These five US short line and regional railroads with Class I capabilities may not have the impressive track mileage and revenues compared with the country’s massive Class I railroads. What these standouts lack in quantity make up in quality with both infrastructure and operational practices that sets them apart from the other small freight railroads. […]
The union representing conductors has thus far refused to participate in a pilot program Union Pacific wants to run to test the concept of shifting conductors to ground-based positions, The Associated Press reports. But UP remains in mediation with two SMART-TD committees and negotiations are ongoing about the proposed pilot program, railroad spokeswoman Robynn Tysver […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — The Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting is by no means focused on passenger railroading, but there were some notable comments about Amtrak over the course of the two-day event. Foremost among those, not surprisingly, were the thoughts of Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman, whose agency’s busy agenda touches […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway plans to spend $3.96 billion on capital investments in 2023, the railroad announced Thursday — an increase of more than $400 million from its plan in 2022. “Our capital plan reflects our growth mindset and commitment to having the capacity and equipment we need to support our customers,” Katie […]
CHICAGO – The Chicago area’s congressional delegation delivered for commuter rail agency Metra in 2022, helping secure $204.1 million in competitive federal grants for Metra projects – the most by far in Metra’s history. The amount includes the largest discretionary grant Metra ever received – $117 million for the next phase of the Union Pacific North […]
WASHINGTON — Replacement of Amtrak’s long-distance passenger cars has been included in forward-looking fleet plans for more than a decade, but the company announced Thursday it contacted carbuilders in December as “a first formal step” to re-equip the 14 overnight routes of the long-distance network. The request for expressions of interest “was sent to potential […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — BNSF Railway’s plans for a major new facility in Barstow, Calif., represent the continuing evolution of the railroad’s efforts to improve the intermodal supply chain, says CEO Katie Farmer. The railroad’s plans for the Barstow International Gateway, a $1.5 billion, 4,500-acre terminal in Southern California, builds on the development of earlier Logistics […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — It is safe to say we have not heard the last from the Surface Transportation Board on Union Pacific’s use of embargoes to address congestion. That was made fairly obvious during a wide-ranging and engaging Q&A with STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman on Thursday’s second and concluding day of the Midwest Association […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board’s final decision on the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger has been delayed and likely won’t come until late February at the earliest. Today was the statutory deadline for the board to issue its decision on the first merger of Class I railroads in more than two decades. But […]
LOWELL, Ark. – J.B. Hunt executives say rail service is improving on BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, and Norfolk Southern, which should enable the trucking company to gain additional intermodal volume this year. BNSF is now back to pre-pandemic service levels, Darren Field, president of J.B. Hunt’s intermodal division, said on the company’s quarterly earnings call […]
WASHINGTON – Members of Congress from Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have asked federal regulators to order Union Pacific to lift a weather-related embargo on rail traffic in their states before it has “devastating effects” on shippers. UP imposed the 14-day embargo on Dec. 29 and on Jan. 11 extended it another 14 days, saying ongoing […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has strongly condemned hateful displays that purportedly appeared on the side of the company’s headquarters building during the Jacksonville Jaguars game last weekend, News 4 Jacksonville reported. A swastika and cross were seen projected on the side of the building in a photo that was shared widely on Reddit. It […]
