The railroad industry’s chickens have come home to roost. Before he retired in 2019, BNSF Railway Executive Chairman Matt Rose warned that the other Class I railroads were inviting regulatory risk by adopting Precision Scheduled Railroading, reducing service, and demarketing some types of traffic in pursuit of higher profits. “We have this common-carrier obligation to […]
Illinois town, BNSF square off in lawsuits over sewer fees, storm runoff
CICERO, Ill. — The Town of Cicero is suing BNSF Railway, which operates a major intermodal rail yard in the facility, claiming the railroad has intentionally acted to ensure rainwater runs off its property into the community — after the railroad sued the city over a stormwater ordinance the railroad says is “discriminatory and unlawful.” […]
Union Pacific reports record financial results
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reported record financial results on Thursday, including new marks for operating income, net income, earnings per share, and operating ratio. “We pulled all three profitability levers simultaneously: volume, price, and productivity,” CEO Lance Fritz told investors and analysts on the railroad’s earnings call. The railroad improved its outlook and now expects […]
Amtrak, regional agency agree on study of Scranton-NYC service
SCRANTON, Pa. — Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority have reached agreement on a study to assess a potential route between Scranton and New York City. The Pocono Record reports Amtrak will look at the route’s infrastructure and estimate possible ridership and revenue, with the authority covering the $400,000 cost of the study. […]
CSX intermodal train derails in Indiana (corrected)
AUBURN, Ind. — An estimated 15 cars of a CSX Transportation intermodal train derailed Wednesday morning in Auburn. No injuries were reported. The Kendallville Star reports the accident occurred on the south side of Auburn, a community of 12,000 about 20 miles north of Fort Wayne. Firefighters from Jackson Township and Auburn responded to the […]
Transport Canada seeks comment on rail safety culture
OTTAWA, Ontario — Transport Canada has launched an effort seeking public comment on improving the safety culture in the rail industry. The federal agency has developed a Safety Culture Policy Statement defining the term “safety culture,” outlining its role as regulator, and identifying elements that can shape a safety culture, both positively (such as two-way […]
Weekly rail traffic again moves well ahead of 2020 figures
WASHINGTON — A week after U.S. rail volume took a rare dip toward 2020 levels, the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads once again show a comfortable increase in 2021 traffic over the comparable week a year earlier. For the week ending July 17, overall rail traffic totaled 513,255 carloads and intermodal units, […]
CSX volume and earnings recover, but finding new train crews remains a challenge
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation won’t be able to get its merchandise service back to pre-pandemic levels until it can hire enough train and engine crews to handle strong volume growth. That likely won’t happen before the end of the year because the railroad is struggling to hire conductors in an extremely tight labor market, executives […]
Influential congressman opposes CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, has told federal regulators that he opposes CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways. “Considering the repercussions that would result from CSX Transportation’s purchase of Pan Am Railways and its impact on my district, along with my […]
News photo: Rocky Mountainteer test run in Colorado
ARVADA, Colo. — Two leased Union Pacific locomotives lead a Rocky Mountaineer trainset through Arvada on Tuesday as the train made the fourth of eight test trips for familiarizing crews and onboard employees before the launch of the company’s new “Rockies to Red Rocks” service between Denver and Moab, Utah. The locomotives have been leased […]
CSX says service to chemical and fertilizer shippers is improving
WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation has told federal regulators that it has improved service for chemical and fertilizer shippers, who had complained about widespread delays and congestion in a June letter to the Surface Transportation Board. The American Chemistry Council, the trade group representing chemical producers, had asked the board to put CSX under additional oversight […]
July 2021
In every issue News p. 4 It’s Canadian National vs. Canadian Pacific for KCS Brian Solomon p. 8 Reflecting on a microcosm of dieselization: the significance and longevity of EMD’s SD40 Bill Stephens p. 9 We need more Dutchtown Southerns: new railroad may be the future of carload traffic Preservation p. 44 Mainline steam outlook […]