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North-American rail

News and analysis of North American railroads, Class I and short-rail, intermodal, earnings, precision scheduled railroading (PCR), interchanges, port connectivity

 

The latest North-American rail News & Analysis

UP shippers facing delays on key Chicago-LA corridor

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Mar 24, 2023, 9:56 AM EDT

Intermodal providers say they are struggling to bring 53-foot containers into UP’s terminals in Chicago and nearby Joliet, causing delays of several days to move cargo to the West Coast.
Intermodal providersNorth-American rail

US regulators approve CP-KCS merger to form first US-Canada-Mexico rail

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Mar 15, 2023, 2:31 PM EDT

In approving the $31 billion merger, the Surface Transportation Board rejected arguments from the FMC and competing railroads that the deal would harm US ports and shippers.
North-American railNorth American portsSurfaceTransport, trade and regulation

Intermodal share data point to opportunities: analyst

Larry Gross, president and founder, Gross Transportation Consulting; and JOC analyst | Mar 13, 2023, 11:05 AM EDT

It stands to reason that the more miles one spends on low-cost rail, the better the comparative economics versus truck should be, but that’s not what happens in the real world, writes analyst Larry Gross.
SurfaceTruckingIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

New NS Norfolk-Memphis service aims to grab East Coast cargo shift

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Mar 9, 2023, 3:40 PM EST

Norfolk Southern and the Port of Virginia are not only targeting importers using trans-Atlantic services from Europe and Asia, but also exporters moving goods through Memphis, such as the cotton industry.
North American portsTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticNorth-American rail

TPM23: Intermodal providers banking on transloading surge

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Mar 2, 2023, 9:50 AM EST

Transloading is gaining popularity even as US imports have cooled in recent months, but shippers should weigh the pros and cons of transferring ocean containers into domestic boxes, TPM23 attendees were told.
Intermodal providersContainer shippingNorth-American rail

TPM23: CN focusing investment on capacity growth: CEO

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Feb 28, 2023, 5:52 PM EST

Canadian National will grow its capacity based on the assumption that China will remain the biggest sourcing country for North America while acknowledging the shift under way into Southeast Asia, India, and potentially Africa that could fuel cargo through eastern Canada, its CEO told TPM23.
North-American railSurfaceSupply Chain

UP ending chassis policy that rendered containers inaccessible

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 27, 2023, 11:10 AM EST

The policy — known informally as the “no cherry picking” rule — prohibited trucking companies from coming into terminals with private chassis when there were no pool chassis available.
RailIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

UP CEO Fritz stepping down amid pressure from activist investor

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 27, 2023, 10:11 AM EST

Fritz did not elaborate on what role the activist investor played in his decision to step aside, but the announcement came shortly after Soroban Capital wrote that “current [UP] management is not capable of driving a strong operating performance.”
RailNorth-American rail

Idle domestic containers being stacked as intermodal volumes tumble

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 24, 2023, 9:00 AM EST

Volume declines are forcing intermodal providers to stack containers, unable to find cargo to fill the boxes because shippers have too much inventory, while trucking prices are so low that the freight is moving on highways.
Intermodal providersNorth-American rail

Southeast, Gulf ports expect container uplift from electric vehicle plants

Michael Angell, Associate Editor and Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Feb 22, 2023, 11:31 AM EST

With just under $50 billion in fresh investments unveiled last year for electric vehicle manufacturing plants in North America, ports in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast are expecting additional volumes to soon be moving across their docks.
North American portsContainer shippingIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

UP shifting to stacked container operation at Joliet for California imports

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 21, 2023, 1:52 PM EST

Union Pacific is changing operations at its terminal outside Chicago in a bid to prevent future disruption by creating stacks for containers arriving from California, a move that will affect tens of thousands of ocean boxes per month.
RailNorth American portsIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

APM plans $60 million investment to boost Mobile rail infrastructure

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Feb 14, 2023, 3:26 PM EST

Mobile’s inland intermodal reach is getting a boost from a planned $60 million investment by APM Terminals into the port’s container railyard.
North American portsContainer shippingNorth-American rail

Intermodal contract savings fell in Q4 ahead of 2023 bids

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 1, 2023, 7:59 AM EST

Shippers saved less than in prior quarters on their intermodal contracts to close 2022, setting up a race to the bottom this year to keep freight on the rails.
RailIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

Norfolk Southern adds to Southeast intermodal capacity with new cranes

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jan 31, 2023, 4:02 PM EST

Norfolk Southern’s plan to bring more capacity to its international intermodal business this year has kicked off with new cranes enabling the stacking of marine containers at its Austell ramp in Georgia.
North-American railContainer shippingNorth American portsIntermodal providers

US railroads looking to mend fences with labor after trying 2022

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 30, 2023, 4:53 PM EST

US Class I railroads are taking steps to address quality-of-life issues for their employees, including reducing on-call positions, avoiding furloughs, and introducing more flexible working structures.
North-American rail

Bridge repair along UP’s LA/LB-Midwest network nearing completion

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 26, 2023, 1:37 PM EST

The approximately 72-hour repair on a bridge in New Mexico would appear to mitigate what could potentially have been a major disruption for UP’s international and domestic intermodal shippers.
North-American railIntermodal providers

UP says all container traffic halted on its network between LA and Midwest

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 24, 2023, 3:51 PM EST

An outage involving a bridge in New Mexico in the heart of Union Pacific’s network is causing major delays for intermodal and automotive shippers between Southern California and two major inland hubs.
Intermodal providersNorth-American rail

Customer service, not falling rates, the focus for 2023: UP

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 24, 2023, 2:19 PM EST

The Class I railroad vowed it would focus on providing better service to shippers in 2023 and move to heal wounds from tense labor negotiations by addressing quality-of-life issues affecting its workforce.
North-American railIntermodal providers

Waning demand, service issues to weigh on international intermodal volumes

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 20, 2023, 12:16 PM EST

If inland rail ramps remain congested due to chassis shortages and discretionary imports continue to flow away from the West Coast to the East Coast, international intermodal volumes could decline for a second straight year.
Intermodal providersSurfaceNorth-American rail

J.B. Hunt focusing on faster container turns to move more loads

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 19, 2023, 3:52 PM EST

J.B. Hunt Transport Services will focus on working with shippers to empty containers in a more expedited manner as freight is moving slower than ever with box turn ratios falling for four consecutive years.
Intermodal providersNorth-American rail