WASHINGTON – Railroads are trying to shift liability for the shipment of hazardous materials to chemical producers, a trade association says in a letter to federal regulators. The American Chemistry Council, which represents chemical manufacturers, raised concerns about railroad liability and insurance requirements in a letter this week to the Surface Transportation Board. “Railroads leverage […]
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J.B. Hunt will acquire the brokerage operations of BNSF Logistics, which provides third-party logistics services for trucking operations, the companies announced today. A unit of BNSF Railway, BNSF Logistics handles logistics services for full truckload, flatbed, temp-controlled, drayage, expedited, and less-than- truckload movements to a large group of the railway’s customers. Not included in the […]
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ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern’s independent safety consultant has made 11 recommendations the railroad should follow in order to improve its safety culture. Atkins Nuclear Secured, in its first report since being hired in May to assess the railroad’s safety efforts in the wake of the disastrous Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, says NS […]
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WASHINGTON – U.S. weekly rail traffic fell 1.7% for the week ending Sept. 9, with carload up 0.6% and intermodal volume down 3.8% compared to last year, the Association of American Railroads says. Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included motor vehicles and […]
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UAW strike A potential United Auto Workers strike against the Big Three automakers would put a dent in railroads’ motor vehicle and parts volume – the traffic segment that’s shown the most growth this year as overall rail volume has declined. The UAW has set a midnight deadline tonight for a strike at Ford, GM, […]
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LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. – Canadian Pacific Kansas City Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel today touted the benefits of the railway’s flagship single-line Mexico Midwest Express service linking Chicago and Mexico. Yesterday Union Pacific announced that it had shaved a day off of its rival cross-border Falcon Premium intermodal trains run in conjunction with Canadian National […]
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LOS ANGELES – Parallel Systems today introduced its second generation battery-electric autonomous container car system, which the company hopes will see pilot testing on Genesee & Wyoming short lines in Georgia as well as with international customers. Parallel says the new prototype is undergoing testing to verify the system’s ability to operate on the conventional […]
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LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. – New Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena says his strategy for the railroad is a simple one: Grow through great safety and excellence in operations and service. Vena, in his first public remarks since becoming chief executive last month, told an investor conference today that UP wants to grow with its customers. […]
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LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. – In one of his first moves as Union Pacific’s new CEO, Jim Vena took a full day out of the railroad’s premium cross-border interline intermodal service with Ferromex, including the new Falcon Premium service that connects the Canadian National intermodal network with Mexico via Chicago. Since the schedules were improved shortly […]
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CINCINNATI — While most people who follow trains and railroads realize that Cincinnati owns a railroad line, there is a good chance most local residents aren’t aware of what their city holds title to. The Cincinnati Southern Railroad, a 336-mile route connecting Cincinnati and Chattanooga, Tenn., was built by the city in the late 1870s. […]
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OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific says the results of the Federal Railroad Administration’s focused inspections of its freight cars and locomotives raised more questions than answers. “Typically, inspections by the FRA include a focused audit close out with clear findings and action steps, as well as a meeting to discuss any findings and mitigation approaches,” […]
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WASHINGTON – The track circuit for a California siding where Union Pacific had stored empty well cars for more than eight months shifted between occupied and unoccupied nearly two dozen times in the nine hours before a stack train was routed into the siding with fatal results [see “UP train in fatal collision hit cars […]
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