WASHINGTON – A U.S. DOT report critical of railroads discusses pandemic-related supply chain problems and cites concerns with Precision Scheduled Railroading, Class I railroad consolidation, and rising railroad rates. Among the recommendations in the 141-page report, released on Thursday in response to a Biden administration executive order issued a year ago: Increased regulation of freight […]
WASHINGTON — The latest weekly U.S. rail traffic figures show a massive increase over the same week last year — a reflection of a week in 2021 when rail traffic experienced massive weather disruptions. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show U.S. railroads handled 497,822 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Feb. […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — A U.S. District Court Judge has again prohibited unions from striking BNSF Railway over new attendance policies, granting an injunction and saying the railroad is likely to prevail in arbitration, and that the strike would cause irreparable harm to the railroad. The heads of the unions involved in the dispute say […]
These ten unusual locomotive paint schemes are a sight to behold. Railroads usually spend a lot of money and time to create an image. Lettering, a paint scheme, a “look” is all important for consistency and brand identification. So, here are a few examples of locomotive paint schemes that were either derivations of the original […]
SPRINGFIELD, Va. — ENSCO, the international rail, aerospace, and security firm that will be taking over operation of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Transportation Technology Center, is holding a free public webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 23, to outline the services and capabilities it will offer to railroads, transit agencies, and suppliers at the Pueblo, Colo., facility, […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is now offering starting bonuses of up to $5,000 for conductor trainees at what it terms “priority locations,” and $2,500 at other locations. The railroad identified the priority locations as Binghamton and Buffalo, N.Y.; Cincinnati; Louisville, Ky: Manassas and Roanoke, Va.; Harrisburg and Conway, Pa; Birmingham and Sheffield, Ala.; Chattanooga, Tenn; […]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Dry weather in South America is negatively affecting global soybean supply, driving up prices and putting more pressure on U.S. farmers. This could be an opportunity for soybean-hauling railroads to seem carload gains months from now as farmers plant more soybeans this spring. These circumstances are building on momentum from an already […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has named Paul Duncan as vice president, network planning and operations. Duncan will succeed John Friedmann, who previously announced his retirement after 27 years at NS. Duncan is currently vice president of service design and performance at BNSF Railway. He joined BNSF in 2002. In an email announcing the hire, Chief […]
PUEBLO, Colo. — Transportation Technology Center, Inc., the research and testing affiliate of the Association of American Railroads, is for the first time offering access to three decades of research conducted under the AAR’s Strategic Research Initiatives program. Technology Digest, a weekly publication which highlights research findings and reports industry-related projects, is available through TTCI’s […]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Passenger and freight railroad projects will benefit from federal surface transportation dollars made available in President Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law in November. But freight railroads should also see residual value from increased carloads of construction-related materials as highway and infrastructure-heavy projects ramp up. This […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. railroads’ traffic slump to begin 2022 extended to a fifth week, as railroads moved 458,152 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Feb. 5, a 7.6% drop from the same week in 2021. Through five weeks of the new year, overall rail traffic is running 9.1% below 2021 levels, with intermodal traffic […]
OTTAWA — The Canadian government has announced plans to require its own version of positive train control, which it is calling Enhanced Train Control. Transport Canada has published a Notice of Intent to implement the safety system, which is intended to ensure trains comply with trackside signaling and speed limits and avoid collisions. In the […]
