Canadian grain hoppers move through the Columbia Gorge in Oregon on Union Pacific in June 2018. In the wake of the recent Canadian National Railway strike, grain farmers in Canada want rail deliveries declared an essential service, which would bar employee strikes. TRAINS: David Lassen CALGARY — Nearly three weeks after a strike against Canadian […]
REGINA, Saskatchewan — Canadian Pacific workers are cleaning up after a train hauling crude oil derailed and caught fire on Monday. In a Tuesday statement, a railroad representative confirmed that 34 cars of a train derailed early on Jan. 9. Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigators are expected to look into to the incident, according […]
Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern will haul unit trains of heavy crude oil bitumen from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast for the next decade under a deal with a trio of energy companies. The move, the first of its kind, is significant because it should allow railroads to participate in Canadian oil on […]
CHICAGO — Canadian National announced today that it has successfully met the federal requirement to operate positive train control on all 35 of its U.S. subdivisions required to be equipped with PTC. This important achievement comes 13 months ahead of the December 2020 deadline. “This milestone is a testament to the tenacious dedication of our […]
A Union Pacific merchandise train climbs the Tehachapi grade in California in September 2019. Bill Stephens OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s shift to an operating plan based on Precision Scheduled Railroading ultimately will enable the railroad to capture more traffic thanks to a combination of lower costs, better service, and a more robust merchandise network, […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific revenue and profits declined in the third quarter as the railroad’s efficiency gains and cost-cutting were not enough to offset an 8% decline in traffic volume. Operating income declined 2%, to $2.2 billion, as revenue sank 7%, to $5.5 billion. Net income also fell 2%, to $1.5 billion. Earnings per […]
An hour early, westbound Canadian No. 1 approaches Kamloops, B.C., on Sept. 7, 2019. Russ Grycan A VIA Rail Canada crew member prepares to unload baggage from eastbound train No. 2 at Melville, Sask., on Oct. 14, 2018. Bob Johnston VANCOUVER, British Columbia — VIA Rail Canada will again run only two Canadian round trips […]
In a down year for North American rail volumes, Union Pacific led the third quarter decline in traffic among the six big systems, with its intermodal volume slumping 12% and its overall carloads off by 9%. Among the big four U.S. systems, BNSF Railway fared the best in the third quarter. Its intermodal volume was […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National and Canadian Pacific see signs that the economy is slowing but are sticking to their financial targets for this year as their traffic growth moderates. Canadian rail traffic has been much stronger than U.S. volume this year, but growth is weakening and crude oil traffic, while up, did not materialize as […]
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The impact of scheduled railroading on Canadian National’s intermodal network 15 years ago may show the path CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific will follow as they embrace the operating model of the late E. Hunter Harrison. CN slashed low-margin services, shut terminals, and shed volume while […]
Burlington Northern GP9 No. 1868, formerly Northern Pacific No. 245, is at Staples, Minn., on Sept. 4, 1989. Steve Glischinski DULUTH, Minn. – The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is acquiring a high-hood former Northern Pacific GP9 in trade for a former Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range diesel. Independent Locomotive Service GP9 No. 1382, at the […]
SEATTLE — A newly released business-case study argues that ultra-high-speed ground transportation in the Vancouver, British Columbia-Seattle-Portland, Ore., corridor would deliver economic and social benefits, and could cover its operating costs as soon as 2040. But getting to such a system by 2040 depends on resolving some huge questions, such as what technology — conventional […]
