Powerful PAs persevere Four Alco PAs roll Champlain Division local SC-20 along the shore of Lake Champlain just out of Port Henry, N.Y., en route south to Whitehall, N.Y., on May 7, 1977. Jim Shaughnessy photo […]
Powerful PAs persevere
Type of Train: Freight
Canadian vaccination requirement for rail passengers to take effect Oct. 30
OTTAWA, Ontario — Following up on a policy announced in August, the Government of Canada has announced COVID-19 vaccinations will be required for passengers on VIA Rail Canada and Rocky Mountaineer trains, as well as those departing from Canadian airports, effective Oct. 30. There will also be a transition period when travelers in the process […]
Great Yellow Fleet
Great Yellow Fleet Many older Western Fruit Express wood cars were rebuilt in the late 1940s. No. 72316 received steel sides with straight sills, a diagonal-panel roof, and improved 3/3 Dreadnaught ends. Jeff Wilson collection […]
Activist investor TCI Fund says it’s acting in the best interest of all CN shareholders
LONDON – The war of words continues between Canadian National and TCI Fund Management, its second-largest investor. TCI, which seeks to oust CN CEO JJ Ruest and has nominated four directors to serve on CN’s board, today disputed claims that CN made on Monday. CN yesterday set March 22 as the date it will hold […]
Analysis: Microchip shortage likely to drag down automotive shipments by rail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Consumers want to purchase new vehicles, and railroads are eager to transport them, but a persistent microchip shortage riddled with pandemic-related setbacks is likely to mean fewer auto sales and subsequently, fewer autorack loads from U.S. auto plants for the balance of 2021. Year-to-date, U.S. railroads have transported more than 490,870 carloads […]
CN sets March 2022 date for shareholder meeting requested by activist investor
MONTREAL – Canadian National has set March 22 as the date when shareholders will vote on activist investor TCI Fund Management’s proposal to oust CEO JJ Ruest and four members of the railway’s board. TCI, which argues that CN has underperformed financially and operationally in recent years, has agreed to the date of the special shareholder […]
Two suffer burns when container on UP train catches fire
PALM DESERT, Calif. — Two people suffered what were described as “critical burn injuries” after a container on a Union Pacific train caught fire Friday, leading to a temporary halt to traffic on the rail line as well as closure of one direction of adjacent Interstate 10 for about two hours. The Desert Sun newspaper […]
CSX to serve new Ford electric vehicle and battery plants in Tennessee, Kentucky
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation will be in the driver’s seat for rail traffic related to Ford Motor Co.’s massive new electric vehicle and battery plants planned for sites in Tennessee and Kentucky. This week Ford announced it would develop a 3,600-acre mega campus called Blue Oval City northeast of Memphis. The facility will build […]
Unions begin legal action against Norfolk Southern
CLEVELAND — Two major rail unions have begun legal action against Norfolk Southern, saying the railroad has been forcing locomotive engineers to work conductor positions, which is prohibited by their labor agreements with the railroad. The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Art, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and Brotherhood of Locomotive […]
CN defends record, fires back at activist investor’s ‘misleading claims’
MONTREAL – Canadian National has fired back at activist investor TCI Fund Management, which has called for a management shakeup at the railway. CN today said TCI has made numerous “false or misleading” claims about CN’s financial performance and the risks related to the railway’s failed pursuit of Kansas City Southern. CN says TCI has not […]
Analysis: STB chairman flags railroad growth problem
Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman ruffled some feathers this month when he said railroads’ drive for ever-increasing profits resulted in a loss of market share to trucks over the past 15 years and continues to restrain growth today. Oberman cited STB figures that show a decline in rail traffic between 2006 and 2019 […]
Analysis: Coal producers bet on met (coal) in 2022
Part two of a look at the U.S. coal industry. CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The COVID-19 pandemic may have shuttered economies and slowed industrial momentum, but a global rebound is helping coal producers refocus their long game on metallurgical coal investment as a broader initiative to diversify the sector. Met coal is a higher-priced coal used […]
