spoke at the RailTrends conference last week. Paterson, […]
Conciliation officers assigned for CN negotiations with electricians
MONTREAL — Canada’s labor minister, Steven MacKinnon, has appointed three conciliation officers to assist in negotiations between Canadian National and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, CN said on Friday. The IBEW, which represents about CN 750 signal and communication workers across Canada, filed a notice of dispute on Oct. 29, indicating that the union […]
Three ports receive federal funding for rail projects
WASHINGTON — Three projects with a rail component were among 31 port improvement projects receiving a total of $580 million from the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration in grant awards announced today (Friday, Nov. 15). Funding comes from the Port Infrastructure Development Program, which received $2.25 billion under the Bipartisan Infrastruture Law. “Modernizing America’s port […]
North Carolina awards $12.9 million in grants for short line, port rail improvements
RALEIGH, N.C. — Eleven short line railroads and two ports in North Carolina will receive almost $13 million in grant funding from the state’s Freight Rail & Rail Crossing Safety Improvement program, the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division has announced. The funding, which requires a 50% match from recipients, will go to a total […]
Last of shelter-in-place order lifted around CN derailment in Quebec
LONGUEUIL, Quebec — The remaining portion of a shelter-in-place order following a Canadian National derailment has been lifted. The Canadian Press reports the lockdown area south of a Thursday morning derailment that led to a chemical spill was lifted at 4:30 a.m. today (Friday, Nov. 15). Eight cars of a CN train derailed in Longueuil, […]
Kentucky awards $7.5 million for eight shortline rail projects
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Commonwealth of Kentucky is providing $7.5 million in grant funding for eight infrastructure projects on short lines, Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Thursday (Nov. 14). R.J. Corman Railroad Group, Transkentucky Transportation Railroad, and the Paducah & Louisville Railway each received funding for two projects, while the Tennken Railroad Co. and Louisville […]
CN derailment near Montreal leads to chemical spill, shelter-in-place order
LONGUEUIL, Quebec — Eight cars of a Canadian National train derailed today (Thursday, Nov. 14) in suburban Montreal, releasing a cloud of a potentially hazardous material and leading to a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents as well as area schools. The derailment occurred after 8 a.m. in the community of Longueuil, on Montreal’s south shore, […]
Regulators scold Union Pacific for lack of cooperation (updated)
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has taken Union Pacific to task for an ongoing lack of cooperation in a new decision regarding an issue with the railroad’s effort to construct a 6-mile rail line in Arizona’s Maricopa and Pinal counties. The primary matter concerns UP’s request for an exemption for construction of the Pecos […]
Norfolk Southern to add new board member as part of agreement with Ancora Holdings
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern will add a new member to its board of directors — the 14th overall and 13th independent director — under a “cooperation agreement” with shareholder Ancora Holdings, NS announced today. NS and Ancora will work together to identify the new board member, who is expected to add to the board’s gender […]