WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 17 remains far ahead of pandemic-depressed figures for the same week in 2020, and also shows a slight increase over figures for the week ending April 10 of this year. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show U.S. railroads moved 237,607 carloads for the […]
Type of Train: Freight
Automobile unloading
Automobile unloading Ramps at many early auto-handling facilities were permanently mounted. This Buck ramp on the Louisville & Nashville in 1962 has a full-width platform and can be adjusted to any deck height. Photo by Louisville & Nashville […]
Canadian Pacific won’t boost offer for KCS, says CN’s dueling bid is ‘fool’s gold’
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel says there’s no reason to sweeten his railroad’s $29 billion offer for Kansas City Southern because Canadian National’s dueling $33.7 billion bid is so anti-competitive that it would never make it out of the starting gate. Kansas City Southern’s board is considering CN’s unsolicited offer, which was announced […]
Digest: Amtrak selects Siemens to build new intercity trainsets
Amtrak selects Siemens to build replacements for Amfleet I cars, other aging equipment Amtrak has selected Siemens to build a fleet of 83 intercity trainsets for use on the Northeast Corridor, Palmetto, and various state-supported services. The selection of Siemens as the “preferred bidder” — which is currently building cars for use on state-supported trains […]
CN-KCS merger would prompt final round of industry consolidation, Canadian Pacific warns (updated)
WASHINGTON — If Canadian National’s rival bid to acquire Kansas City Southern succeeds, Canadian Pacific would be forced to set off the final wave of railroad consolidation by seeking a merger partner. CP provided this warning in a letter to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board on Wednesday, a day after CN announced that it, too, […]
CSX maintains optimistic outlook despite first-quarter profit, revenue declines
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation’s profits and revenue fell during the first quarter as merchandise and coal traffic declines offset strong intermodal growth. But executives remained optimistic about overall traffic growth this year as the economy continues to recover from the pandemic. “We entered the year projecting volume growth in excess of GDP and still expect […]
Digest: Capitol Corridor memo expresses concern about Oakland ballpark plan
Oakland ballpark plan creates grade crossing issues, memo says The head of the agency operating California’s Capitol Corridor Amtrak service has voiced concerns about grade-crossing issues new a proposed new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics. The Waterfront District Ballpark adjacent to Jack London Square will require stadium visitors to cross a busy Union Pacific line […]
Canadian Pacific calls CN’s bid for KCS ‘inferior’ and ‘likely to fail’
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific says Canadian National’s competing bid for Kansas City Southern would reduce competition, raise significant regulatory concerns, and upset competitive balance in the North American rail network. CN’s unsolicited $33.7 billion offer, announced Tuesday morning, tops the $29 billion deal CP reached last month to acquire KCS. The KCS board says […]
Canadian National emphasizes shorter, faster routes in proposed KCS combination
MONTREAL — Canadian National argues that its proposed combination with Kansas City Southern will offer shorter, faster, and more efficient routes than tying together the Canadian Pacific and KCS networks. And that less complicated route structure, CN contends, will enable a CN-KCS system to successfully gain north-south traffic that currently moves by truck between Mexico, the […]
What’s next in the battle for Kansas City Southern?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Last year, a pair of infrastructure funds sought to take Kansas City Southern private. Last month, Canadian Pacific struck a $29 billion deal to acquire KCS. And today Canadian National topped that with an offer worth $33.7 billion. What’s next in the battle to acquire the smallest but fastest growing Class […]
Canadian National announces competing bid for Kansas City Southern (updated)
Let the bidding war begin. Canadian National today topped rival Canadian Pacific’s $29 billion offer for Kansas City Southern in what one analyst called “an aggressive move.” CN’s $33.7 billion offer is a 21% premium to the deal CP reached with KCS last month. CN is offering KCS investors $325 per share, including $200 per […]
Digest: BC agency TransLink outlines ambitious long-term expansion plans
SkyTrain network could double under TransLink long-term expansion plans British Columbia transit agency TransLink has unveiled options for long-term expansion that could double the size of the SkyTrain rail transit system, or see more than 400 additional kilometers (240-plus miles) of SkyTrain, light rail, and bus rapid transit routes. The website Daily Hive reports the […]