U.S. Shale Oil Output to Drop to Near 2-Yr Low of 7.63 Million Barrels per Day in July

U.S. oil output from seven major shale formations is expected to fall to near a two-year low of 7.63 million barrels per day by July, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Monday.

Railroad Closing Major Part of Bellevue Terminal Five Years After Expansion

Eight years ago, the Norfolk Southern railroad saw a bright enough future in its carload business — the kind of freight that moves in individual freight cars, rather than in shipping containers or in trainload lots — to spend $160 million on doubling the size of its railcar sorting yard.

Class 1 Railroads May Make Some Cost-Cutting Measures Permanent

The Class I railroads are considering retaining some of the measures they implemented to scale down operations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to comments some executives have made at recent industry conferences.

Have Rail Volumes Bottomed Out?

Rail volumes could rebound in the second half of the year, but the pace of a rebound will depend largely on consumer confidence, executives from several Class I railroads cautioned at recent investor conferences.

International News

Direct Container Train Between China and Ukraine

Ukraine has got the first direct rail freight service to China. It ran via Mongolia and Russia in spite of the Middle Corridor. This service was arranged by EU-Trans, a Kyiv-based freight forwarding provider. The company is planning two other shipments until the end of June.

Ethiopia Gets $1.2m for Cross-Border Railway Study

The African Development Bank has given the government of Ethiopia a grant worth 1.2 million USD to conduct a feasibility study on the construction of a standard-gauge railway line to its neighbour, Sudan.