Friday morning rail news: Auditor General criticizes Transport Canada safety oversight; Transport Minister says agency will address issues Canada’s Auditor General said Thursday that Transport Canada has failed to implement recommendations included in a 2013 audit of its safety practices. The CBC reports the auditor general found the agency has improved its focus on high-risk […]
CSX Transportation has told federal regulators that its proposed acquisition of regional Pan Am Railways will improve service, capture business from trucks, and boost railroad competition in New England. CSX’s merger application, posted today on the Surface Transportation Board website, also resolves a thorny issue: Who will operate Pan Am Southern, the joint venture that […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board on Thursday said it would not reconsider the conditions it placed on Canadian National’s proposed acquisition of CSX Transportation’s Massena Line linking the Syracuse, N.Y., area with Montreal. The railroads previously said they would scuttle the deal if the board did not reconsider a condition that would permit CN […]
New Stadler KISS double-deck electric multiple-unit trainsets bound for San Francisco-area commuter operator Caltrain arrive at Union Pacific’s North Yard in Denver on Tuesday, Feb. 23, from Stadler’s Salt Lake City plant. The cars were in route to the Association of American Railroads’ Transportation Technology Center, Inc., near Pueblo, Colo., to begin testing. As part […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic suffered a steep decline in the week ending Feb. 20, a week in which severe winter weather disrupted rail traffic from coast to coast. Weekly statistics from the Association of American Railroads show overall rail traffic down 21.7% for the week, compared to the same week in 2020. The 206,262 […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National will undertake new Environmental, Social, and Governance initiatives including a commitment to diversity on its board of directors, limits on the age and tenure of board members and other restrictions, and creation of an Indigenous Advisory Council. “Over the 25 years since privatization, the company has strived to reflect best practices […]
Thursday morning rail news: South Dakota to sell Mitchell-Rapid City route to Watco short line The South Dakota State Railroad Board has authorized the sale of the state-owned route between Mitchell and Rapid City to Watco’s Ringneck & Western Railroad. The Mitchell Republic reports the board authorized the state Department of Transportation to sell the […]
More Thursday morning rail news: Crew member’s medical emergency reportedly leads to NS derailment in Georgia (updated) Injuries were reported when a Norfolk Southern locomotive struck and derailed a CSX train in Augusta, Ga., on Wednesday evening. WRDW/WAGT-TV reports 17 cars were derailed of a CSX intermodal train with two locomotives and 55 cars, 42 […]
Still more Thursday morning rail news: South Carolina Senate approves funding for Charleston port projects including intermodal terminal After debates over parts of four days, South Carolina senators on Wednesday approved a plan to borrow up to $550 million to expand rail service at the Port of Charleston and add a barge system to move […]
Wednesday morning rail news: BNSF train in Texas derails, catches fire after hitting semi A BNSF Railway derailed and caught fire after hitting a truck in Texas on Tuesday morning, leading to a spectacular blaze and triggering an evacuation of nearby residents. The train crew and truck driver escaped injury. The accident in Cameron, Texas, […]
Overall intermodal traffic in North America is expected to return to growth this year as retail inventories remain low, consumers continue to spend on goods instead of services during the pandemic, and trucking companies can’t field enough drivers to meet demand. That’s the view of a trio of TTX analysts who participated in an Intermodal […]
After a topsy-turvy 2020, intermodal volume should bounce back with 7.3% growth in international containers and a 4.7% gain in domestic volume, according to the TTX forecast. Last year intermodal volume was down 2% overall in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico due to the economic impact of the pandemic. Intermodal volume declined sharply in the […]
