Kansas City Southern

‘Safety Integration Plan’ Proposed for CPKC

Potential merger partners Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) on Dec. 28 submitted their safety integration plan to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for review, meeting the STB’s procedural schedule deadline.

USD, Gibson Launch ‘DRUBit by Rail’

The Hardisty Energy Terminal in Alberta has opened a diluent recovery unit, and the DRUbit™ it creates, a proprietary heavy Canadian crude oil specifically designed for rail transportation, is ready to ship, according to the terminal’s 50-50 joint venture of US Development Group (USD) and Gibson Energy.

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.

CP, KCS Close Into Voting Trust

Canadian Pacific (CP) on Dec. 14 completed its acquisition of Kansas City Southern (KCS); KCS shares have been placed into a voting trust until the Surface Transportation Board (STB) issues a decision on railroads’ proposed combination, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, which is expected in fourth-quarter 2022.

KCS Stockholders Back CPKC

Kansas City Southern (KCS) stockholders have approved the railroad’s planned combination with Canadian Pacific (CP), which would form the first U.S.-Mexico-Canada rail network.

Will New Orleans-Baton Rouge Passenger Rail Service Return?

Canadian Pacific is committed to establishing New Orleans-Baton Rouge passenger service if the railroad’s proposed merger with Kansas City Southern is approved, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Technology Transformation James Clements told Louisiana officials on Dec. 8.