Rail News

It will not happen overnight, but experts believe supply chains and transportation will become increasingly automated and more efficient as technology enables real-time exchange and analysis of vast amounts of data thanks to Amazon.com.

During the last two decades, Georgia has encouraged development of import distribution centers that have attracted all-water services from Asia and made Savannah the second-largest US East Coast container port.

The pool is the latest sign of the strong demand for chassis with radial tires and LED lights.

The service also gives US importers a new option.

One of the so-called “truths” of the intermodal era is the inevitability of the transition to container, fueled by the “2 for 1” economics of double-stack.

RZD hopes the reductions will make rail more attractive to shippers who overwhelmingly rely on trucking despite its higher costs.

The chaos caused by the shutting down of a key European rail transport corridor had a financial impact, and freight associations are calling for immediate compensation.

“This is one of the highest periods of turbulence and volatility in supply we have ever experienced, and we don’t think it will abate any time soon,” John Roberts, president and CEO, and Shelly Simpson, chief commercial officer, said.

Rapid fulfillment and replenishment cycles are driving visibility, but shippers need to extend visibility even further.

Shipping documents contain valuable information that BCOs can use for planning purposes if the information is digitized.

US exporters and importers from the East Coast perhaps will drive rail and trans-Atlantic transport combinations that can offer better reliability than ocean routes to and from Central China.

Longer dwell times at terminals, slower trains, and an unresponsive customer service department are still roiling supply chains for CSX shippers.

As railroads decide to automate their intermodal transfer facilities, they will face challenges similar to what marine terminal operators have had to contend with.

The economic aftershock from hurricanes Harvey and Irma is affecting freight flows and transportation pricing across North America.

The Port of Virginia is tapping into the growing Midwest market.

“Today the challenge is not the technology.”

Textile shippers have welcomed the service.

The prospects for intermodal are strong, but there are a series of “known unknowns.”

West Coast ports compete harder for intermodal cargo, but rail pricing may be the key determiner.

The sudden closure of the Rhine Valley Alpine rail track in southwest Germany could not have come at a worse time for Europe’s rail freight industry.

Shippers will greet news that the key European rail corridor will open five days early with some relief, but they will still have to struggle for alternatives until early October.

The China-Europe rail route is gaining in popularity among shippers, but even with its rapid growth, the weekly capacity overland is just 2 percent of that offered by ocean.

Primary rail providers have said they are metering cargo even for routes that are operating normally.

Motor carriers and their shipper customers have been footing the bill.

“Today only between 2 and 3 percent of throughput at the port of Santos goes via rail.”

With energy prices low and the dollar high, total intermodal volumes improved 4.5 percent in the second quarter.

Ports from Miami to Charleston now lie in the Category 5 storm’s projected path.

Shortline, port operators are owned by the same investment group.

The US Coast Guard on Tuesday reopened the Sabine-Neches Waterway.

Terms of the 50-50 joint venture were not disclosed.

Rail traffic between Italy and Germany is expected to rise sharply in September, which is not good news with the crucial Alpine route shut down until Oct. 7.

Truck-to-rail freight conversion critical to easing terminal congestion is steadily picking up momentum at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.

The reopening of terminals, repairs to rail lines, and moves toward more normal vessel operations are important steps in untangling supply chains twisted by Hurricane Harvey.

Hub Group has launched a new cargo tracking tool.

The effects of a weak start to the year for Kerry Logistics were reversed by a strong second quarter and the Hong Kong-based company is expecting a positive full-year result.

VTG, one of the leading European railcar leasing and rail logistics groups, posted improved second-quarter results.

Truck, rail, water, and air transport are shut down.

Backup routes used to get around the shut down Rhine Valley rail link are proving costly for shippers.

The two month shutdown of a key rail corridor in Northern Europe is adding almost one-third to the transportation costs from the Mediterranean to Germany.