Commentary

Reciprocal Switch Peril Grows

No two words torment railroad executives and their investors more than “reciprocal switching”—a potential Surface Transportation Board (STB) decree that a railroad with sole physical access to a shipper facility transfer (switch) a shipper’s cars to a junction point with a second (competing) railroad. The second railroad pays a compensatory per-car switching fee whose reasonableness is determined by the STB.

U.S. Intermodal Slump Continued in Week 48

For the week ending Dec. 4, 2021, U.S. rail traffic fell 2.8% from the same point last year, with an intermodal volume drop cutting a carload gain, the Association of American Railroads reported on Dec. 8.

UP Issues Climate Action Plan

Union Pacific (UP) on Dec. 6 published a 2021 Climate Action Plan addressing its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

TSA Mandates Cybersecurity Actions for Freight, Passenger Rail

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Dec. 2 issued two new Security Directives for “higher-risk” passenger railroads and rail transit agencies and freight railroads, respectively, to “strengthen” cybersecurity.

AAR: U.S. Carload Traffic Up 7% in 2021

Of the 20 carload commodity categories the Association of American Railroads tracks, 15 have seen carload increases on U.S. Class I railroads through the first 11 months of 2021, with coal leading the way, AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on Dec. 1.

STB Establishes New Class Exemption for Emergency Temporary Trackage Rights

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has adopted a final rule establishing a new “emergency temporary trackage rights class exemption” that could be invoked during natural disasters, accidents or derailments; the rule is effective Dec. 30, 2021.

U.S. Intermodal: Drop-Off Spans 16 Consecutive Weeks

For the week ending Nov. 20, 2021, U.S. Class I railroads hauled 237,244 carloads, up 1.6% from the same point last year, but the 271,065 intermodal containers and trailers they moved fell 10% from 2020, the Association of American Railroads reported on Nov. 24.

Week 45: Intermodal Takes Another Hit

U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Nov. 13, 2021 continued to suffer, as a near-10% drop in intermodal loadings canceled out a small carload gain, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Nov. 17.

AAR: North American Rail Volume Up 6.5% Through 44 Weeks

The Association of American Railroads now has 44 weeks of rail traffic data for 2021 (ending Nov. 6). Total carload and intermodal traffic grew 6.5% in North America—rising 7.5% in the U.S., 3.7% in Canada, and 4.0% in Mexico from the same point last year.

WOMEN IN RAIL 2021

RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE: Railway Age’s Women in Rail awards recognize leaders for driving their businesses forward while making a difference in the industry and in their communities.

LOAD MORE