Month: May 2022

What does the common carrier obligation mean for US railroads?

Questions about the current language have arisen amid rail service issues By Joanna Marsh for freightwaves.com When a U.S. freight railroad engages with a rail shipper of bulk commodities to haul goods, the railroad must abide by terms expressed in federal code. That federal code is known as the common carrier obligation. According to the definition for […]

Editorial: Railroads need to do better

By capitalpress.com It’s been a rough couple of years for ag shippers. Truck and driver shortages, port delays in the U.S. and Asia and spotty service from railroads. The list goes on. Except for one thing. While the supply chain has always been subject to longshore union slowdowns or other factors, the ability of railroads […]

Carload Considerations: Railcar velocity is as important to the shipper as the railroad

By Chase Gunnoe for trains.com Getting cars to their destination is a mutual goal; customer input should be welcomed Railroads measure key operating metrics through railcar velocities. Class I railroads gauge operating performance by how many miles a railcar travels in a day on its network, the average speed of regularly scheduled trains, and average […]

U.S. rail volumes fell 5.4% in Week 19

By progressiverailroading.com U.S. freight-rail traffic decreased 5.4% to 505,120 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending May 14 compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroadsdata. Railroads logged 230,128 carloads, down 5.2%, and 274,992 containers and trailers, down 5.5%. Three of the 10 carload commodity groups that the AAR tracks […]

Federal Railroad Administration releases 2021 fiscal year enforcement report

By: AJOT.com The Federal Railroad Administration today released its Annual Enforcement Report summarizing regulatory compliance inspections and audits that FRA or state inspectors participating in FRA’s rail safety program conducted during the past fiscal year (FY), as well as civil penalty enforcement actions arising from them. In FY 2021, over 70,000 inspections were conducted to assess railroad […]

BNSF changes controversial attendance policy

After hundreds of railroaders quit, BNSF has modified its new attendance policy effective June 1. Union detractors remain unmoved. by Justin Franz for montanafreepress.org Montana’s largest railroad company is making changes to a controversial new employee attendance policy after receiving pushback from railroaders and unions. But even with the changes, labor officials remain unimpressed and […]

NMB to Rule on Election-Year Rail Shutdown

Written by Frank N. Wilner, Capitol Hill Contributing Editor for railwayage.com The National Mediation Board (NMB) has agreed to give the nation’s 12 railroad labor unions, representing some 125,000 unionized rail workers, an opportunity May 24-26 to demonstrate their commitment to a voluntarily negotiated settlement with most of the nation’s railroads over changes in wages, […]

U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak to increase trains as demand returns

By David Shepardson for reuters.com U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak said on Monday it is boosting train service ahead of an expected busy summer travel season and as rail demand returns, with high gasoline prices encouraging more people to take trains. Amtrak said it planned to operate about 80% of pre-pandemic level Northeast Regional train departures […]

Canadian regulators propose more detailed requirements for reporting railroad performance metrics

By Bill Stephens for trains.com Railroads would have to report local service data as well as locomotive and crew availability Class I railroads operating in Canada would be required to report additional performance and staffing metrics under a proposal Canadian regulators unveiled on Friday. Transport Canada’s move was announced on the same day that the Surface Transportation […]

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