STB wants Class I service updates

Written by Railway Age Staff
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Complaints by grain shippers and automakers have spurred the Surface Transportation Board to ask Class I railroads what they are doing to improve service across their networks.

The STB in a letter to the chief executives of Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern, CSX, Canadian Pacific and Canadian National, said that based on performance data in recent weeks it “had become increasingly concerned about the overall state of rail service.” With some exceptions, it said that “most Class I railroads’ data indicate that service is deteriorating.”

It pointed to a noticeable decline in average train speed, and climbing system terminal average dwell time. Other metrics, such as the average number of cars in revenue service that have not moved in 48 hours, “are trending in an unfavorable direction.” The STB as a result plans to hold weekly calls with carriers.

The board posted letters from the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (Auto Alliance) citing concerns about he reliability of the U.S. rail network, and describing a “significant degradation” in the past months of rail service.

The STB asked the railroads for an outlook for rail operations, with a focus on locomotive availability, employee resources, local service performance, communications with shippers, and capacity constraints.

It also asked for comment on the issues raised by the NGFA and Auto Alliance.

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