ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Carriers Conference Committee, the negotiating arm of the organization representing Class I railroads in labor matters, has reached a tentative agreement for a new contract with the American Train Dispatchers Association. It is the fifth such agreement reached by the national group since the latest round of national bargaining, building […]
GARNETT, S.C. — Cleanup continues after 14 cars of a CSX Transportation train derailed Wednesday night, Dec. 4, in Garnett, the newspaper Bluffton Today reports. The railroad said in a statement that loaded rock hopper cars were involved, and that no injuries reported and there was no threat to the environment or surrounding community. U.S. […]
WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to continue its antitrust lawsuit against Norfolk Southern. CSX sued Norfolk Southern in October 2018, claiming its competitor conspired with Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Co. to set an excessive “switch rate” on dock access to the Port of Virginia. CSX said the […]
NEW YORK — Wall Street analysts are approaching 2025 with questions for railroad executives about pricing, inflation, wages, the operating ratio, and, to a lesser extent, geopolitics. Officers of Class I railroads fielded questions with these themes during the recent third-quarter earnings calls, likely their last official remarks to analysts this year. In 2024, railroads […]
ATLANTA — The Broe Group, the parent of short line holding company OmniTRAX, has acquired a former Kellogg’s plant in Atlanta and plans to redevelop the 14-acre property that’s served by the Fulton County Railway. “This build-to-suit project bundles proximity, power, and population centers,” Broe Real Estate Group Senior Vice President Kevin Caille said in […]
ERWIN, Tenn. — CSX Transportation is being ordered to stop using river rock as fill material in the rebuild of its former Clinchfield Railroad line through the Nolichucky River gorge. WJHL-TV reports the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued the notice to the railroad following an investigation that determined CSX was using cobble bars […]
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has recused himself from the pending case involving the Uinta Basin Railway, which is set to be argued before the court next week. NBC News reports that lawyers involved in the case were informed of the move in a letter sent on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The letter from […]
WASHINGTON — The Thanksgiving holiday once again made for a big change in U.S. weekly rail traffic statistics. This time, that change was negative. U.S. rail traffic was down 13.8% from the same week in 2023, a week after it showed a whopping 25.6% gain [see “Weekly U.S. rail traffic shows major bump,” Trains News […]
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Canadian Pacific Kansas City CEO Keith Creel is confident that free trade will continue in North America despite President-elect Donald J. Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada. U.S. trade with Mexico and Canada has grown since the Trump-driven USMCA trade agreement replaced NAFTA and […]
Hump yards The number of hump yards operating in North America has dropped precipitously over the decades. Today there are 36 active hump yards operated by the big six Class I systems and terminal and switching railroads. That’s down from 59 in 2002, 72 in 1993, 122 in 1985, and 152 in 1975. Yet hump […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian National, Genesee & Wyoming Canada, Metrolinx, and VIA Rail Canada are recipients of the Railway Association of Canada’s 2024 Safety Awards, which honor innovations and proactive measures by the nation’s railways to maintain and improve safety. “Safety is at the heart of everything we do,” Marc Brazeau, president and CEO of […]
WASHINGTON — One year ago this week Canadian National announced its $230 million deal to acquire the 218-mile Iowa Northern Railway. Today CN should be 100 days into integrating Iowa Northern into its 18,800-mile system, assuming regulatory approval of the acquisition. Or CN should be licking its wounds, in the unlikely event that the Surface […]
