Trains News Wire now lives under a new site section called TrainsPRO. To learn more, click here.
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway’s profits surged in the second quarter thanks to a combination of efficiency gains, lower costs, and higher coal volumes. The railway’s pre-tax earnings increased 11.5%, to $1.8 billion, as revenue increased 0.15%, to $5.7 billion, corporate parent Berkshire Hathaway said on Saturday. Operating expenses declined 4.7% as fuel costs decreased […]
SALT LAKE CITY — BNSF Railway, Patriot Rail, and the Utah Inland Port Authority held a grand opening ceremony on Thursday for the Class I railroad’s new intermodal facility in Salt Lake City. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, legislative leaders, and public-private partners gathered to celebrate the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This new facility is […]
UNION, Ill. — The first U.S. production AC-traction locomotive, BNSF Railway SD70MAC No. 9400, has been donated to the Illinois Railway Museum, IRM has announced. The 4,000-hp EMD locomotive was the first unit in an order for 350 locomotives built between November 1993 and mid-1996, following several years of testing of diesels with AC traction […]
WASHINGTON — Groups representing rail shippers say they would be opposed to the creation of a transcontinental railroad in the U.S., arguing that further consolidation in the industry would reduce their competitive options, lead to higher rates, and worsen service. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern said last week that they are engaged in advanced negotiations […]
A stat in a Schneider news release caught my eye earlier this month: Overall cross-border intermodal volume between the U.S. and Mexico was up 17% last year. Impressive, yes. But what jumped off the screen was Schneider’s growth rate. Its cross-border traffic — which rides Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s flagship Mexico Midwest Express hotshots — […]
WITTMANN, Ariz. — BNSF Railway has asked Maricopa County officials to delay a vote until November a vote on its proposed $3.2 million logistics and intermodal hub near Phoenix. The Arizona Republic reports a letter requesting the delay from a planned zoning vote scheduled for Aug. 20 did not offer a specific reason, but says […]
BNSF Railway has not engaged with investment bankers about a possible railroad merger, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett told CNBC today. Yesterday Semafor and Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that BNSF had hired Goldman Sachs to advise the railroad about mergers. But Buffett said neither he nor Greg Abel, the […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway carries more intermodal, coal, and grain traffic than any other railroad. And now it’s looking to boost its relatively small carload network through a combination of improved service, more frequent customer switching, and tighter partnerships with its top short line connections. “We know intermodal’s a big part of the […]
News reports say that BNSF Railway has hired Goldman Sachs to advise it about a potential rail merger. Semafor, an online publication, reported on Monday evening that BNSF has engaged Goldman Sachs in the wake of Union Pacific working with Morgan Stanley regarding potential mergers. Both reports cited people familiar with the matter. The railroads […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX and BNSF Railway recently completed the Florida National Guard’s largest rail deployment since World War II. CSX originated 10 unit trains that carried 1,265 military vehicles, containers, and systems that were loaded at Fort Stewart, Ga., and transported to Birmingham, Ala., for interchange with BNSF, which then operated the trains to […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway and Union Pacific settled their Salt Lake City trackage rights dispute yesterday prior to a scheduled meeting with federal regulators. The deal allowed BNSF to begin international intermodal service between Southern California ports and a new intermodal terminal on Salt Lake Garfield & Western Railway. In a filing posted on the […]
WASHINGTON — Jaguar Transport Holdings, which owns or controls 11 other short lines, is seeking to buy two railroads in Washington state, the company said this week in filings with the Surface Transportation Board. The transaction would include the Columbia Basin Railroad (reporting marks CBRW) and the Central Washington Railroad (reporting marks CWAR). The Columbia […]
