STB’s Oberman retires

Man standing in front of banner for Midwest Association of Rail Shippers

WASHINGTON — Martin J. Oberman retired from the Surface Transportation Board today (May 10), concluding more than five years on the board, three of those as chairman. President Joe Biden intends to designate current board member Robert Primus as the new STB chairman, the board said in a press release saluting Oberman’s service. The 79-year-old […]

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Norfolk Southern shareholders back CEO Alan Shaw but give activist investors three board seats (updated)

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern shareholders delivered a split verdict today, sparing CEO Alan Shaw while electing three of activist investor Ancora Holdings’ insurgent director candidates and ousting its independent chair, Amy Miles. Investors sent a clear message that ends the bitter proxy fight. They backed Ancora’s desire for change but sought to give Shaw & […]

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Maersk begins planning for possible Canadian rail strike

Logo for container shipping company Maersk

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Shipping and logistics company Maersk has begun developing contingency plans for a possible strike by Canadian National and CPKC crews in Canada, including having ships call at Tacoma, Wash., rather than Vancouver, British Columbia. In a customer advisory, Maersk said it is working with CN, CPKC, and terminal operator DP world to […]

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BNSF appeals outcome of Montana asbestos trial

BNSF Railway logo

MISSOULA, Mont. — BNSF Railway is appealing the results of a recent trial that found the railroad liable in the deaths of two people exposed to asbestos when mining materials were shipped from the town of Libby, Mont., delaying the start of a similar case, Montana Public Radio reports. In April, a jury found the […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic flat for week ending May 4

Weekly table showing U.S. carload traffic by commodity types, plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was even with 2023 levels for the week ending May 4, according to the Association of American Railroads, ending a streak of 14 straight weeks showing gains over previous-year levels. Traffic for the week was 463,106 carloads and intermodal units. That included 213,410 carloads, down 5.1% from the corresponding week in […]

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