Topic: Rail & Intermodal

A railroad expert provides guidance on things rail shippers should be in the know on.

In a gesture that may be without precedent, MOL (America) Inc. today announced that it has begun public disclosure of its ratio of U.S. to Asia export cargo that misses vessel connections due to rail errors

Carload volume—at 280,565—was down 5 percent annually. Intermodal volumes—at 241,664 trailers and containers—were up 3.1 percent .

Class I railroad carrier Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. said ahead of its annual shareholder meeting earlier today that Fred Green, president and CEO, has left the company. This move comes in the wake of a proxy vote by activist investor Bill Ackman, head of Pershing Square Capital Management, and the single largest CP shareholder with a 14.1 percent stake in the company.

Schneider National and BNSF Railway have inked a new, multi-year agreement in which BNSF will continue to serve as one of Schneider’s primary rail providers for intermodal service.

Savvy shippers have found ways to put the nation’s rails back to work—and the railroads have flourished. But while current market conditions are favorable for shippers, questions remain over how the nation’s rail and intermodal network will respond when volume ratchets up past pre-recession levels.

Class I railroad carriers Norfolk Southern and KCS recently rolled out a new joint intermodal service between central Mexico and the southeastern region of the United States entitled TMX.

Carload volume—at 276,789—was down 6.4 percent annually, and intermodal volumes—at 234,157—were up 1.6 percent annually

Carload volume—at 270,974—was down 7.7 percent annually, and intermodal volumes—at 231,153—were up 1.1 percent.

For the week ending April 9, carload volume came in at 293,798 for a 1.8 percent annual gain. Intermodal volume was up 12.4 percent at 228,713 trailers and containers.

March rail carloads—at 1,493,553—were up 3.4 percent compared to March 2010 and up 11.2 percent compared to March 2009, said the AAR. The weekly carload average in March checked in at 298,711.

For the week ending April 2, the AAR reported that carload volume hit its highest level since the end of 2008 at 305,905 carloads for a 5.7 percent annual increase. This outpaced the weeks ending March 26, March 19, and March 12, which hit 200,903, 292,164, and 303,953, respectively.

Class 8 vehicle commercial trailer net orders increased more than 25 percent—to 21,990—in February over January, according to data from ACT Research Co., a provider of data and analysis for trucks and other commercial vehicles.

Railroad volumes were up again for both carload and intermodal for the week ending March 19, according to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

More than 20 railroad and shipping experts are slated to predict their industry’s futures at the 2011 North American Rail Shippers annual meeting at the Wyndham Parc 55 Hotel in San Francisco, May 25-27.

Railroad volumes continued trending in the right direction, with volumes up again for both carload and intermodal for the week ending March 12, according to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Carload volume at 300,953 was up 5.5 percent year-over-year and was ahead of the week ending February 26 at 296,252 and the week ending February 19 at 296,980. Carload volume was up 0.3 percent in the East and up 9.2 percent out West.

While heavy capital expenditures are nothing new for the freight railroad industry, a report released today by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) stated that United States-based freight railroads are planning to spend $12 billion in capital expenditures in 2011, following a $10.7 billion investment in 2010.

Class I railroads received good news last week, when the Federal Railroad Administration and the Association of American Railroads reached a settlement regarding the guidelines of the Positive Train Control (PTC) regulatory mandate.

Following the January reintroduction of a Senate bill designed to remove antitrust exemptions currently granted to the railroad industry, the Senate Judiciary Committee this week approved the bill—entitled the Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act, S.49—by a 14-1 margin.