An inbound Metra UP West train eases past track construction as it approaches the River Forest, Ill., station on Oct. 27, 2019. Union Pacific will place the third track into service between River Forest and Melrose Park this weekend, leading to some Metra delays and service changes. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Union Pacific is […]
KANSAS CITY – Kansas City Southern is introducing precision scheduled railroading to subsidiary Kansas City Southern de Mexico. The first phase is scheduled for about Nov. 18, officials say, with full implementation by January 2020. KCS is launching PSR in Mexico “to improve service and achieve our vision to consistently be the fastest-growing, best-performing, most […]
CHICAGO — More layoffs are coming at Union Pacific as traffic volume continues to fall amid global trade disputes, tougher competition from trucks, and the ongoing slide in coal. By the end of the year, UP expects its workforce to be at least 18% below the levels of the fourth quarter of 2018, Jennifer Hamann, […]
CSX CEO James Foote CSX CHICAGO — Service improvements at CSX Transportation are translating into merchandise volume gains and the diversion of freight off highways, CEO Jim Foote told an investor conference on Wednesday. CSX has become the safest and most efficient railroad in the U.S., Foote says, and its on-time performance has improved dramatically […]
A CSX intermodal train negotiates the diamonds at Blue Island, Ill., in September 2019. Increased truck competition for intermodal traffic is one of many factors that has led Moody’s to downgrade its rating of the rail industry. TRAINS: David Lassen NEW YORK — Moody’s Investors Service last week described the outlook for North American railroads […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 2, 2019, as well as volumes for October 2019. U.S. railroads originated 1,224,477 carloads in October 2019, down 8.4 percent, or 112,703 carloads, from October 2018. U.S. railroads also originated 1,331,944 containers and […]
An empty BNSF coal train passes through La Grange, Ill, on Oct. 27, 2019. BNSF saw declines in coal volume and revenue in the third quarter, as well as volume declines in all other service areas, but still posted an increase in profits. TRAINS: David Lassen FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway reported higher third-quarter […]
The downward trend in rail employment continued in October. Surface Transportation Board The total number of rail jobs continues to show a dramatic decline in 2019 compared to the two previous years. Surface Transportation Board WASHINGTON — American railroads shed jobs faster than any other industry in October. The data point, contained in the Bureau […]
WASHINGTON — Six Class I railroads filed a Section 6 notice on Friday, kicking off what is expected to be a tense round of negotiations with labor unions representing more than 125,000 railroads across the country. In a press release announcing the notice, officials with the National Railway Labor Conference and the National Carriers’ Conference […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Oct. 26. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 513,147 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.8% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Oct. 26 were 243,321 […]
ALBERTVILLE, Ala. – Progress Rail, a Caterpillar company, has signed an agreement to acquire Vossloh North America’s (ETR: VOS) Cleveland Track Material (CTM) business. The proposed acquisition aligns with Progress Rail’s goal of profitable growth. With facilities located in Cleveland, Ohio; Reading, Pa.; and Memphis, Tenn., CTM has served as a supplier of special trackwork […]
The traditional fall peak in intermodal traffic, which typically hits full stride in October, has not materialized this year. And on Class I earnings calls this month, not one executive said their railroad expected the usual seasonal surge in intermodal volume. “Normally, October is the busiest month for intermodal. And last week was lower than […]
