According to a recent study released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), implementation of precision-scheduled railroading (PSR), a strategy to increase efficiency and reduce costs among Class I railroads, resulted in reductions in staff and assets, such as locomotives, and longer trains, but its effect on rail safety remained “inconclusive.”
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has adopted for first-quarter 2023 the rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF), defined as “an index formulated to represent changes in railroad costs incurred by the nation’s largest railroads over a specified period of time.”
For the week ending Dec. 17 (Week 50), total U.S. rail traffic was down 5.5% over the same week last year; carloads were down 3.2% and intermodal volume continued its downward trend, dropping 7.5%, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Dec. 21 report.
For the week ending Dec. 10, 2022 (Week 49), total U.S. rail traffic was down 2.5% over the same week last year; carloads came in 1.3% higher while intermodal volume continued its downward trend, dipping 5.8%, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Dec. 14 report.
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and six other groups have petitioned the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for an extension to the public comment period on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking concerning surface cyber risk management.
Railinc on Dec. 7 reported that it has added railcar cushioning devices to the Component Tracking program, providing “enhanced visibility” into their location and status.
In reporting U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Dec. 3, 2022, and volumes for November 2022, AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray said, “As has been the case for months, some sectors continue to show strength while others face headwinds.”
For the week ending Nov. 26, 2022 (Week 47), total U.S. rail traffic was down 4.1% compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) reported on Nov. 30. Traffic was down 21% compared with the same week in pre-pandemic 2019, according to Susquehanna Financial Group (SFG) Analyst Bascome Majors.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) now has 46 weeks of traffic data for 2022 (ending Nov. 19). Total North American carload and intermodal traffic dipped 1.9% from the same point last year—with decreases in the U.S. and Canada, and an increase in Mexico.
RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2022 ISSUE: Traction Motor (TM) lockup in a locomotive can be disruptive to a railway’s operations. While modern locomotives are equipped with many onboard diagnostic sensors to provide condition feedback, high-load mechanical components such as the gear train often remain unmonitored.
