Class I railroads

STB takes long-awaited step in addressing rail service standards

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The Surface Transportation Board has taken a major step in addressing rail service to shippers by...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stb-takes-long-awaited-step-in-addressing-rail-service-standards

Falling grain exports will affect US railroads’ capacity needs, expert says

Within the next 10 years, U.S. and Canadian grain exports could look very different from now. Stiff competition from other grain-producing countries and regions, such as Brazil, the area around the Black Sea and Australia, could pressure North American export volumes. Meanwhile, domestic production of biofuels, particularly biodiesel, is anticipated to grow.

What will these changes mean for the freight railroads, which transport grains from the Midwest and western Canada to the ports for export?...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/falling-grain-exports-will-affect-us-railroads-capacity-needs-expert-says

Freight rail union calls for more extensive training of conductors

Following two recent deaths involving conductor trainees, the union representing train conductors is calling for more stringent training than what’s being offered now at the freight railroads, according to an internal safety advisory produced by the union.

The call for action by the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Railroad and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD) was spurred by the two deaths of conductor trainees that occurred within 60 days of each other...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freight-rail-union-calls-for-more-extensive-training-of-conductors

Federal regulators seek feedback on plan to collect train length data

The Federal Railroad Administration is seeking public input on its plan to ask the Class I railroads to submit monthly data on the lengths and weights of trains. 

FRA says the additional data collection is necessary so it has sufficient data available to study train lengths, especially after the agency issued a safety advisory in April telling the railroads to be mindful of the potential complexities associated with operating longer trains. Longer trains could result in more complex in-train...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/federal-regulators-seek-feedback-on-plan-to-collect-train-length-data

Critics challenge the independence of railroad-employed police

If railway police officers investigating an incident encounter evidence that could be damning to a rail company, do they see their primary duty as seeking all the facts or protecting the company’s name?

For some families of loved ones who died in railway accidents, that question is not merely academic.

Since October, FreightWaves has conducted a series of interviews on the issue, including the question of whether a governmental or other third-party entity should be responsible for ensuring that...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/critics-challenge-the-independence-of-railroad-employed-police

Ag secretary: Rail service ‘remains inadequate and unreliable’

While rail service has improved for agricultural and grain shippers in 2023 compared with last year, ongoing service issues warrant continued attention and regulatory action, rail shippers are telling the Surface Transportation Board.

For starters, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently urged STB to follow through with a number of actions to bolster rail service, including moving forward on proceedings regarding private rail car use and emergency service orders, including addressing...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ag-secretary-rail-service-remains-inadequate-and-unreliable

Union group pushes for passage of rail safety bill

Rail union representatives are poised to adopt a policy statement that urges Congress to pass a rail safety bill — one that mandates a minimum of two-person crew sizes on all passenger and freight trains, regulates train lengths exceeding 7,500 feet and ensures adequate inspections of rail cars, locomotives and brakes.

The latest policy statement of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO cites at least 18 areas where regulations and guidance via the Federal Railroad...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/union-group-pushes-for-passage-of-rail-safety-bill

Freight rail stakeholders lay out their challenges before Congress

Longer trains, employee morale and the role of technology in freight rail operations came under at times withering scrutiny at a U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing.

The hearing, convened to discuss supply chain challenges in the freight rail industry, became a forum for discussion of hot-button topics. Five witnesses at the Thursday hearing spelled out ongoing concerns of stakeholders.

Asked what problems a bipartisan House supply chain caucus should focus on,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freight-rail-stakeholders-lay-out-their-challenges-before-congress

3 US Class I railroads must keep giving STB service improvement updates

Three of the four U.S. Class I railroads must continue submitting biweekly rail service progress reports to federal regulators through the end of the year as proof of improving rail service because they have not fully met their service targets.

The requirement by the Surface Transportation Board applies to Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP), BNSF (NYSE: BRK.B) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC). CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) will no longer be required to do so because it has met nearly all of its one-year service...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/3-us-class-i-railroads-must-keep-giving-stb-service-improvement-updates

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