rail shippers

7 hot issues for rail stakeholders in 2024

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Railroads, shippers and unions are tracking hot topics ranging from service improvement to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/7-hot-issues-for-rail-stakeholders-in-2024

Derailment, safety, partnerships among rail’s big issues in 2023

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2023 seemed to kick off quietly for U.S. freight railroads: The industry had seen the resolution of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/derailment-safety-partnerships-among-rails-big-issues-in-2023

Can intermodal rail increase its market share by 25% by 2030? 

Despite U.S. intermodal containers traffic trending lower on a cumulative basis in 2023, intermodal rail is still a viable way to not only compete against the trucking market but also to support the long-term growth of the North American freight rail industry — provided that the industry and its stakeholders be willing to take some risks to ensure the success of rail, according to a report from consulting firm Supply Chain Ecology and commissioned by environmental group Environmental Defense...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/can-intermodal-rail-increase-its-market-share-by-25-by-2030

STB extends deadline for additional feedback on proposed reciprocal switching rule

The Surface Transportation Board is extending the deadline for industry stakeholders to reply to feedback that the board received on its proposed rule for reciprocal switching.

Industry stakeholders can now take until Dec. 20 to respond to comments given by other stakeholders on the board’s notice for proposed rulemaking on reciprocal switching, which STB describes as a potential remedy to address poor rail service. STB extended the deadline by 14 days; the original deadline was Dec. 6. Meetings...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stb-extends-deadline-for-additional-feedback-on-proposed-reciprocal-switching-rule

Class I railroad executives outline plans to bolster rail service

The ongoing theme of improving rail service as a means to capture market share away from trucking again appeared in comments from Class I railroad executives speaking at recent investor conferences.

To frame the discussion around rail service, CSX executives started by looking at what factors and conditions led market share away from rail to truck.

The railroads need to demonstrate that the service they provide is consistently reliable, according to CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs. who pointed...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/class-i-railroad-executives-outline-plans-to-bolster-rail-service

STB chairman will not seek reappointment to agency

Surface Transportation Board Chairman Marty Oberman will not seek reappointment to the agency, the STB confirmed late Thursday.

STB spokesman Michael Booth said Oberman announced at the RailTrends conference in New York that he had decided against seeking reappointment, according to a news release from the board. The release said Oberman will continue to serve several months into next year, which is within his one-year holdover period. His current term is set to expire on Dec. 31 of this year.

STB...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stb-chairman-will-not-seek-reappointment-to-agency

STB gets earful on proposed rule for reciprocal switching

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The Surface Transportation Board recently closed the comment period for rail stakeholders to file...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stb-gets-earful-on-proposed-rule-for-reciprocal-switching

‘More needs to be done to promote freight rail competition’

U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., want the Surface Transportation Board to press on with a rulemaking they say could enable shippers to receive better rail service and make the U.S. rail network more resilient.

The two senators sent a letter to STB Chairman Marty Oberman dated Monday asking him to “move swiftly” on regulation for reciprocal switching. 

Reciprocal switching is a process that would grant a shipper with access to the network of another Class I...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/more-needs-to-be-done-to-promote-freight-rail-competition

Reciprocal switching proposal gets mixed reactions from rail shippers

Rail shippers are still digesting the Surface Transportation Board’s proposed rule for reciprocal switching, but initial reactions are mixed. Shippers back efforts to make the collection of first- and last-mile data permanent and standardize metrics for sufficient rail service, but some also wish the rule would do more to incentivize rail competition.

“All five board members said yes. That’s huge, right? There were no dissenting votes. So, we as the shipper community and the railroad community...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/reciprocal-switching-proposal-gets-mixed-reactions-from-rail-shippers

Viewpoint: The market, not regulators, should set freight rail prices

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

By Roslyn Layton, PhD

A recent party-line vote at the Surface Transportation Board following a complaint from a coal shipper against a freight railroad is headed to court. A request to stay the decision at the STB was rejected. The conflict is shaping up to be a referendum on STB Chair Martin Oberman’s interpretation of common carriage.

The case features a Western...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/viewpoint-the-market-not-regulators-should-set-freight-rail-prices

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