Could the conventional hopper car be going the way of the steam locomotive? In Seattle BNSF Railway settled a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups for pollution caused by open-top cars carrying coal and coke.
Coal led all gainers as rail traffic in the U.S. totaled 521,607 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending March 4, up 1.8 percent from the same week in 2016.
Brutal winter weather threatens to further delay export grain shipments by rail and vessel loading at Pacific Northwest ports, but that could be a boon to maritime centers along the Gulf Coast.
The Port of Los Angeles marked the busiest January in its history as overall container traffic surged 17.4% from the same month a year ago.
Development along BNSF Railway’s network totaled nearly $3.5 billion in 2016, including completion of a $1.3-billion steel mill in Arkansas and a sugar facility in Illinois.
High water blocked BNSF’s Lakeside Subdivision between Spokane and Pasco, Wash., Thursday in the twisting, narrow Hatton Coulee between Hatton and Connell.
Exporters moving U.S. grain to Asian markets continue to struggle with harsh winter weather that’s delayed shipments via rail to ports in the Pacific Northwest.
Rail traffic through the Rockies in Northern Montana on Thursday was blocked by an avalanche, just days after freight and passenger trains resumed operations following a similar event.
A broken axle led to a collision between two BNSF trains that touched off a crude oil spill and fire, a National Transportation Safety Board probe has found.
A private operator is being sought for the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, which operates more than 100 miles of track connecting to six major railroads in the Crescent City.
