Sophisticated data collection methods, along with high-tech systems to read and interpret the data, help railroads maximize their assets. Railroads are both asset-intensive and capital intensive. Knowing where and in what conditions those assets are, from rolling stock to sticks of rail or stacks of ties, is a big job, but new systems help with that immense task to help plan short- and long-term operations and maintenance.
According to information in BNSF’s 10Q quarterly filing at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company paid a dividend of $250 million to Warren Buffett, its only stockholder. Some analysts immediately raised questions about the wisdom and size of the dividend payment.
High performance wheels can offer improved safety and an extended life cycle. Wheelset removals are the largest freight car maintenance expense item in North America, accounting for half of all car maintenance dollars. Wheel tread damage is the single largest cause of wheelset removals, and wheel wear is another major factor limiting wheelset life.
As New York Penn Station marks a century of service, planners are gearing up for the next 100 years. A century ago, the Pennsylvania Railroad was in the midst of one of the most expansive infrastructure capital programs in the history of the United States.
Current technology is not only more reliable, it’s highly intelligent. When it comes to grade crossings, protecting people and equipment is the top priority for all railroads. Suppliers are making that job easier by ensuring everything from the bells and lights to the communications mechanisms are all focused toward one goal: safety.
If the past few months are any indication, the answer is yes. Just ask BNSF. BNSF Railway posted a double-digit return on net investment for the 12 months ending June 30, 2010—right through the worst of the Great Recession.
Employment on U.S. Class I railroads reached 159,340 in June, an increase of 1.15%, or 1,688 workers over May and a 5.16% increase over June 2010. Train crew employment (transportation-train and engine)
$7 billion is available for Class II and Class III railroads.
Ever since Warren Buffett gave his blessing to railroads by buying one, financial analysts and pundits have been examining this 175-year-old industry for clues to its re-emergence as a savvy investor’s favorite.
Rail shipper and carrier executives convened in San Francisco recently for the annual North American Rail Shippers Association meeting. Despite the anti-rail rhetoric of a minority of rail customers—who were for the most part absent—the meeting had the atmosphere of a reunion of old friends.
