Traffic on the big six Class I railroads was a mixed bag in the third quarter, as three systems saw gains versus a year ago and three experienced volume declines. For the third quarter, which ended Sept. 30, total volume on the big six systems was up an average of 0.5%, according to a Trains […]
CLEVELAND — Two major rail unions have begun legal action against Norfolk Southern, saying the railroad has been forcing locomotive engineers to work conductor positions, which is prohibited by their labor agreements with the railroad. The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Art, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and Brotherhood of Locomotive […]
Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman ruffled some feathers this month when he said railroads’ drive for ever-increasing profits resulted in a loss of market share to trucks over the past 15 years and continues to restrain growth today. Oberman cited STB figures that show a decline in rail traffic between 2006 and 2019 […]
Progress Rail and Norfolk Southern have unveiled the first GP34ECO locomotive, built for yard and intermediate operations to meet Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emission standards. The locomotive, intended to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90% compared to older locomotives, is currently undergoing testing for EPA certification. It is powered by a 3,000-hp 12-710 EMD […]
NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern will reopen its Louisville intermodal terminal to handle international containers from Virginia ports. “With continued strong growth in the Louisville intermodal market, Norfolk Southern is pleased to announce that we will be adding terminal capacity to this growing market through the reopening of our intermodal terminal in Louisville, Ky.,” NS […]
CHICAGO — Norfolk Southern’s experimental less-than-carload expedited boxcar service has been expanded and has won praise as an example of how railroads can take freight off highways. The Thoroughbred Freight Transfer service — launched in July linking Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami — now includes lanes connecting Croxton, N.J., with Chicago and Atlanta, Ed Elkins, the […]
Amtrak plans to add three short-haul routes in Pennsylvania and double both Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian train frequencies, Amtrak President Stephen Gardner told Gov. Tom Wolf and other public officials in a recent online roundtable talk about the company’s ConnectsUS 15-year regional corridor vision. The three routes are: New York City-Scranton, Pa., 136 miles via […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is awarding $400,000 in grants to aid 31 food banks in 22 states served by the railroad. A list of organizations receiving funding is available in this press release. “Food insecurity impacts every community in our country and disproportionately children and senior citizens. … and while a recovery is underway, many […]
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern is experiencing storm-related disruptions to freight service in the Northeast even as it and other railroads continue to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida in New Orleans. In a service alert, the railroad said several NS facilities and lines are experiencing flooding and in some cases are inaccessible because […]
There is no joy in Mudville – er, Montreal – today because the mighty CN has struck out. Canadian National suffered a stinging defeat on Tuesday when U.S. federal regulators effectively killed its proposed merger with Kansas City Southern. CN won’t get to create the first railway connecting Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. And it […]
The Surface Transportation Board took 33 pages to explain why it rejected Canadian National’s request to put Kansas City Southern into a voting trust while their proposed merger would be placed under the regulatory microscope. Buried on Page 31 of the board’s decision is a 105-word passage that – aside from a potential Canadian Pacific-KCS […]
NEW ORLEANS — Rail service to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast remains disrupted following Sunday’s arrival of Hurricane Ida, with Kansas City Southern, Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and Kansas City Southern all reporting continuing shutdowns following the storm that has left much of Louisiana and parts of Mississippi without power. Kansas City Southern said […]
