precision railroading

Ancora didn’t oust Norfolk Southern’s Shaw at first but ultimately succeeded

In the end, Ancora got its man. 

In a stunning turn of events that could not have been foreseen when Alan Shaw, then the CEO of Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC), swatted away a proxy battle by Ancora Holdings in May to have him removed from his job, Shaw is now gone anyway.

He was felled soon after the launch of an investigation of a personal relationship with the company’s chief legal officer, Nabanita C. Nag. 

And according to an explosive piece in The Wall Street Journal, it was Ancora that spurred...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ancora-didnt-oust-norfolk-southerns-shaw-at-first-but-ultimately-succeeded

Stockholder rights law firm sues Norfolk Southern over PSR

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A law firm specializing in stockholder rights is filing a class-action lawsuit against Norfolk...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stockholder-rights-law-firm-sues-norfolk-southern-over-psr

GAO studies impact of PSR on US freight rail

A newly released Government Accountability Office report lays out how precision scheduled railroading (PSR) has affected freight rail operations but doesn’t offer recommendations on what steps the industry should take next.

The report essentially summarizes the various views of stakeholders on PSR, which GAO defined as a “strategy intended to increase efficiency and reduce costs.”

Congressional leaders had directed GAO to study the effect PSR has on freight rail safety and service. The agency...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/gao-studies-impact-of-psr-on-us-freight-rail

Biden order charges STB to examine rail competition

A photograph of a freight train locomotive flanked by two lines of railcars in a railyard.

Defining what it means to provide rail shippers with robust competitive options could be the lens that the Surface Transportation Board uses as it responds to an order from President Joe Biden aimed at promoting competition within the freight railroad and maritime industries. 

But it remains to be seen how exactly the STB, the independent federal regulatory agency responsible for handling rail rate and service matters, will balance shipper concerns with ensuring that the freight railroads can...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/biden-order-charges-stb-to-examine-rail-competition

Democrats want look at precision scheduled railroading’s impact

A photograph of a train at a railroad crossing.

Democratic leaders with the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure want the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the impacts that precision scheduled railroading (PSR) has had on shippers and freight and passenger rail operations.

PSR is an operational model that all of the Class I railroads except BNSF (NYSE: BRK.B) have publicly embraced. The model seeks to streamline operations and cut costs. Proponents say PSR enables greater network efficiency, which will...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/democrats-want-look-at-precision-scheduled-railroadings-impact

Rail shippers give policy wish list for 2021

A photograph of a train hauling intermodal containers.

With a new year and a new White House administration ahead, rail shippers and industry observers say these are some key issues they hope will be addressed soon:

Issues before the Surface Transportation Board

Rail shippers and others are looking forward to having a full complement of five members on the Surface Transportation Board (STB). Although it’s still uncertain how the two new members, Robert Primus and Michelle Schultz, will respond to issues, having “fresh eyes” on the several outstanding...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/rail-shippers-give-policy-wish-list-for-2021

Operational changes helped railcars move faster, says Union Pacific report

A photograph of a train locomotive by a buidling.

Converting more hump yards to flat switching has reduced the time a railcar is at a rail yard, Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) said in its 2019 sustainability report released May 28.

Union Pacific (UP) uses hump yards to sort railcars in such a way that blocks of cars are consolidated based on common destinations, the report said. Flat switching results in the same outcome but maintenance costs are much less, according to UP.

“Each time a car touches a [hump] yard, it adds about 24 hours to its...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/operational-changes-helped-railcars-move-faster-says-union-pacific-report