OTTAWA — Days after Canada’s two Class 1 railroads announced they would appeal a government order requiring the use of handbrakes on trains stopped on mountains grades, one of the county’s largest unions says it’s standing by the Crown. Last month, Transport Canada announced a new rule requiring the application of handbrakes on trains in mountainous […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
UP updates customers on Midwest weather woes NEWSWIRE
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific has issued the following customer service advisory following a week of extreme weather in the Midwest. The troubles essentially close the railroad’s main line between Boone, Iowa, and Gibbon, Neb., a source close to the railroad tells Trains News Wire. Announcement Number: CN2019-13 Categories: General Announcements Posted Date: March 14, […]
Switch heaters
A northbound BNSF coal train passes Coal Creek Junction, Wyo., in July 2008. Steve Glischinski Q The picture on page 42 of the March 2016 issue shows some interesting trackside equipment. It looks like they could be switch heater propane tanks, however, I don’t see any switches. – Bruce Bussert, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. A The […]
AAR: Most commodities carloads decline for the week of March 9 NEWSWIRE
Association of American Railroads Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 9. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 508,958 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.7 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week […]
CSX Transportation management turnover gives analysts reason for concern NEWSWIRE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — One of the things CSX Transportation aimed to accomplish at its investor day a year ago was to showcase its next generation of leadership and calm investor concerns after the death of CEO E. Hunter Harrison. Wall Street analysts reacted positively to the seven vice presidents and senior vice presidents who talked […]
House committee’s goal: Infrastructure bill by May NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Members of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, speaking on a panel this morning as part of the National League of Cities congressional conference, say they are aiming to complete an infrastructure bill by May. “I know May is probably a little ambitious, but that’s our goal,” says Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., […]
CP, CN to appeal Canadian government rule on use of handbrakes NEWSWIRE
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific and Canadian National will appeal an order by the Canadian government requiring the use of handbrakes when trains stop on mountain grades, an order issued in the wake of a fatal CP accident in February. In a press release issued Friday, CP President and CEO Keith Creel said the railroad […]
Grain shippers complain about Precision Scheduled Railroading-related penalties and charges NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Class I railroads say their increased accessorial and demurrage charges, which they levy on customers for things such as car storage and special switching requests, are designed to make service more efficient by encouraging faster loading and unloading of freight cars. Grain shippers beg to differ. “Many Class I carriers increasingly are using […]
AAR: Cold weather, economic uncertainty, and trade tensions depressed carload traffic in February in the US NEWSWIRE
Association of American Railroads Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 2, as well as volumes for February 2019. U.S. railroads originated 999,978 carloads in February 2019, down 2.7 percent, or 28,238 carloads, from February 2018. U.S. railroads also originated 1,094,499 […]
CSX Transportation CEO says service improvements will bring traffic back to the railroad NEWSWIRE
NEW YORK — Railroads can only regain traffic lost to the highway if they can provide dependable, trucklike service, CSX Transportation CEO Jim Foote says. A typical carload customer — be it plastics, chemicals, paper, or lumber — might send only 60 percent of its business via rail, while the rest goes by truck, Foote […]
CSX and Maryland seek federal funding for Howard Street Tunnel clearance project
BALTIMORE — CSX Transportation CEO James Foote on Monday joined Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in officially seeking federal funding for the $466 million Howard Street Tunnel clearance project. Hogan’s office announced that it submitted an application for a U.S. Department of Transportation grant that would fund raising clearances in the tunnel to permit double-stacks to […]
KCS eyes smaller locomotive fleet under shift to Precision Scheduled Railroading NEWSWIRE
Kansas City Southern ORLANDO, Fla. — Kansas City Southern will be able to park at least 10 percent of its locomotive fleet as it moves tonnage on longer trains under its shift to Precision Scheduled Railroading. KCS rostered 1,100 locomotives at the end of 2018 and has identified 75 older units that will be stored, […]
