UP 8627 hauls freight through the desert near El Paso, Tex. (Union Pacific Photograph)

AAR: North American Rail Volume Up Through Week 18

North American carload and intermodal traffic for the first 18 weeks of 2025 (ending May 3) was up 3.4% from the prior-year period, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported May 7. The United States and Canada saw gains, while Mexico experienced a loss.

(CN Photograph)

213 CN Shippers Earn Safety Awards

CN has recognized 213 shippers with Safe Handling Awards for 2024.

(Photograph Courtesy of The Port of Virginia)

NS, Port of Virginia Partner on ‘RailGreen Corridor’

Norfolk Southern (NS) and The Port of Virginia are offering shippers an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions via the new “RailGreen Corridor” between Norfolk Harbor and Virginia Inland Port (VIP), an intermodal terminal in Front Royal, Va.

(Image Courtesy of ASLRRA)

Industry Marking Railroad Day on Capitol Hill

More than 300 freight rail industry representatives—from Class I’s and short lines to suppliers and contractors, and the major associations that represent them—are coming together in force on and around Capitol Hill on May 7.

Commentary

Vive L’Alberta Libre?

Just days after Quebec voters chose that their province should remain part of Canada by a very narrow 54,000-vote margin in 1995, Canadian Pacific Railway announced it would move its head office

Testifying at the “America Builds: Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Rail Assistance” hearing on May 6 were (left to right): Matthew Dietrich, Ohio Rail Development Commission; Garrett Eucalitto, Connecticut DOT, on behalf of AASHTO; Kevin Hicks, TranSystems, on behalf of NRC; and Kristin Bevil, Pinsly Railroad Company, on behalf of ASLRRA. (Screen Grab from House Rail Subcommittee Hearing Video)

House Subcommittee Eyes Federal Rail Funding Reform

Pinsly Railroad Company executive and ASLRRA Board Member Kristin Bevil was among those testifying on ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal rail assistance at a May 6 hearing of

New Legislation Introduced to Stop Calif. Locomotive Regulations

On May 5, Congressmen John Moolenaar (R-MI), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), and Craig Goldman (R-TX) introduced the Lifting Overburdensome Commerce Obstructions and Motives Act (the LOCOMOTIVES Act), which aims to “limit the State of California’s ability to place unsustainable regulations on trains crossing into the state.”

STB Provides Update on Outstanding Proceedings

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Patrick Fuchs on May 5 provided an update on recent actions to “facilitate and expedite the resolution of several outstanding Board proceedings.” They are as follows: “The

FreightCar America Castaños, Mexico manufacturing plant. (FreightCar America Photograph)

For FreightCar America 1Q25, ‘Robust’ Margins, ‘Strong’ Order Activity

FreightCar America, Inc.  on May 5 reported first-quarter 2025 results that included gross profit up 26% and gross margin expanding 780 basis points. The company generated operating cash flow of $12.8 million

(Courtesy of IANA)

IANA: ‘Tariff Deadlines’ Drove Up 1Q25 Intermodal Traffic

Total intermodal volume rose 6.3% in first-quarter 2025, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth, reported the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) in its latest quarterly report. International and domestic containers increased 8.5% and 5.6%, respectively, while trailers fell 18.2%. The association also projected the intermodal network “to contract 0.6% in 2025 on the heels of an 8.5% gain in 2024.”

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