Switching & Terminal

The landmark Surface Transportation Board (STB) hearing on U.S. freight rail industry growth, at which I was privileged to be one of the speakers, was a unique opportunity to listen…

For economists, optimism is unnatural. Thus, as I digested the STB hearings on rail growth, I became increasingly uncomfortable with my buoyancy. As creepy as it sounds, the hearings left…

STB’s two-day hearing on Sept. 16 and 17 provided a good moment to reflect on the freight railroad industry’s prospects. The hearing entitled “Growth in the Freight Rail Industry” (Ex…

Bartlett, a Savage Company, on Sept. 19 officially opened its soybean processing plant in Cherryvale, Kans., that is served by Watco’s South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL), Railway Age’s 2022 Regional…

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Sept. 16-17 held a public hearing regarding growth in the freight rail industry. The objective, it said, was to better understand “how the industry…

Cando Rail & Terminals, a provider of first- and last-mile rail service and terminal infrastructure, on Sept. 19 announced plans to significantly expand its Sturgeon Multi-Purpose Rail Terminal in Edmonton,…

September marks the 10th anniversary of the Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI), a non-profit corporation that was founded in response to the tragic 2013 crude oil train accident at Lac-Mégantic,…

OmniTRAX on Sept. 18 reported that its Great Western Railway of Colorado affiliate recently pilot tested and purchased a new technology aimed at reducing locomotive emissions and fuel consumption.  …

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on Sept. 18 reported that total North American carload and intermodal traffic rose 2.6% through the first 37 weeks of 2024 compared with the…

The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) ongoing investigation of the Aug. 27, 2024, accident involving a Norfolk Southern (NS) conductor seriously injured while coupling railcars at a Virginia yard will focus on “additional interviews, NS…

GoRail, the national non-profit grassroots organization “that unites rail stakeholders with community leaders and the public in support of rail solutions to tomorrow’s transportation challenges,”* has launched Rail Champions, described…

A 70-member industry coalition, including the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), Association of American Railroads (AAR) and American Trucking Associations (ATA), has signed a U.S. Chamber of…

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R-Texas) on Sept. 12 introduced in Congress companion bills, both called the Stop CARB Act of 2024, which would repeal California’s…

Amsted Digital Solutions has been approved as a certified telematics vendor for RailPulse™, the coalition established in late 2020 to “facilitate and accelerate the adoption of GPS and other telematics technology across…

The Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. The 580-mile Class II, owned by Railroad Development Corp. (RDC), was established in 1984 on former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific…

Potential labor disruptions at U.S. East and Gulf coast ports, which handle billions of dollars in trade monthly and about 43% of all U.S. imports, plus “heavy pre-tariff shipping” pending…

In its bi-annual report on the current health of the global railway market, released in time for InnoTrans, SCI Verkehr projects steady growth of 4% over the next five years,…

R.J. Corman’s 75,000 square-foot distribution center in Clarksville, Tenn., is transitioning to a new customer, to be served by Railway Age’s 2021 Short Line of the Year, R.J. Corman Railroad…

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has found three U.S. Class I railroads to be revenue adequate for 2023: BNSF, CSX and Union Pacific. STB determined that those railroads achieved a rate…

RAILWAY AGE, SEPTEMBER 2024 ISSUE: Part 1: Can this multi-purpose railcar drive carload growth? Perhaps the most basic of freight cars, the boxcar has been around almost as long as…