precision scheduled railroading

All eyes on Vena as he takes helm at Union Pacific

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Freight rail stakeholders will be watching closely as Union Pacific’s incoming CEO Jim Vena takes...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/all-eyes-on-vena-as-he-takes-helm-at-union-pacific

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

Collaboration must be key for railroads to thrive, experts say

WASHINGTON — The near-term future of freight rail might be one marked by collaboration, whether that’s through private or public partnerships among other supply chain stakeholders or between the railroads themselves as they compete against the trucking industry, according to panelists at the Transportation Research Board annual meeting this week.

One idea that continues to be discussed is that infrastructure investors are interested in developing giant rail industrial parks in North America,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/collaboration-must-be-key-for-railroads-to-thrive-experts-say

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

Should the freight rail industry be overhauled?

Rows of tanker cars parked at a rail yard.

Service disruptions at the Class I railroads have come to a head in recent weeks, and shippers and the unions representing rail workers are clamoring for changes to the freight rail industry of a magnitude to match the disruptions.

Some examples of subpar rail service: Excessive dwell times at the origin, resulting in the doubling of transit times between the Midwest and West Coast for grain shippers and tardy arrivals that pressure flour and feed mills and ethanol plants to temporarily cease...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/should-the-freight-rail-industry-be-overhauled

Shippers: CP-KCS merger could reduce competition at interchanges

Contrary to assertions by Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, shipper groups’ filings with the Surface Transportation Board say that the railroads’ proposed merger could harm competition in a number of ways, according to filings submitted to the Surface Transportation Board.

CP is seeking approval from federal regulators of its $31 billion merger with KCS. As the process plays out, shippers, other Class I railroads, local communities and other stakeholders are asking that CP meet certain...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shippers-cp-kcs-merger-could-reduce-competition-at-interchanges

The perils of precision scheduled railroading

A photograph of a man looking at piece of railroad equipment in a rail yard.

Although almost all of the Class I railroads have been deploying precision scheduled railroading (PSR), an operational model that seeks to streamline operations, for several years already, a number of issues keep the debate over its value alive.

The railroads have argued that PSR provides shippers with consistent and reliable service. Proponents of PSR contend that shippers previously had to wait until a train was long enough in order for them to receive service, making service more erratic....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-perils-of-precision-scheduled-railroading

Unions allege Norfolk Southern job cuts saddled engineers with other duties

A photograph of a Union Pacific locomotive and a Norfolk Southern locomotive parked in a rail yard.

Two rail unions are alleging that Norfolk Southern has trimmed its workforce so deeply as a result of precision scheduled railroading (PSR) that it is now forcing some locomotive engineers to perform duties as conductors and brakemen. 

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) have filed lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/unions-allege-norfolk-southern-job-cuts-saddled-engineers-with-other-duties

Intermodal Summit: Precision scheduled railroading ‘all about doing more with less’

This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ Intermodal Summit.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: How has precision scheduling railroading (PSR) affected service levels over the past decade? 

DETAILS: Matt Parker, a legislative chairman with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) in Nevada, discusses with FreightWaves’ Kevin Hill why precision scheduled railroading (PSR) isn’t about precision, but about profit.

SPEAKER: Matt Parker, chairman of the Nevada State Legislative Board for the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/intermodal-summit-precision-scheduled-railroading-all-about-doing-more-with-less

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

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