Matt Rose MARCO ISLAND, Fla. – Matt Rose thinks the railroad industry is placing itself at regulatory risk with its embrace of Precision Scheduled Railroading. “We have this common-carrier obligation to provide freight service to all customers in all markets,” said Rose, BNSF Railway’s executive chairman, during a Monday morning “fireside chat” at the annual […]
Association of American Railroads Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads on Thursday reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Dec. 29, as well as volumes for December 2018. U.S. railroads originated 1,021,978 carloads in December 2018, up 2.9 percent, or 29,139 carloads, from December 2017. U.S. railroads also originated […]
WASHINGTON — With the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., has taken the reins of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, succeeding Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), who served as chairman during the 115th Congress. DeFazio has served as a member of the committee since 1987 and as ranking member since […]
WASHINGTON — The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association has announced winners of its 2018 Field Employee of the Year and Projects of the Year awards, to be handed out at the upcoming NRC conference at Marco Island, Fla. Joe Sudduth of Herzog Contracting Corp. has been named Field Employee of the Year after most […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board, which was down to just one commissioner as of Jan. 1, now has three commissioners. The Senate on Wednesday night confirmed two new STB commissioners, Patrick Fuchs and Martin Oberman. They join board Chairman Ann Begeman on the railroad regulatory body, which remains idled during the partial government shutdown. […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific says its new operating plan continues to gain traction. “Since September, overall operating inventory has been reduced by 10 percent, car velocity is up 7 percent, and dwell is down 10 percent, all of which indicate we’re moving your freight faster,” Kenny Rocker, the railroad’s executive vice president of marketing […]
A Cargill unit feed train rolls through Shawnee, Kan., in June 2009. The train consists of covered bathtub gondolas pulled from coal service. Zach Pumphery Q While traveling near Atchison, Kan., I noticed a BNSF Railway train with covered bathtub coal gondolas. What were the covers for, and could they be removed should they be […]
A Union Pacific train crosses underneath a positive train control-equipped signal bridge on BNSF Railway tracks in Cajon Pass, Calif., in 2013. TRAINS: Steve Sweeney A year ago, three of the Class I railroad systems — Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and CSX Transportation — were operating under the late E. Hunter Harrison’s Precision Scheduled Railroading […]
OTTAWA — Canada’s Minister of Transport has ordered the nation’s railroads to update their work rules to address crew-fatigue issues. In a Dec. 21 news release, transport minister Marc Gastineau said companies must submit updated rules for review by May 19, 2019, with the government to approve the updated rules by the end of June. […]
Cars will Union Pacific’s West Colton, Calif., yard in April 2014. The railroads hope to make their networks more efficient by incentivizing shippers to release cars more quickly. Brian Schmidt WASHINGTON – Federal regulators are shining a spotlight on Class I railroad demurrage and accessorial charges, which the railroads levy on customers for things such […]
John Williams PALO ALTO, Calif. – John H. Williams, president of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad and The Woodside Consulting Group, and former chairman of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad, died this month of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 78. Williams’ railroad interests can be traced to childhood. His wife Linda recalled that his […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Dec. 15, 2018. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 568,941 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.9 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Dec. 15 […]
