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The latest Rail News News & Analysis

Rhine low water levels restrict loads, spark surcharges

Greg Knowler, Senior Europe Editor |

Falling water levels on the Rhine are a seasonal problem, but this summer a European heatwave and low rainfall has left parts of the river virtually impassable.

Intermodal providers

JOC Intermodal Savings Index: Truck rates poached rail freight in Q2

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Intermodal discounts declined in the second quarter both sequentially and year over year as shippers were able to negotiate lower spot and contract truckload rates with motor carriers.

Intermodal providers

Kansas City rail congestion building for second straight year

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Rail terminals are congested for the second consecutive year in Kansas City, causing truckers and importers to lash out at BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.

North-American rail

Inland congestion cuts LA-LB intermodal rail service to record low

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |

The steep reduction in rail services to Los Angeles-Long Beach is having a knock-on impact at the terminal gates, with the average truck turn time increasing by four minutes in July.

BNSF taps Tacoma for new Midwest intermodal freight gateway

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |

BNSF has partnered with the Northwest Seaport Alliance to open a new intermodal rail yard near the Port of Tacoma that will serve cargo destined for US Midwest markets.

North-American rail

BNSF, UP metering inland containers from LA-LB

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

BNSF and UP are metering containers from Southern California to avoid another intermodal meltdown like last summer, but the move is causing some import boxes to sit for six weeks or longer.

North-American rail

Biden appoints Emergency Board to intervene in rail negotiations

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor; Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

The Presidential Emergency Board, which consists of arbitrators and negotiators familiar with the issues being contested, has 30 days to issue a nonbinding recommendation to the two sides.

North-American rail

Shippers face higher rates linked to UP realignment in Northern California

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Union Pacific is temporarily shifting some domestic intermodal traffic from Lathrop to Oakland, a move that may present opportunities for BNSF and the truckload sector to capture market share on routes to the Gulf Coast and Southeast.

North-American rail

Rail issues a priority for White House task force: port envoy

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |

The new White House port envoy says because private sector transportation providers and cargo interests operate independently, the US supply chain is fragmented and a bottleneck that surfaces in one sector spreads quickly to others.

Intermodal providers

Federal intervention likely to head off US rail labor action

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor; Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

President Joe Biden will most likely get the federal government involved in US railway labor talks this week if he hopes to avoid a nationwide strike that would further disrupt the country’s supply chains.

North-American rail

Slipping US intermodal performance linked to warehouse capacity crunch

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

US warehouse woes are now showing in lower train speeds and on-time performance among Class I railroads, as stakeholders turn up the heat on retailers for not retrieving their cargo fast enough from depots and terminals.

North-American rail

New data reveals depth of US intermodal service woes

Lawrence Gross, president and founder, Gross Transportation Consulting, and JOC analyst |

Like a candle in an otherwise dark room, new reporting requirements from the US Surface Transportation Board are illuminating at least one the factors that has inhibited the growth of US intermodal rail volumes, writes intermodal analyst Lawrence Gross.

North-American rail

US retailers urge Biden to prevent potential rail disruption

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |

Peak season import volumes amid ongoing supply chain woes are raising the stakes if labor unions and US Class I railroads can’t return to the bargaining table without disruption.

North-American rail

UP realigning intermodal network ahead of Northern California expansion

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Union Pacific Railroad will temporarily re-align its domestic intermodal network in Northern California to accommodate a construction project meant to expand container capacity in the region ahead of Schneider National bringing more volume in 2023.

North-American rail

Rising demand keeps China-Europe 'middle' rail route under pressure

Greg Knowler, Senior Europe Editor |

Elevated demand for rail cargo on the only viable China-Europe rail route continues to overwhelm the existing infrastructure, with congestion building at Central Asian intermodal points.

International rail

CN adds second Halifax daily service amid growth expectations

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |

Despite an almost 10 percent drop in the Port of Halifax’s first quarter volumes, Canadian National Railway has added a second daily train service in anticipation of a cargo rebound.

No immediate relief seen for Canada’s rail problems

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |

With bottlenecks at inland rail hubs in Toronto and Montreal building and rail container backups likewise mounting in Vancouver and Prince Rupert, Canada’s West Coast ports could experience congestion problems for some time.

Containers clog BNSF Dallas terminal amid lack of chassis

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

BNSF Railway is stacking ocean containers outside Dallas as cargo owners struggle to unload inventory in a timely manner and chassis providers scramble to reposition equipment sent to Houston earlier this year.

North-American rail

FMC members urge STB rejection of CP-KCS merger

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |

Three FMC members ask the STB not to approve the proposed merger of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern, saying the deal would result in the loss of cargo to Canadian ports.

International rail

NS offers incentives to ocean carriers to balance container flows

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

A new Norfolk Southern incentive program for ocean carriers in New York-New Jersey and Virginia should help grow volume while encouraging a balanced flow of rail cars between inland terminals and the two ports.

North-American rail

Spot intermodal shippers turn to trucking amid rate declines

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Some US intermodal shippers are forgoing trains to put their spot freight on trucks because the cost savings associated with rail have narrowed significantly since January.

North-American rail

Don’t let ocean carriers off the hook for inland woes: analyst

Larry Gross, president and founder Gross Transportation Consulting, and JOC analyst |

Recent IPI activity shows that despite the focus shifting to railroads ahead of the next West Coast bottleneck, the decisions made by ocean carriers are the root cause of the problem, writes JOC analyst Larry Gross.

NS metering volumes in five markets amid chassis shortage

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

A chassis shortage is forcing Norfolk Southern Railway to meter international intermodal loads through five inland markets as the railroad moves to keep its network fluid.

North-American rail

Delays rise at Ontario rail ramps amid surge in Vancouver volumes

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |

Canada’s Class I railroads have been dealing with a surge of freight from Vancouver that has taxed a shrinking pool of available truckers across the country in Ontario.

North-American railDrayage

Chassis shortage forces NS to adjust rules on free time, container fees

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

The chassis shortage is affecting Norfolk Southern despite a 5.1 percent decline in volumes handled by the railroad between January and May compared with the same period in 2021.

North-American rail

US DOT gives funds to Georgia inland port rail upgrades

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |

The US Department of Transportation awarded Georgia $6 million to improve tracks that connect Savannah with the state’s first inland port.

North-American rail

Schneider-UP pitch new partnership directly to shippers

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Union Pacific Railroad and Schneider National have engaged intermodal shippers in recent weeks to discuss their new partnership and attempt to dispel any concerns about service disruptions during the transition from BNSF.

North-American rail

China-Europe ‘middle’ rail corridor has long-term potential: Maersk

Greg Knowler, Senior Europe Editor |

The only real option at present for rail cargo from China to Europe is the so-called “middle corridor,” even though the transit is often longer than ocean and 30 percent more expensive than the largely out-of-bounds northern alternative through Russia.

International rail

CP inks deal to move CMA CGM volumes in Canada

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |

A new multi-year agreement will allow Canadian Pacific to handle the majority of CMA CGM’s freight through Canada, underscoring the railroad’s aggressive approach to gaining international intermodal volume.

International rail

BNSF addressing congestion in Chicago, Memphis, Kansas City

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

BNSF Railway is congested in Chicago, Memphis, and Kansas City with not enough chassis to move ocean containers, but the railroad is taking several measures to alleviate the congestion.

North-American rail

UP says marine chassis supply is thin, stacking boxes necessary

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Union Pacific Railroad is warning that chassis supply could get tight soon in several US markets and it will not allow shippers to use their own private chassis if DCLI, TRAC Intermodal, and Flexi-Van Leasing run out of equipment.

North-American rail

Lagging long-term growth a red flag for intermodal: analyst

Lawrence Gross, president and founder, Gross Transportation Consulting, and JOC analyst |

That growth in trucking volumes has outpaced that of intermodal over the past seven years should be cause for concern for the intermodal industry, writes Larry Gross, president and founder of Gross Transportation Consulting and a JOC analyst.

NS chassis shortage affecting Pennsylvania shippers

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Domestic containers have been idling in a Norfolk Southern terminal in eastern Pennsylvania because of a chassis shortage, but the railroad said it is delivering new equipment to the region and repositioning chassis from other markets to deal with the disruption.

North-American rail

NS crane repairs to address spotty service in Jacksonville

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Norfolk Southern Railway is hopeful that intermodal service in Jacksonville, which has been inconsistent since January 2021, will improve as damaged cranes are repaired in the next two months.

North-American rail

NS reducing IPI export service to West Coast ports

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Norfolk Southern Railway is reducing service on 120 international intermodal lanes to simplify its network and improve service, but some companies are worried it will harm exporters and chassis supply.

North-American rail

Chassis struggles return to Chicago despite lower demand

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Chassis shortages are disrupting rail ramps in Chicago for the second consecutive year, but cargo flow through other inland markets outside the Upper Midwest is more fluid than a year ago.

North-American rail

JOC ISI: Q1 contract rail rates provided big savings

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Intermodal shippers saw record-high savings under contracts signed in Q1, but a recent slide in the spot truckload market could diminish the savings that rails can provide on one-off business over the next three months.

North-American rail

UP realigning SoCal domestic intermodal network

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |

Union Pacific Railroad at the end of June will begin revamping how it builds domestic intermodal trains in Southern California in a bid to improve service for all shippers.

North-American rail

Chinese lockdowns risk factory-driven ‘bullwhip’

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |

The longer the Chinese lockdowns last the more intense the scramble by US importers to secure factory production and transport capacity, potentially mirroring the whiplash of order cancellations in early 2020 that were followed by unprecedented demand.

Container linesRail News

Class I railroads not improving port intermodal service: FMC’s Bentzel

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |

Federal Maritime Commissioner member Carl Bentzel said US Class I railroads need to hire and invest more to boost their intermodal service if the nation’s ports are to avoid future meltdowns and congestion.

North-American rail

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