Canadian National launches second train pair serving Port of Halifax

Locomotive moving cars of containers with ship and dock in background

MONTREAL – Canadian National has added a second pair of intermodal trains linking the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with points in Eastern Canada and the U.S. Midwest. The railway launched trains Q122 and Q123 this month, joining existing trains Q120 and Q121 that serve Atlantic Canada’s busiest containerport. “Working with our partner PSA, this […]

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Beset by congestion, BNSF to limit carload traffic bound for California

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway will limit carload traffic bound for California through the end of July as it struggles to overcome congestion related to crew shortages and bad weather along portions of its Southern Transcon. The railroad made the permit embargo announcement in a Thursday advisory to customers. It will take effect on […]

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Amtrak names Harris as president

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has once again split the positions of chief executive officer and president, with CEO Stephen Gardner announcing the appointment of Roger Harris as president and the promotion of Gerhard (Gery) Williams to executive vice president, service delivery and operations. Gardner had become president and CEO in January following the announced retirement of […]

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Federal Maritime Commission members urge STB to reject CP-KCS merger

Red locomotive with freight in Illinois

WASHINGTON — Three of the Federal Maritime Commission’s five members have urged the Surface Transportation Board to reject the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, saying the deal would hurt U.S. ports. Canadian ports — particularly Vancouver and Prince Rupert in British Columbia — have been gaining market share for containerized traffic that’s ultimately bound […]

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Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen to hold strike vote

Logo of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen will hold a strike authorization vote, the organization’s president announced in a Wednesday conference call with other union officials. Even if members authorize a strike, a walkout is not likely to occur soon. Unions and railroads entered a 30-day cooling-off period on June 17, after […]

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CSX breaks ground on Chicago container facility

Seven people share shovels in groundbreaking ceremony

CHICAGO — CSX Transportation has begun work on expansion of its Chicago intermodal facilities, breaking ground earlier this week on a container storage facility at 63rd Street in the city’s Englewood neighborhood. When completed, the project, projected to cost more than $25 million, will provide additional storage for the railroad’s 59th Street and Bedford Park […]

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Illinois grain shipper opposes CN request to force CP and KCS to divest Springfield Line as part of merger

Two trains side-by-side

WASHINGTON — A major grain shipper opposes Canadian National’s effort to force Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern to divest the KCS line linking Springfield, Ill., and Kansas City. Earlier this year CN asked the Surface Transportation Board to condition approval of the CP-KCS merger on divestiture of KCS’s Springfield Line. CN promises to spend […]

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How Wall Street holds railroads hostage: Analysis

Man climbing on front steps of orange locomotive

The U.S. Class I railroads’ recurring crew shortages, related bouts of service problems, and a lack of meaningful volume growth are intertwined. You can lay the blame for all three problems at just one place: Wall Street. BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific are in the midst of the mother of all […]

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Signal, communications workers begin strike against CN in Canada

Logo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which includes lighting bolts held by a fist

MONTREAL — Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have gone on strike against Canadian National Railway in Canada. The 750 signal and communications workers walked out as of 11 a.m. local time on Saturday, a union official confirmed to the CBC. The union had previously given the railroad a 72-hour notification of its […]

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Transportation Safety Board of Canada releases rail accident statistics

Pie chart showing rail accidents by type, with non-main-track derailments, at 39%, representing the largest wedge

GATINEAU, Quebec — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released its final annual statistics on transportation accidents for 2021, with rail figures showing an increase from 2020 while remaining below the 10-year average for reported accidents. Air, marine, and pipeline accidents were also below 10-year averages, according to a TSB press release. In all, […]

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Union Pacific hit with STB emergency service order for California poultry, feed producer

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board on Friday ordered Union Pacific to live up to service commitments it has made to deliver corn to a large California poultry and feed producer. The emergency service order, issued in response to a plea this week from Foster Farms, directs UP to give preference and priority to unit […]

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California feed and poultry producer seeks emergency order due to Union Pacific service failures

Train rounds curve in late afternoon sunlight

WASHINGTON — The largest chicken producer in the western U.S. has asked federal regulators to issue an emergency service order that would direct Union Pacific to prioritize corn shipments that thousands of dairy cattle and millions of chickens and turkeys depend upon. ​​”The point has been reached when millions of chickens will be killed and […]

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