Rail News

Frontloading of peak season cargo might have been a factor in why domestic intermodal volumes were higher than expected in the third quarter.

The Class I railroads are acquiring separate sections of a rail line in Alabama and Mississippi, allowing them to launch a new joint intermodal service between Mexico and the Southeast US.

A source with knowledge of Friday’s incident said the UP train was being interchanged to Norfolk Southern Railway, although it’s unclear why the train was stationary in a residential area.

The second-largest US intermodal provider believes a partnership with a large Mexican carrier will present an attractive option for cross-border shippers.

Figuring out why growth in intermodal volumes between Mexico and the US is significantly lagging that of trucking demand will be crucial to unlocking one of intermodal’s biggest growth opportunities, writes Journal of Commerce analyst Larry Gross.

While shippers and intermodal providers agree that rail cargo theft is a problem, there is no consensus about the right solution.

Intermodal providers believe shippers of time-sensitive cargo can rely on rail, but some potential customers need to see more evidence of consistent service, executives told the Journal of Commerce Inland Distribution Conference 2024 (Inland24).

Shipping executives say domestic intermodal rates are set for a rise as trucking pricing expands, but they’re not expecting significant increases.

The US economy will grow in 2025, but not by leaps and bounds, with consumer spending forecast to drop while freight rates rise, according to speakers at the Journal of Commerce Inland Distribution Conference 2024 (Inland24).

The increased fees are the latest sign that freight demand in California remains red hot in September, while other high-volume lanes are seeing minimal growth from 2023 levels.

Today’s dilemma is whether the new external realities of activist investors can coexist with an industry with long lead times to deploy assets that cannot be moved, writes Ted Prince.

Pacific Northwest ports and their terminal operators say they are positioned to handle an extended period of discretionary cargo diversions if a strike by ILA dockworkers begins next week.

The railroads say they can store some export containers after the Oct 1 strike deadline, but exporters will also shoulder the responsibility for holding their cargo if a possible work stoppage drags on.

CSX and NS might see some more West Coast cargo routed through Chicago to Michigan and Ohio if there is an East Coast port strike, but trucking is likely to be the main beneficiary for cargo owners booking true coast-to-coast hauls.

The railroad terminated Shaw’s employment after an internal investigation found he engaged in a relationship with the company’s chief legal officer in violation of NS policy.

Alone among the modes, the railroads are not able to say “no” to the demands of interior point intermodal (IPI), most recently seen in the surge of imports through the US Pacific Northwest and the congestion that followed, writes intermodal analyst Larry Gross.

Dwell times at marine terminals in the Northwest Seaport Alliance have doubled in recent weeks as intermodal container moves spiked amid peak season imports.

State environmental regulations could derail, or at the very least stall, a BNSF rail project promising to reduce pressure on Southern California ports.

It may take a week or more for the trucking disruption caused by last week’s brief Canadian rail stoppage to stabilize and for long-haul intra-Canada spot rates to drop.

Despite workers returning to their jobs, the brief work stoppage will impact freight flows in Canada and the US for a few weeks.

The wave of cargo thefts hitting the US and Canada grew rapidly in the first half of the year as criminals became more sophisticated, a study from risk management firm Overhaul shows.

The directive came about 17 hours after Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City locked out more than 9,000 workers early Thursday, snarling supply chains for US and Canadian businesses that rely on trains to transport their cargo.

The Port of Vancouver is still berthing ships for now, but ocean carriers are reviewing future calls due to the potential for congestion caused by the Canadian railroad work stoppage.

Demand for domestic containers in the region has exceeded all other North American markets and intermodal providers believe more volume will be coming their way in September.

There’s not enough truck capacity to haul the volume carried by CN and CPKC in Canada, and that’s causing a dislocation of truck supply across the country and on the US border.

Canada’s western ports have little capacity to handle idled intermodal cargo should railroad workers strike, but eastern ports have more space to manage any delays.

Peak season surcharges are in play this year amid the demand bump, but the average shipper should still be saving money on the rails compared with trucking on business out of the region.

A shutdown of Canada’s two freight railroads would not only impact loads in that country, but also cross-border traffic to US destinations such as Chicago.

Canada’s labor minister said he won’t force binding arbitration between Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and their main union, setting the stage for a lockout next week.

Acquiring a majority stake in Loconi International continues the Singapore-based terminal operator’s growth strategy designed to expand control of its cargo handling beyond the quay.

A potential strike by Canada’s two railroads, while an “inconvenience,” would not pose an “immediate and serious danger” to the public, the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled Friday.

The average contract cost savings for a shipper choosing intermodal rail over truckload in the US was just over 25% in the second quarter, according to the latest Journal of Commerce Intermodal Savings Index.

The $83 million project, which took two years to complete, adds another 455,000 TEUs of annual on-dock rail capacity at NIT.

The percentage of import TEUs arriving in Los Angeles and Long Beach and departing as domestic transloads should rise significantly in the third quarter, analyst Larry Gross says.

Norfolk Southern believes a mandatory reservation system for trucking companies bringing containers into its terminals will improve fluidity and prevent congestion from building.

While intermodal demand is not strong in the eastern US, there is surging demand in Southern California that could result in providers levying peak season surcharges on some shippers.

Ottensmeyer spent 17 years with Kansas City Southern Railway until the merger with Canadian Pacific Railway in 2023, then served on J.B. Hunt’s board of directors.

UP’s containerized intermodal volume is up 6% in July as West Coast imports grow and the threat of a strike diverts some Canadian international intermodal freight.

The gateways say they are well-positioned to take on additional diversions from the East and Gulf coasts should an ILA strike occur after the current labor deal expires at the end of September.

Ocean carriers and shippers are diverting some intermodal freight to US ports to counter the threat of a Teamsters strike against Canadian railroads.