intermodal rail

CN eyes intermodal opportunities to boost 2H 2020

A photograph of a train traveling in a grassy field. A reflection of the train is on the water of a nearby pond.

As CN (NYSE: CNI) looks ahead to the second half of 2020 and into 2021, the Canadian railway is banking on “stay-at-home consumption” and consumers’ desires to spend disposable income on do-it-yourself projects to boost CN’s intermodal activity and revenue.

“There is pent-up demand right now. We are kind of in a peak season…[with] the discretionary income of the people that are doing all this buying….The contacts that I talked to, they’re seeing it stay strong into at least in the beginning of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cn-eyes-intermodal-opportunities-to-boost-2h-2020

FreightWaves 3PL Summit: Intermodal raising service to stay on track (with video)

When Celtic International President Doug Punzel looks back at the intermodal marketing company’s volumes in mid-June, he sees Celtic beating last year’s levels for the same week. Intermodal volume reported by the country’s major railroads, meanwhile, is slowly climbing out of the double-digit year-over-year decreases that hit the industry during the first quarter of the year.

Both trends are reasons for Punzel to believe the intermodal market is in a relatively good position for the second half...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-3pl-summit-intermodal-raising-service-to-stay-on-track-with-video

Bigger trucks would divert intermodal and railcar traffic

A photograph of a truck with a trailer and an intermodal train behind the truck.

A study commissioned by the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) asserts that allowing heavier and longer trucks on U.S. roads could divert intermodal and railcar traffic from rail to truck by as much as 25% and even by as much as 60% under certain scenarios.

The study, “Estimating the Rail-to-Truck Traffic Diversions Attributable to Increased Truck Size and Weight,” sought to quantify how much intermodal and railcar traffic could be taken off the railroads should trucking companies be allowed...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/bigger-trucks-would-divert-intermodal-and-railcar-traffic

Commentary: Making a tough best guess market forecast

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.  

Forecasting is hard enough to do when you have accurate and timely data. It’s almost impossible when your data is not up-to-date. 

There is an old adage: Forecasting is like driving blindfolded while your partner looks rearward and telegraphs the next turn based on what you recently passed. That is tough to do on a curved road. It is mpossible on a road never...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/commentary:-making-a-tough-best-guess-market-forecast

Double-digit percentage declines persist for US rail volumes

A photograph of a line of boxcars, a line of tank cars and a line of intermodal containers, all parked at a rail yard.

U.S. weekly rail traffic fell 22.1% for the week ending May 9, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

U.S. rail volumes totaled 412,549 carloads and intermodal units, falling 22.1% from the same week in 2019 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hit consumer demand and manufacturing output.

Of that total, U.S. carloads tumbled 28.4% to 185,144 carloads, while intermodal volumes slipped 16% to 227,405 intermodal containers and trailers.

U.S. carloads (RTOTC.USA) continue to...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/double-digit-percentage-declines-persist-for-us-rail-volumes

North American rail volumes could dip in the double digits

A photograph of intermodal containers on a passing train.

In 2020, North American rail volumes could fall roughly 15% or more compared to a year ago. This projection, amidst others for deep declines in coal traffic and a shaky environment for intermodal volumes, was divulged in a report from Moody’s Investor Service, a credit ratings firm.

“Continuing declines in coal shipments will weigh heavily on the sector, while relatively stable carloads of agricultural products and more modest declines in chemicals mitigate the overall decline in freight in the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/north-american-rail-volumes-could-dip-in-the-double-digits

US rail volumes fell over 20% in April

A photograph of a rail yard at night.

U.S. rail traffic tumbled about 21% in April as falling volumes for coal, motor vehicles and parts, and chemicals contributed to a “historic” monthly decline, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

U.S. rail volumes totaled nearly 2.1 million carloads and intermodal units in April, a 21.2% decline from April 2019. Of that, carloads fell 25.2% to 980,535, while intermodal units slipped 17.2% to nearly 1.1 million containers and trailers. 

The biggest carload declines in April...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/us-rail-volumes-fell-over-20-in-april

+ More