2023 Outlook: Rails Beware
RAILWAY AGE DECEMBER 2022 ISSUE: The Surface Transportation Board (STB) is plotting an active and intense 2023.
CPKC
Report: City of Washington, Iowa Accepts CP Crossing Closure Counteroffer
In a unanimous vote, the Washington (Iowa) City Council has accepted a counteroffer from Canadian Pacific (CP) that would allow the city to secure city funds and “municipal cooperation” for the proposed CP-Kansas City Southern (KCS) merger, which would “increase train traffic by more than 300% in the area,” the Southeast Iowa Union reported on Nov. 21.
Commentary
Is STB Facing Information Overload?
One might as well ask who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy’s chowder as to enquire what more the Surface Transportation Board (STB) might learn from additional public hearings on the question of whether railroads Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern should be permitted to merge, and under what conditions.
CP, KCS to STB: ‘A Perfect Fit With No Overlap’
Inching toward a decision on the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, the Surface Transportation Board held seven days of hearings* on the transaction, with numerous presenters, both pro and con.
Commentary
‘Politically Motivated Bullying, Special-Interest Pandering’
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wants the Surface Transportation Board to dump the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, unless he gets his way.
J.B. Hunt Adds Washington State, Texas Operations
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (J.B. Hunt) announced on Oct. 3 that it is expanding its transloading footprint with the addition of two new operations in Seattle, Wash., and Laredo, Tex., “for customers’ needs and to provide quick access to outbound rail and highway transport.”
Second KCS U.S./Mexico Border Bridge Getting Closer
Construction is expected to start in October or November on a second Kansas City Southern international rail bridge at the U.S./Mexico border connecting the border cities of Laredo, Tex. and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
STB Extends Public Comment Period for Proposed CP-KCS Merger Draft EIS
In response to a request from “affected communities,” the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) issued on Sept. 6 a notice extending the deadline for public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern (KCS) by Canadian Pacific (CP) to Oct. 14.
Class I Briefs: CPKC, UP
Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) merger proposal receives clearance from Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Also, Union Pacific (UP) takes Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) pledge
CP 2022-23 Grain Plan: ‘Deliver Outstanding Service’
Since 2018, the Canadian government, through changes in Section 151.01(1) of Canada Transportation Act, has required Canada’s railroads to publish grain movement plans for the forthcoming crop year. Grain is crucial to Canada’s