LOMBARD, Ill. – Class I railroad mergers are not the sure path to efficiency gains that they once were within the industry. So says Canadian National President and CEO JJ Ruest at the winter meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers in Lombard on Thursday. Ruest notes that as the entire industry has […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
AAR: Intermodal and carload traffic was down almost 10% in total for the week of Jan. 11 NEWSWIRE
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Jan. 11. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 501,624 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Jan. 11 were 239,119 […]
Attorneys general oppose Trump administration plan to move LNG by rail NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia have come out against a Trump administration proposal to allow the movement of liquified natural gas by rail. Last year, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration began to seek public comment on the proposal to move LNG […]
Freight car outlook: More stored, fewer to be built NEWSWIRE
Greenbrier’s Lorrie Tekorius TRAINS: David Lassen LOMBARD, Ill. – As Precision Scheduled Railroading sweeps the rail industry its effect is also being felt throughout the rail supply industry. Around 408,000 North American freight cars are stored. Some of that is attributed to a 5.1 percent decline in traffic in 2019, but some can also be […]
KCS CEO hints at autonomous operations ahead thanks to PTC NEWSWIRE
KCS CEO Pat Ottensmeyer TRAINS: David Lassen LOMBARD, Ill. — In a conference that — like most most rail gatherings these day — had a great deal of focus on PSR, Patrick Ottensmeyer was thinking and talking about PTC. That’s not to say Precision Scheduled Railroading wasn’t part of the Kansas City Southern CEO’s Wednesday […]
Nationwide railroad labor talks start in February; CSX to negotiate wages separately NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Representatives of six Class I railroads and a coalition of labor unions representing more than 125,000 railroaders are set to begin the next round of contract negotiations on Feb. 26 and 27 in Washington. According to officials with SMART Transportation Division, one of the largest unions represented in the talks, negotiations are expected […]
Portland & Western files notice to discontinue service on northwest line NEWSWIRE
SEATTLE — Portland & Western Railroad, owned by Genesee & Wyoming, has filed with the Surface Transportation Board for permission to discontinue service on a 22.6-mile line between Astoria and Wauna in Clatsop County, Ore. “The subject line is an out of service segment of line the underlying property of which is owned by the […]
Update: BNSF closures, Amtrak bus connections continue in Pacific Northwest NEWSWIRE
BNSF Railway train Q-CHCSSE (Chicago to South Seattle) emerges from a snow squall at Merritt, Wash., on the east side of Stevens Pass on the BNSF Scenic Subdivision on Jan. 5, 2020. Robert W. Scott Updated Jan. 16, 2020, 9:45 a.m. SEATTLE – Less than favorable weather conditions yesterday afternoon and overnight prevented the opening […]
UP’s Fritz touts new services, performance improvements under ‘Unified Plan’ NEWSWIRE
TRAINS: David Lassen LOMBARD, Ill. — Fewer unit trains are helping bring better performance for Union Pacific. That was one of several points emphasized by UP President and CEO Lance Fritz on Wednesday morning as he addressed the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers on the railroad’s efforts to improve its customers’ experience. The move away […]
Crude-by-rail safety legislation introduced in House NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Legislation to force oil companies to decrease the volatility of crude oil shipped by rail has been introduced in Congress. On Jan. 13, Reps. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) introduced the Crude by Rail Volatility Standard Act. The law would require […]
Four new members of NJ Transit board confirmed NEWSWIRE
TRENTON — The New Jersey Senate voted unanimously on Monday to confirm four new board members of the NJ Transit board. Even with the confirmations, the board still has five seats to fill. NorthJersey.com reports that the new board members, nominated by Gov. Phil Murphy in March, are: — Retired Democratic state senator Bob Gordon, […]
Kentucky miners block coal train from leaving mine NEWSWIRE
PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Less than six months after a group of coal miners blocked a coal train in Kentucky in protest of unpaid wages, another group of allegedly unpaid miners have blocked yet another coal train. On Monday, Quest Energy coal miners, claiming they have not been paid by the company in three weeks, blocked […]
