Freight

Intermodal: ‘On the Decline in 2023’

“Roughly half of U.S. intermodal shipments are related to international trade, so what happens at ports is extremely important to railroads,” said John T. Gray, Senior Vice President of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), which on June 7 released a report on U.S. rail traffic for May 2023 and for the week ending June 3, 2023. “U.S. port volumes, especially on the West Coast, have already been trending down for months and are a major reason why rail intermodal volumes have been on the decline in 2023.”

According to Intramotev, its ReVolt cars remain in the train consist “to capture energy via regenerative braking and reduce locomotives’ diesel consumption,” while its TugVolt cars (pictured)—supplied as a “proprietary kit that can retrofit/upfit existing railcars to become battery-electric”—can decouple from the consist to independently provide first- and last-mile service.
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Supply Side: FourKites, Intramotev, Medha/Leclanché

FourKites, a real-time supply chain visibility company, earns a 2023 Gartner Marketing and Communications Award. Also, Intramotev will supply three battery-electric railcars to Iron Senergy for its mining operation in Waynesburg, Pa.; and Medha Group and Leclanché SA agree to jointly market their technologies in the railroad and commercial truck markets.

Seminole Gulf Railway

Donalds Reintroduces Legislation to Secure Disaster Relief for Short Line Railroads as Hurricane Season 2023 Begins

Last week Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) reintroduced H.R. 3782—The Short Line Railroad Relief Act—alongside Representatives Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Mike Bost (R-IL), Mary Miller (R-IL), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Chuck Edwards (R-NC), Don Bacon (R-NE) and Troy Nehls (R-TX). This legislation authorizes the establishment of a disaster relief program to provide much-needed immediate financial assistance to our nation’s short line railroads.   

Commentary

CPKC: New Railroad, New Livery

Locomotives are the public face of a railroad. The most attractive liveries reflect not only a company’s heritage, but the communities it serves. It is a symbol of pride. In some cases, it symbolizes a connection with a nation.

Genesis Electronics Group, Inc.’s autonomous battery-electric Glīd road/rail vehicles (pictured) will now include a rail inspection system.
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Supply Side: Harsco Corporation, GEGI

Harsco Corporation changes its legal name to Enviri Corporation. Also, Genesis Electronics Group, Inc. (GEGI) is adding rail testing and safety inspection capabilities to its experimental autonomous battery-electric Glīd road/rail vehicles.

UP, BLET Reach Paid Sick Leave Agreement

Union Pacific (UP) on June 5 announced that it has reached an agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) to provide paid sick leave to the approximately 5,600 locomotive engineers employed by the railroad.

Watco SVP of Sales for Terminals and Port Services Marc Massoglia (fourth from left) on April 11 attended with other stakeholders the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Port 10 Watco Rail Logistics’s new SIT yard in Texas. (Watco Photograph)

Port 10 Watco Rail Logistics Opens SIT Yard

Port 10 Watco Rail Logistics—a joint venture of transportation service and logistics company Watco, Pontikes Development and McNair Interests—has opened a new 420-car storage-in-transit (SIT) yard in Baytown, Tex. The joint venture in January 2022

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