August Intermodal Loadings Best In US Since Late 2018

August was the best month for intermodal loadings for U.S. freight railroads since October 2018, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) said Wednesday. August also marked the fifth-best intermodal month ever for U.S. loadings, according to AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray.

Union Pacific Hopes to Complete Consolidation By Sept. 21

Railroad buffs have about 2.5 weeks left to see both "hump yards" in operation at North Platte's Bailey Yard, at least for a while. But they'll still see plenty of traffic after that in the world's largest rail classification yard, said Kirsten Parker, executive director of the Golden Spike Tower & Visitor Center overlooking the yard.

Whiting Petroleum Completes Reorganization

Whiting Petroleum Corporation today announced that it has successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11 protection. Whiting officially concluded its reorganization after completing all required actions and satisfying the remaining conditions to its Plan of Reorganization.

Stakeholders Mixed on New Rail Inspection Technology Rule

A new rule on rail inspection technology from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is garnering mixed reactions from rail industry stakeholders. The Final Rule on Rail Integrity Amendments and Track Safety Standards enables the railroads to continue the practice of continuous rail inspection technology without the previous requirement of securing waivers. The rule allows rail testing vehicles to move without stopping along the track, thereby potentially decreasing passenger and freight train delays associated with routine inspections, the FRA says.

Robotic Brakemen

For one reason or another, European railroads have never universally adopted semi-automatic knuckle couplers, a technology that revolutionized operations and improved safety on North America railroads generations ago. We take them for granted. But if you think about it, our system is still labor-intensive, as air brake hoses must be manually connected, and uncoupling is lever-activated, manually. Now it seems as though our European counterparts may leapfrog us, with a technology called DAC, for "Digital Automatic Coupling."

Trump Targets Steel From Brazil, Mexico

Aiming to protect the U.S. steel industry during the pandemic, the Trump administration has announced cuts on steel imports from Brazil. The president also took steps to curb steel imports from Mexico by pushing for increased supervision of its export levels of certain products, including standard pipes, mechanical tubing and semi-finished products, according to the United States Trade Representative.

Transfesa Put Into Service High-Capacity Automotive Wagons

Transfesa Logistics has put into international traffic the first 18 of 100 new automotive wagons manufactured by Greenbrier in Poland. The 31-metre-long wagons are equipped with an innovative system that allows the upper deck to be placed in any desired position, thus adapting to the specific measurements of each manufacturer's car.

Covid-19 Results in First-Half Loss for China National Railway

China National Railway recorded revenue of Yuan 403.9bn ($US 59.1bn) in the first half of 2020, down Yuan 124.2bn year-on-year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This resulted in a net loss of Yuan 95.5bn for the period, including a net loss of Yuan 34.2bn in the second quarter.

Tamworth Intermodal Rail Line Funding Welcomed by ARA

The Australasian Railway Association has welcomed new funding to support the delivery of the Tamworth Intermodal Rail Line to ensure greater use of rail freight in the regions. It is believed that $28 million in NSW Government funding would be used to reinstate a section of non-operational railway line to support the delivery of the intermodal facility. In turn, it would support jobs in the region and ensure the critical rail line project could be delivered.