Rail News

It was rail versus road last week in the European Parliament, where proposals from the two sectors met with two very different results.

Union talks with management at the UK’s market leading rail freight company are under way to avoid a strike that could bring the rail cargo business to a standstill.

Domestic intermodal volume will decline on a quarterly basis for the first time since 2016 to begin this year, but it’s still unclear whether the drop in shipments is a worrisome trend or a result of comparisons to an extraordinary 2018.

Although the 2018 imports and intermodal shipments were inflated somewhat due to the tariffs, the 10-year trend has been increased transloading of imports to domestic containers in Southern California.

As a multi-state region is devastated by historic flooding, shippers are rerouting, delaying cargo until waters recede and the full impact on truck capacity becomes clear.

All empty and loaded containers are being embargoed from three Union Pacific Railroad terminals due to a shortage of railcars, the second such shortage in the last three weeks.

Should shipment volumes of privately owned domestic containers continue to outpace those of rail-owned units, it will have major implications for the future of non-asset intermodal retailers.

Port authorities in the US Southeast have opened up inland ports in recent years to eliminate mutli-hour drays, free up truck capacity, and raise driver productivity.

CSX Transportation is requiring shippers to book reservations for their truckers to return empty containers or drop off loaded boxes, which has gone smoothly in smaller markets but caused major concerns in Chicago, Memphis, and Nashville.

The French ocean carrier’s latest intermodal offering aligns with its strategic goal of offering more integrated supply chain services, as well as an Indian government goal to convert more container cargo from truck to rail.

Dallas cargo owners will lose a rail option to Houston in late April

Shippers using the inland container depot to store empty containers will now be subject to an additional $6 per day charge.

The state has revived a project to raise the ceiling of CSX's Howard Street Tunnel to and from the Port of Baltimore in an effort to attract more Midwest cargo.

APL is taking its expedited EXX service from Shanghai to LA, guaranteeing rapid rail delivery to key inland hubs despite congestion at West Coast ports and on intermodal rail routes.

With blank sailings kicking in and congestion at Chicago rail yards easing, terminal operators in LA-LB say they have turned the corner and they see end of congestion by mid-March

Rising demand on its Asia-Europe express network is seeing UPS make some big investments in infrastructure and aircraft capacity to keep up.

The Port of Montreal is working to reduce dwell times for imports going by rail after rising cargo volumes increased the time sitting in terminals in late 2018 and early 2019.

Kansas City Southern has resumed service after protesters lifted a blockade that had shut down lines to and from Mexico's two largest ports.

Concor has entered into a strategic cooperation deal with Russia’s JSC RZD Logistics.

Stakeholders at the public container gateway worked harder to improve efficiency, amid ever-challenging market conditions.

Several US ports, many in the Gulf, are expecting a surge in wind cargo during the next 24 months.

Security and service problems face Mexico's intermodal sector as it seeks to expand its share of the reefer market.

Patience is the key right now, logistics professionals say, because many BCOs and truckers are dealing with the same challenges, caused by large volumes, a chassis shortage, and now Arctic cold.

Ripples from last year’s ELD mandate are still reverberating down rail tracks.

The ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland are investing billions in physical infrastructure, digitization, and process improvements to relieve congestion and speed container transport.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust has started handling import cargo booked under direct port delivery services by intermodal rail.

The congestion is subsiding, according to draymen and logistics providers.

The closure of rail lines at the two biggest ports on Mexico's Gulf Coast is shutting down supplies to manufacturers.

The gridlock is another example of how a small piece of equipment can cause havoc to the supply chain.

Bangladesh shippers have nearly tapped out containerized rail capacity on the Chittagong-Dhaka route.

The intermodal sector enters 2019 with cautious optimism amid adequate US economic growth; however, factors point toward more-competitive conditions.

The summer/autumn beat-the-tariff front-loading of imports to West Coast ports is now spreading inland.

A slew of upgrades, efficiency improvements, and new services are all aimed at boosting business.

Amid tightening Mexican truck capacity, rail has an opportunity to attract smaller shippers.

Truckers and equipment providers in Mexico should find it easier to lease intermodal equipment if the country's first uniform interchange agreement goes ahead.

The history of and the battle between trailers and containers parallels the history of US transportation.

Class I railroads face uncertainty in global trade, as well challenges in service and pricing, to keep momentum going in 2019.

IMO 2020 has the potential to change costs for freight that never comes close to the open sea.

If price is how intermodal separates itself from trucking, railroads should think hard about rates.

It’s the fourth terminal in the port’s rail system.