NASHVILLE — Railroads need to change their pricing if J.B. Hunt is going to increase its intermodal business. “We always want to market and sell intermodal when that’s the best solution,” says Darren Field, J.B. Hunt executive vice president of the company’s intermodal operations, which provide more than half of Hunt’s revenue. J.B. Hunt in […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
AAR: Freight traffic for the week of Nov. 23 is significantly up compared to 2018 NEWSWIRE
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Nov. 23, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 521,927 carloads and intermodal units, up 10.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Nov. 23 were […]
UP sues to end employment provision in Texas town
PALESTINE, Texas — Union Pacific has filed suit to overturn a contract dating to 1872 that guarantees a certain number of jobs in Palestine, an east Texas community of 18,136 located 110 miles southwest of Dallas. The Palestine Herald-Press reports the suit, filed on Nov. 27, contends the contract should have been invalidated by a […]
CN launches post-strike ‘recovery plan’ NEWSWIRE
MONTREAL — Canadian National has announced it is implementing a “recovery plan” to respond to the traffic backlog created by an eight-day strike, Canada’s longest rail work stoppage in a decade — an effort that could include bringing back some recently laid-off workers. The railroad and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, representing conductors, train persons, and […]
Electric trucks could be a jolt of bad news for railroad volumes NEWSWIRE
A website screen capture shows an artist’s rendering of an electric truck developed by automaker Tesla. Tesla website NEW YORK CITY — The most immediate threat to railroads is not autonomous trucking but electric powered trucks, which will arrive much sooner and will be significantly cheaper to operate than diesel rigs. That’s the conclusion of […]
Executives insist Precision Scheduled Railroading is about growth, not shrinking the railroad industry NEWSWIRE
E. Hunter Harrison Canadian Pacific NEW YORK CITY — CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific executives insisted last week that Precision Scheduled Railroading is a formula for growth, not a way for the industry to cut its way to prosperity. The three railroads have stored thousands of locomotives and freight cars, idled yards, and […]
Legislator opposes Durbin’s “Fairness” Act NEWSWIRE
The Northbound Saluki speeds through Buckley, Ill., before the 60 mph restriction was imposed by CN. Bob Johnston CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – U. S. Rep Rodney Davis, R–Ill., says legislation proposed by U.S. Sen Dick Durbin, D–Ill., is “a premature step right now,” the Champaign News Gazette is reporting. The comments came at a news conference […]
UP CEO Lance Fritz: Railroad still doesn’t need Brazos Yard switching capacity NEWSWIRE
UP CEO Lance Fritz Union Pacific NEW YORK CITY — Industrial products traffic has been a lone bright spot for Union Pacific this year as plastics, petrochemical, and construction-related carload volume has continued to grow on the U.S. Gulf Coast. But UP has reduced car handlings enough through Precision Scheduled Railroading that it still does […]
Canadian Pacific plans to upgrade CM&Q trackage to handle premium traffic NEWSWIRE
NEW YORK — Canadian Pacific will upgrade Central Maine & Quebec trackage so that the route linking Montreal and Atlantic ports can handle premium intermodal and automotive traffic, Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks told the RailTrends 2019 conference on Friday. CP announced this week that it will acquire the CM&Q from Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure […]
Iowa Northern, UP launch West Coast-Iowa international intermodal service NEWSWIRE
SHELL ROCK, Iowa — The new Butler Intermodal Terminal in Shell Rock will be the hub for an internationally focused intermodal service to be offered by Iowa Northern Railway, Union Pacific, Watco Cos., and logistics firm Valor Victoria. The service will launch in December. It is designed to provide an alternative to larger Midwest rail […]
Crude oil traffic alone keeps ‘green’ in weekly AAR report NEWSWIRE
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Nov. 16, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 501,249 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.4% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Nov. 16 were […]
Federal agency to require states to update grade crossing plans, improve safety NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao today announced significant plans to advance highway-rail grade crossing safety this week. The announcement comes as the Federal Railroad Administration hosted a grade-crossing safety summit, with remarks from FRA Administrator Ron Batory, Acting Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Steve Bradbury, and Federal Highway Administration Deputy Administrator […]
