In November, U.S. rail traffic “continued to make up lost ground,” with U.S. intermodal volumes at “near record highs” for the second consecutive month, Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on Dec. 2.
CN is renewing its support of research and education programs at the Centre for Supply Chain Management (SCM) in Waterloo, Ontario, with a C$500,000 donation. It contributed C$500,000 to the Centre, based at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, in 2015.
Canadian Pacific (CP) is building business at the Port of Saint John in New Brunswick with an extension of its service agreement with global liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyld AG, which will begin regular intermodal service via CP from the Atlantic Canada port starting in 2021.
Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has completed track installation to link the Garden City Terminal’s Chatham and Mason Mega rail yards, which it said boosts on-terminal storage capacity 35% and helps accommodate nearly 10,000-foot-long unit trains for CSX and Norfolk Southern.
Total U.S. rail traffic of 534,607 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Nov. 21, 2020, kept pace with the same week last year, rising 2.5%, based on a double-digit intermodal gain, according to a Nov. 25 report from the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Total carloads were down 7.2% to 233,478, compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was up 11.5% to 301,129 containers and trailers, compared with 2019.
We hosted rail industry experts in our third Suds with Seidl event. The overall mood was optimistic. The outlook for 2021 was strong, with one participant noting he was surprised to hear just how bullish his customers were this past week. Class I’s may be missing business opportunities, but there is still hope for greater communication via technology initiatives. We remain positive on the rail group.
As freight transportation providers build up traffic volumes from pandemic-related lows, there remains a strong focus on supply chain visibility among ship operators, railroads and truckers. Additionally, shippers and beneficial cargo owners want better tools to see and track shipments from release to delivery, in the same way consumers track Amazon or UPS shipments. As consumers become more accustomed to better tracking and service standards, these capabilities are needed now at every stage of the transportation and handling process.
In January 2021, Union Pacific’s new Twin Cities Intermodal Terminal in Minneapolis will launch with domestic intermodal service connecting the Twin Cities and Los Angeles, expanding its customers’ reach to key Upper Midwest markets.
CSX and A&R Logistics have officially opened a new 615,000-square-foot plastics packaging and warehousing facility near the Port of Charleston, S.C.
“Examining the Surface Transportation Board’s Role in Ensuring a Robust Passenger Rail System” was the topic of a virtual Nov. 18 hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
