North-American rail

Freight railroads, shippers and railcar leasing firms across North America pulled 1,539 freight cars out of storage in December, as they prepped more equipment for cargo service in the months ahead.

Union Pacific Railroad expanded its intermodal volume about 20 percent in 2010 from 2009, and did that at a remarkably profitable pace, increasing its revenue per intermodal unit an industry-leading 8

Railcar and barge manufacturer Greenbrier Companies lost $2.3 million in its fiscal first quarter ending Nov.

North America’s major railroads saw intermodal volume rise 14.7 percent in 2010, while their railcar loads of commodities and bulk shipments including automobiles, lumber and chemicals rose 9.4 percen

The Surface Transportation Board is proposing a new regulation that would ensure Amtrak’s intercity passenger train system can keep operating even if an emergency knocks out its normal routes.

Norfolk Southern Railway on Dec.

Oregon International Port of Coos Bay finalized a transaction with Union Pacific Railroad transferring ownership of 23 miles of the Coos Bay rail line to the port.

The Surface Transportation Board rejected a claim by agricultural shipper Cargill that BNSF Railway was "double-dipping" in how the carrier assessed fuel surcharges, but the STB will let Cargill pursu

Intermodal traffic for U.S.

The Department of Transportation wrapped up negotiations with Alabama and Tennessee for a $105 million federal stimulus grant to help build intermodal terminals for Norfolk Southern Railway’s Cr

The Department of Transportation signed an implementing agreement for the big Colton Crossing project to use a $33.8 million stimulus

Illinois will see the first few miles of a new 110-mph passenger train service open in the coming year in the freight train corridor owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

A barrage of tough winter storms that hit large parts of North America with blizzard conditions, ice or dangerous cold temperatures put a dent into rail traffic this month, but not as much as a major

In a landmark regulatory action, the Surface Transportation Board voted 2-1 to fine Canadian National Railway Company $250,000 for "knowingly violating board orders" in under-reporting how often train

Canadian National Railway is now operating a bit more efficiently around the Chicago rail network that is the nation's most congested track area, after completing a $5 million connection to its Elgin,

Norfolk Southern Railway and Virginia Gov.

The seven largest freight railroads mildly increased their net hiring in November even as the overall U.S. jobless rate increased, the Surface Transportation Board reported.

Winter may be chilling overall freight traffic, especially as the push toward Christmas retail sales winds down, but there’s plenty of strength left in rail shipments.

For several years, the $35 billion loan pool known as the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program has sat largely unused despite pleas by small railroads to make its credit more avai

After almost a year of negotiation, a new accord between the Department of Transportation and the Ohio Rail Development Commission clears the way for eastern railroad CSX Transportation to use a $98 m

Double-stack trains will begin rolling next week along the new Commonwealth Railway Mainline, a secure, dual-purpose rail corridor that eliminates 14 at-grade crossings in Virginia.

Transportation analyst John Larkin of Stifel Nicolaus is downgrading his stock ratings of three major intermodal companies, to 'hold' from 'buy,' citing their current valuations and the potential for

With rail freight demand slowing, railcar owners last month pulled fewer cars out of storage than at any time this year, according to the Association of American Railroads.

From his office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dennis Miller waits for word from officials in that state and neighboring Illinois on when his regional railroad may begin engineering on construction projects t

Strength in several raw material categories for the week ending Nov.

BNSF Railway and Illinois have reached a preliminary agreement on how to spend $45 million in state funds to upgrade the rail network at Galesburg, Ill., to help passenger and freight trains operate e

Major North American railroads hauled the most intermodal equipment in a month during the week ending Nov. 20.

The Federal Railroad Administration is spreading around $50 million in grants to help railroads develop their collision avoidance technologies known as positive train control, with the largest awards

Just three of the seven largest railroads operating in the U.S. added workers in the mid-September to mid-October period, for a net increase of 191 employees in the Class I work force.

Freight volume for U.S. railroads accelerated in the week ending Nov.

Locomotive conductors for Canadian National Railway and other rail workers in Canada who are part of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference ratified four collective agreements that ended a tense set of

U.S. factory output rose 0.5 percent in October, led by increased output of autos, appliances and business equipment.

Major North American railroads in recent weeks saw a slowdown in their loadings of some cargoes important to the factory sector.

It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas in the intermodal business.

In a sign of growing strength in rail freight demand, North American railcar leasing firms and other car owners pulled 12,799 more railcars out of storage in October, said the Association of American

BNSF Railway presented achievement awards to three shortline railroads at the annual Shortline conference in Grapevine, Texas.

Wisconsin’s Republican governor-elect, Scott Walker, campaigned and won on a pledge to kill a planned Madison-Milwaukee passenger rail line that drew a large federal grant.

Union Pacific Railroad tentatively plans to increase its capital spending on network repairs and growth projects 25 percent in 2011 to $3.25 billion, company officials said.

BNSF Railway's net income in the third quarter rose 44.7 percent from a year earlier to $706 million, as revenue rose 22.1 percent to $4.391 billion.

It’s a cautious time for railroads. The economy, senior executives say, is too weak to plan for much growth in the year ahead.