Railroads continue to play a significant role in North America’s economic infrastructure. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration, the U.S. rail freight network covers almost 140,000 route miles and is generally considered the largest, safest, and most cost-efficient freight system in the world. In addition, says the FRA, the almost $80 billion rail freight industry creates more than 167,000 jobs across the country.
In essence, rail freight companies charge businesses to carry cargo across their network of rails. Their rates are overseen by the Surface Transportation Board, a federal agency that regulates financial aspects of surface transportation. Major railroads in North America include Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway.
Keep up with the latest news, trends and reports concerning rail freight transport here!
This week in Borderlands: Nearshoring forecast to boost US-Mexico trade in 2024; Texas receives $70M grant for hydrogen fuel stations; automotive manufacturer announces $400M factory in Mexico; and Texas logistics park receives $1.5M grant to expand services.
t: After President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, his body toured the United States in a funeral procession by train as the country mourned the loss.
J.B. Hunt announced it has added former railroad executive Patrick Ottensmeyer to its board.
ITS Logistics is entering this digital arena with its container management and visibility platform ContainerAI.
This week in Borderlands: Mexico top US trade partner in November, Laredo No. 1 gateway; PSC Group acquires rail terminal in South Texas; automotive firm inaugurates $55 million expansion in Mexico; and CBP seizes $5M worth of cocaine at Texas border crossing.
Maersk has opted to bypass the drought-stricken Panama Canal and use rail to transport cargo across Panama.
The monthly BLS report showed a relatively modest gain for truck transportation jobs but another decline in warehouses.
Increasing biofuel consumption will be a key way for Norfolk Southern to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to its inaugural climate transition plan.
Craig M. Keats started his career in 1972 as an attorney for the Interstate Commerce Commission — the Surface Transportation Board’s predecessor — and he has stayed on since then.
What are stakeholders in the freight rail space keeping an eye on in 2024? Here’s a starter list.
The Federal Railroad Administration submitted its proposed rulemaking on train crew staffing to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for review.
Intermodal rail might still face pressure from a loose truck market in 2024, but intermodal rail providers could see volumes grow longer term if they keep service humming, according to Breakthrough’s chief economist.
Election-year politics and the NTSB report on the East Palestine derailment are key factors in whether Congress will pass rail safety legislation in 2024, industry observers say.
Cargo volumes at the Port of New York and New Jersey were 7.5% higher than November 2019 but 11% lower year over year.
Labor peace was won at what will be higher costs for shippers and carriers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reopened the international border crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, according to the freight railroads affected by the five-day closure.
Parallel Systems recently gave a public demonstration of how its autonomous rail vehicle technology works.
The U.S. freight rail industry got schooled in 2023 on issues including the three R’s: rail safety, reciprocal switching and relationships.
Union Pacific wants customers to lobby Congress to get U.S. Customs and Border Protection to say when suspended freight rail operations in El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, will resume.
U.S. border officials on Monday suspended freight rail operations in El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, in response to a surge in migrants in the region.
New York becomes the 11th state to require freight trains to have at least two crew members.
The year’s five biggest U.S.-Canada cross-border supply chain-related stories are highlighted.
Two environmental groups say BNSF should do more to reduce deaths of grizzly bears being hit by freight trains on federally protected grounds in Idaho and Montana.
Intermodal rail can and should be a competitive transportation mode, provided that short-line railroads play a part and more investments go into developing intermodal hubs and insightful data sets, according to a report commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund.
TE Management affiliate American Industrial Transport has completed its acquisition of the rail car assets of SMBC Rail Services.
Rail technology provider Wabtec is joining forces with Dutch company Intermodal Telematics to create telematics technology for rail cars.
In this fireside chat, FreightWaves’ chief economist Anthony Smith talks with Union Pacific’s Matt Gloeb about how collaboration between the railroad and truck carriers in the intermodal space can help customers reach sustainability goals.
The Federal Railroad Administration has proposed that rail car manufacturers certify that their rail cars were made in countries that haven’t been flagged by the U.S. government for national security concerns. Two trade groups representing rail equipment manufacturers support this measure.
The Federal Railroad Administration is providing over $8 billion in grants that will support two high-speed rail projects as well as capital improvements on existing rail corridors that carry both passenger rail and freight rail traffic.
Canadian railway CN is acquiring family-owned Iowa Northern Railway, a 275-mile short-line railroad serving the Upper Midwest.
The U.S. and Canada plan to form a joint task force aimed at developing and integrating zero-emissions technologies for locomotives at a wider and accelerated scale.
Georgia Ports Authority will use internal funds and a $46.8 million federal grant to build the Blue Ridge Connection inland rail terminal in Gainesville.
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division is continuing to express its disappointment over planned furloughs at Union Pacific. But UP insists that it will call back furloughed employees as the railway pursues rail service and safety goals.
CSX is facing a class action lawsuit over the sulfur dioxide that was released into the air when a train derailed in eastern Kentucky the day before Thanksgiving.
Union Pacific is seeking to beef up its intermodal offerings via a terminal in Phoenix and the addition of destinations for its on-dock rail service at Port Houston.
Will Congress pass any rail safety bills before 2023 ends? One consultant thinks the answer is probably no.
Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary Rail Link has secured five new contracts since September, the private short-line operator recently announced.
Next year’s transportation environment is expected to see gains in three key areas: service, sustainability and technology. Rail has made strides in all three, making it a viable, affordable option for shippers.
A failed wheel bearing may have caused the derailment of a CSX train in Kentucky last week.
Using technology to assess adverse weather impacts in real time and working with other railroads to adopt best practices were two of the Federal Railroad Administration’s recommendations.
EPA’s proposal to consider mandating air pollution reporting could place new burdens on rail yards and rail carriers, critics say.
A CSX train carrying molten sulfur derailed and caught fire on Wednesday north of Livingston, Kentucky, prompting a voluntary evacuation and state of emergency declaration.
In light of the numerous comments that the Surface Transportation Board received on its proposed reciprocal switching rule, the board has extended a deadline for additional feedback by two weeks.
Mexico orders private freight rail companies to prioritize passenger service over their normal freight operations.
Belgium-based logistics provider Katoen Natie is expanding warehousing and rail facilities at its Norfolk, Virginia, operations, to support the export market for plastic resins.
J.B. Hunt and BNSF Railway are heralding a new era in freight transport with an intermodal partnership called Quantum. With it, they hope to add enough value to win market share from truckload freight.
A leading industry conference in New York about the state of railroads was unusually positive this year.
Despite a 22% volume decline year over year, the Port of Savannah had its fourth-busiest October, according to the Georgia Ports Authority.
Outgoing STB Chair Martin Oberman had harsh words for Union Pacific at the RailTrends conference.
Executives with CSX, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern at recent investor conferences listed some of the ways they expect to improve rail service.
After serving one five-year term on the Surface Transportation Board, Chairman Marty Oberman has decided against seeking reappointment.
Two sites in Iowa and one in Kansas have been added to BNSF’s certified sites list for locations that are primed for industrial development and near BNSF’s rail network.
Dozens of industry stakeholders, from individual Class I railroads to multiple shipper groups to the trade unions, offered their input on what’s wrong and what’s right about the Surface Transportation Board’s proposed rulemaking on reciprocal switching.
BNSF, J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Mexico’s GMXT are launching an intermodal service in January between Mexico and the Midwest.
3i-backed Regional Rail plans to acquire two more short-line railroads, one in Ohio and one in Indiana, as part of a push to expand its presence in the Midwest.
BNSF and Navajo Transitional Energy Co. have reached a settlement on NTEC’s request for more rail service to export coal.
The National Transportation Safety Board wants freight and passenger railroads to incorporate new technologies that boost the effectiveness of existing positive train control technologies.
High numbers of migrant crossings in September disrupted freight rail operations, including Trinity Industries’ and FreightCar America’s ability to send new rail cars into the U.S., executives said on recent earnings calls.
Canadian railway CN, the Mississippi State Port Authority and Ports America have signed a memorandum of understanding for an intermodal service at the Port of Gulfport.
Cincinnati voters on Tuesday approved selling Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern for $1.62 billion.
The rail industry continues to streamline operations and realign rail car fleet management via acquisitions.
J.B. Hunt and BNSF Railway announce the launch of a new customized intermodal offering at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival 2023.
The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded $16.4 billion to 25 passenger rail projects, many of which are in the busy Northeast corridor. Freight rail may also benefit from the projects.
A 13% decline in total revenues dented BNSF’s net profit for the third quarter.
Total employed in the sector now more than 30,000 fewer than at May peak
A look at U.S. Class I rail employment data shows that head count for train and engine crews grew when comparing averages in 2023 with 2020 — but employment totals for those maintaining equipment and stores appeared to fall.
Rail electrification and locomotives powered by green hydrogen are two goals that the rail industry and federal and state leaders should adopt, according to the Sierra Club’s revised statement on how to encourage clean transportation for the railroads.
FreightWaves CEO Fuller talks Convoy collapse and why things aren’t improving for carriers.
The Greenbrier Companies, GATX and Wabtec all reported quarterly earnings this week. Among the themes expressed during earnings calls was pervading market uncertainty domestically but an abundance of international opportunities.
Norfolk Southern is asking the Surface Transportation Board to compel Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX to consolidate their applications on plans to create a Mexico-Southeast U.S. corridor. Doing so would provide greater insight on freight and passenger rail impacts, NS argues.
Hub Group reported $1 billion in revenue and earnings per share of 97 cents during the third quarter.
Members of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen who work on CSX’s L&N property have ratified their sick leave agreement, CSX said.
Uncertainties over consumer demand and inflation rates are causing Canadian Pacific Kansas City to adopt a more cautious stance as 2024 approaches.
CPKC reported a 12% decline in net profit in the third quarter despite higher combined revenues.
Short-term pain will lead to long-term gain for Norfolk Southern, the railway’s CEO said when asked about his company’s higher margins amid plans to continue improvements to rail service.
NS’ third-quarter net income fell 50% amid a $163 million incident charge related to the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment in February.
Partnerships with other Class I railroads will help the freight rail industry gain market share, CN executives said during the Canadian railway’s third-quarter 2023 earnings call Tuesday.
The Prince Rupert Port Authority is starting construction on a project that will increase rail-to-container transloading at the Canadian port, particularly for agricultural, forestry and plastic resin products.
Soy Transportation Coalition director says farmers diverting product from weak export market.
The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and Norfolk Southern, with technical input from the Federal Railroad Administration, will conduct a one-year pilot program to identify best safety practices.
Enabling information sharing between departments will help CSX not only cut costs but discover new business opportunities, COO Mike Cory said on the railway’s third-quarter earnings call.
Eastern U.S. Class I railroad said its third-quarter net profit fell 24% amid lower operating revenues.
On his first earnings call as Union Pacific’s CEO, Jim Vena said his goal for the railway is to “win and be the best in the industry.”
Lower revenues dented Union Pacific’s earnings for the third quarter of 2023.
Officials from Nexxiot and Deloitte talk with FreightWaves in this Q&A about how combining data on container movements and a container’s financial streams can help ward off illicit trade.
Patrick Whitehead and Derek Taylor will lead different aspects of CN’s operations as the Canadian railway seeks to make its operations more “innovative” and “modern.”
J.B. Hunt’s overall financial performance in the third quarter was weak, but slight strengthening in intermodal volumes was celebrated.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen wants the Federal Railroad Administration to issue an emergency order prohibiting freight train lengths greater than 7,500 feet.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX are seeking approval from the Surface Transportation Board to acquire some of the assets of short line Meridian & Bigbee Railroad. They plan to beef up an Alabama interchange as part of an effort to create a Mexico-Southeast corridor.
A BNSF coal train derailed at a bridge north of Pueblo, Colorado, spilling coal and rail cars onto Interstate 25 beneath. The highway remains closed for now.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said a new rule calling for passenger trains to have inward- and outward-facing image recording devices should also have applied to freight trains.
The Port of Montreal has received funding from Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund to build a new terminal aimed at boosting the port’s container handling capacity.
Add Kansas to the list of states that require more than one person in the locomotive cab of a freight train.
CN has released its operational plans for the 2023-2024 winter season. But the Canadian railway says new regulations create some uncertainty.
Chicago commuter rail system Metra filed a lawsuit against the Surface Transportation Board over its decision to approve the merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern.
Union Pacific will be offering intermodal service between two cities in Mexico and the U.S. Southeast.
