Atlas Completes Testing
The Atlas, a specialized railcar that will be used to transport SNF (spent nuclear fuel) and HLW (high-level radioactive waste) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has completed a 1,600-plus-mile round-trip from
AAR
STB: Rail Cost Adjustment Factor Set for 4Q23
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has adopted for fourth-quarter 2023 the rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF), defined as “an index formulated to represent changes in railroad costs incurred by the nation’s largest railroads over a specified period of time.”
AAR: North American Rail Volume Down Through 37 Weeks
For the first 37 weeks of 2023 (ending Sept. 16), total U.S. weekly rail traffic dipped 4.1% from the same point last year, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Sept. 20 report. Both Canada and the U.S. saw declines, while Mexico saw an increase.
AAR, NS Boost AskRail Access
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on Sept. 18 reported working with member company Norfolk Southern (NS) to integrate AskRail into the dispatching services of the Columbiana County, Ohio, and Beaver County,
North American Rail Volume Continues Decline Through Week 36: AAR
Through the first 36 weeks of 2023 (ending Sept. 9), total North American carload and intermodal traffic decreased 4.1% from the prior-year period, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Sept. 13. Both the U.S. and Canada experienced declines, while Mexico saw a gain.
‘Poor Service’ Drives STB’s Proposed Reciprocal Switching Rule (Updated, TD Cowen Commentary)
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Sept. 7 issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that it said focused on “providing rail customers with access to reciprocal switching as a remedy for
Coalition of Organizations Call for DOT to Set Up Freight Office
In a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), along with the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, are calling for the establishment of the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy, or Freight Office.
AAR: Rail Volumes Fall for Third Straight Month in August
“August was the third straight month in which total year-over-year U.S. rail carloads have fallen,” Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on Sept. 6. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 35 weeks of 2023 was 16,173,208 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 4.9% compared to last year.
Commentary
When Will Class I’s Fulfill Their C3RS Commitment?
Since my retreat to the bucolic Eastern Shore of Maryland, I have had limited interest in commenting railroad industry matters. Association of American Railroads President and CEO Ian Jefferies’ Aug. 24, 2023
AAR Backs BNSF, Calls STB Common Carrier Obligation Decision ‘Disastrous’
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) supports BNSF’s appeal of the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) recent preliminary injunction requiring the Class I to this year transport millions of tons of coal from Navajo