For the week ending Jan. 22, 2022, U.S. Class I railroads hauled 223,395 carloads and 254,067 containers and trailers, a decline of 3.3% and 14.8%, respectively, from the prior-year period, the Association of American Railroads reported on Jan. 26.
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Patriot Rail Co. LLC has tapped Sam Sexhus as President and Chief Operating Officer.
Intramotev, a St. Louis, Mo.-based technology startup, has developed an autonomous freight car that can be used in standard railroad interchange service. The vehicle, called the TugVolt, is “currently focused on short-haul routes of 600 miles or less, and designed with standard couplers and air braking that allow it to be hauled in or haul a traditional consist in addition to independent operation,” according to company Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Timothy Luchini.
The 10 rail unions comprising the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition (CBC) have entered into mediation following an impasse in contract negotiations with the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC); the NCCC, representing all U.S. Class I railroads and many smaller freight and passenger lines, said that it welcomed the assistance.
Rail shippers expect price increases of 4.5% over the next 6-12 months, up 30 bps sequentially and above both our survey’s 3.4% five-year average and long-term 10-year average of 3.6%. The business outlook declined slightly sequentially, and economic confidence ticked up sequentially, while still below the survey’s average. Shippers appear to be largely supportive of reciprocal switching ahead of the pending Surface Transportation Board hearings. We see results as net neutral for the group, and continue to favor Canadian Pacific.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has directed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to move forward on a proposed Interborough Express service running from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Jackson Heights, Queens; a yearlong study confirms service feasibility.
Railway Age is pleased to announce the 25 “Fast Trackers” selected for this year’s 25 Under 40 awards program.
Total U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Jan. 15, 2022 was 493,617 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.6% from the same point last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Jan. 19; it is the second consecutive week that traffic has dropped.
Port 10 Watco Rail Logistics will start work next month on a new 400-car storage-in-transit (SIT) yard in Texas. Also, Pioneer Lines’ Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railway will serve a multi-million-dollar fertilizer plant, to be launched in Ohio in 2024.
Supply chain technology provider Blume Global has introduced what it describes as “an end-to-end, interline rail freight scheduler that gives users visibility around cargo moving from one railroad to another.”
