AAR: “An enormous amount of freight”

The Association of American Railroads on Nov. 6, 2014 reported increased U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Nov. 1, 2014, for the month of October 2014, and for the 2014’s first 10 months, with both carload and intermodal volume continuing a steady climb.

Miner completes testing for AAR S-213 boxcar plug door standard

Miner Enterprises has concluded boxcar plug door testing for door manufacturers pursuant to newly revised Association of American Railroads Standard S-213. A series of tests were conducted for the AAR at Miner’s

Railcar builder stocks tumble following PHMSA NPRM comment period

Shares of The Greenbrier Companies and Trinity Industries fell 10.2% and 7.7%, respectively, in afternoon trading on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, one day after the deadline for final comments on the U.S. DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on tank cars carrying flammable liquids. Wall Street analysts attributed the stock plunge (which also affected American Railcar Industries, down 5.8%) to investor wariness over an “oil tank car rule fight.”

A technical and commercial balancing act

For freight car truck components, total cost of ownership is far more important than initial cost.

Railroad Ten-Year Trends available from the AAR

Now available from the Association of American Railroads is the latest edition of Railroad Ten-Year Trends, which contains a variety of railroad-related data for the years 2003-2012. More than 60 pages of the publication also have preliminary data for 2013.

Rail freight traffic continues to grow

The Association of American Railroads reported continued growth in U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 26, 2014, with 306,988 total carloads, up 4.3% compared with the same week last year. Total U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 264,809 units, up 3.3% compared with the same week last year. Total combined U.S. weekly rail traffic was 571,797 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.8% compared with the same week last year.

Supreme Court to consider USDOT vs. AAR re: Amtrak

In 2008, Congress passed PRIIA (Passenger Rail Improvement and Investment Act). Among its many provisions, it allows Amtrak to work with the Federal Railroad Administration to set metrics and minimum standards for assessing passenger rail service performance. Those standards are meant to be incorporated into Amtrak’s operating agreements with its host freight railroads.

AAR awards CSX employee top environmental honor

The Association of American Railroads has bestowed its highest environmental honor, the John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award, on Chris Durden, of CSX Intermodal Terminals.

How could EPA’s proposed coal regs affect railroads?

The Obama Administration on Monday, June 2, 2014, announced a proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulation, dubbed “Clean Power Plan,” to cut carbon pollution from U.S. power plants 30% from 2005 levels by 2030.

Safety appliance evolution

In 2011, the FRA established a process in Part 231.33 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations for industry organizations like the AAR to submit new safety appliance standards to the FRA for review and approval. On Feb. 10 of this year, the FRA approved an AAR petition requesting approval of major portions of the new AAR safety appliance standard S-2044.
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