US Rail Headcount Rises on Monthly Basis

U.S. Class I rail employment levels rose between July and August on higher rail volumes. However, headcount totals are still significantly below year-ago levels.

Rail Freight Recovery Lags US Economic Pace

Railroads are fundamentally directly involved in heavy manufacturing, resource commodities, energy and industrial production. Not so much e-commerce — at least not as direct movers and organizers. With that in mind, let's examine how the railroad merchandise carload traffic pattern looks more than halfway through the third quarter of 2020.

Are Intermodal's "Green Shoots" Signs of Recovery?

The rail industry continues to twist as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. To say that the length of the pandemic either has or will exceed most people's initial expectations would be an understatement. So as the market continues to scuffle along, "Financial Edge" tried to look for some "green shoots" to provide some sense that there will be a return to normalcy sometime in the future.

Canadian Crude by Rail Exports Fall to Another Eight Year Low in July

Canadian exports of crude oil by rail fell to another eight-year low in July despite the gradual recovery of North American fuel demand from low levels due to measures taken to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canada Energy Regulator says rail shipments of oil in July fell to about 39,000 barrels per day, down from 42,820 bpd in June (also an eight-year low).

Ports of Seattle, Tacoma Foresee Better Volumes Ahead

While volumes handled by the Northwest Seaport Alliance remain down year-over-year, the tide appears to be turning, according to CEO John Wolfe. Wolfe said he was "encouraged" that total August volumes were down 13.8% year-over-year instead of the approximately 20% recorded in previous months.

Cowen: Railcar Demand Recovery in 2021

In the two weeks following Cowen and Company's mid-September Transportation and Sustainable Mobility Conference, analyst Matt Elkott, with input from colleagues Adam Kramer and Jason Seidl (Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor), noted that railcar inquiries "have ticked up."

82% of Contractors Have 'Moderate to High' Confidence in U.S. Market

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index increased by one point to 57 in the third quarter, and saw notable gains in two of index's three indicators. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index is a quarterly economic index designed to gauge the outlook for, and resulting confidence in, the commercial construction industry.

Rail Safety Week Kicks Off—Virtually

Social media and virtual messaging is spreading the word for Rail Safety Week (Sept. 21-27) due to the pandemic. The #STOPTrackTragedies campaign is encouraging safe behavior near highway-rail grade crossings and railroad rights-of-way, and raising awareness of the need for rail safety education.

First Contract for Rail Wheels

Kardemir signed the contract for rail wheels with TCDD Tasimacilik. Kardemir, one of the leading steel producers of Turkey, had completed the new investment for production of rail wheels and won the tender for 1600 monobloc wheels of TCDD Tasimacilik.