NJ Transit trains meet in Elizabeth, N.J., in August 2019. A highly critical state auditor’s report says the commuter railroad is at risk of missing the deadline for positive train control implementation, among other issues. TRAINS: David Lassen Friday morning rail news of note: — A state auditor’s report says NJ Transit is at risk […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Railroads, unions butt heads on crew size ahead of first national bargaining meeting NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON – One of the nation’s largest railroad unions is suing the National Mediation Board after the government agency appointed an arbitrator to handle the issue of crew size, forcing the labor group to deal with a matter they had hoped to avoid during the upcoming round of national bargaining. The National Railway Labor Conference, […]
Canadian Pacific reports record financial results NEWSWIRE
A Canadian Pacific stack train, with a few auto racks tacked onto the front end, passes through Wauwatosa, Wis., on Jan. 28, 2020. CP reported record results in its quarterly earnings call Wednesday. TRAINS: David Lassen Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel TRAINS: David Lassen CALGARY, Alberta – Canadian Pacific, the lone Class I railroad to […]
Canadian Pacific sees Port of Saint John as its Vancouver of the East NEWSWIRE
Keith Creel, Canadian Pacific CEO Canadian Pacific CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel is excited about his railway’s return to Eastern Canada with its $130 million acquisition of the 481-mile Central Maine & Quebec Railway. CP sold off its routes east of Montreal, including what became the CM&Q and J.D. Irving short lines […]
Norfolk Southern touts service improvements as volume, revenue, and profits fall NEWSWIRE
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern’s profits and revenue fell in the fourth quarter amid broad traffic declines led by a 21% drop in coal volume, the railroad reported today. For the quarter, the railroad’s operating income declined 11%, to $962 million, as revenue fell 7%, to $2.9 billion. Earnings per share slumped 1%, to $2.55. […]
Union Pacific to resume interline service in some domestic intermodal lanes NEWSWIRE
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific next month will resume intermodal service in nearly 60 interline lanes it dropped last year under its shift to a Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model and its emphasis on a simplified network. Since late 2018 UP has scrapped service between hundreds of intermodal points it jointly served with CSX Transportation […]
AAR: All train traffic declined 8% for the week of Jan. 18 NEWSWIRE
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Jan. 18, 2020, this week. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 499,732 carloads and intermodal units, down 8% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Jan. 18 […]
Union Pacific idles Fort Worth yard hump; railroad executives say more changes are likely NEWSWIRE
Union Pacific’s yard hump at Davidson Yard in Fort Worth, Texas. Lance Lassen OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific confirmed today that it has shut down the hump at Davidson Yard in Fort Worth, Texas, and said more yard changes are likely as the railroad continues to reduce car handlings across its system. UP has shifted some […]
Union Pacific profits sag under the weight of broad quarterly traffic declines NEWSWIRE
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific on Thursday reported lower revenue and earnings for the fourth quarter as traffic declined 11%, led by steep drops in coal and intermodal volume. For the quarter, operating income fell 5%, to $2.1 billion, as revenue decreased 9%, to $5.2 billion. Earnings per share slumped 5%, to $2.02, missing Wall […]
Kansas City Southern Railroad official says a version of automated railroading is on its way to North America NEWSWIRE
The potential arrival of autonomous trucks will not wipe out the railroad industry, Kansas City Southern’s chief innovation officer says. “You have to assume railroads are not going to sit still,” KCS Executive Vice President Brian Hancock told an investor conference earlier this month. The path to automation is far easier for railroads than trucks, […]
Dependability and transparency keys to merchandise traffic growth, CSX says NEWSWIRE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation’s merchandise network will gradually regain market share from trucks as shippers begin to trust the railroad’s increasingly reliable service, CEO Jim Foote says. CSX has lost nearly a quarter of its merchandise traffic over the past two decades but has seen its carload traffic hold steady over the past three […]
Ask MRVP: Episode 49
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Host David Popp is back for more Q&A in 2020. In this episode of Ask MRVP, he addresses model railroading topics ranging from trackwork to painting to freight/passenger car modeling to prototype railroading practices …and so much more! […]