Management

Commentary

Post-election: Railroads look OK; rail labor, Amtrak not so good

What does Senate Republican control and the largest House Republican majority since the 1940s mean for railroad reregulation, Amtrak’s future, high- and higher-speed rail, transit funding, Positive Train Control (PTC), corporate tax reform, short line tax credits, the future of coal, and a minimum crew-consist mandate?

BNSF: We’re ready for winter

BNSF says it will go into the 2014-2015 winter season “better prepared than ever before, especially if the U.S. experiences a return of the polar vortex. The 2013-2014 winter was one of the most severe winters the U.S. has experienced in decades, with extreme temperatures that persisted for long periods and created special challenges for operating the railroad.”

CP Holiday Train ready to roll

Canadian Pacific’s Holiday Train program is returning to the rails for a 16th year to raise money, provide food, and promote awareness for food banks and hunger issues across Canada and the U.S. Since 1999, the program has raised close to C$9.5 million and 3.3 million pounds of food for North American food banks. Each 1,000-foot train consists of 14 railcars decorated with hundreds of thousands of LED lights, with a modified boxcar that serves as a traveling stage for performers.

Class I CEOs diverge on the merits of mergers

During third-quarter 2014 earnings presentations, two Class I CEOs with considerable experience in mega-mergers expressed opposing viewpoints on the merits of a final round of railroad mergers that would presumably create two gigantic east-west transcontinental carriers encompassing the U.S. and Canada.

CP + CSX: “No further talks are planned”

Breaking its relative silence, Canadian Pacific Railway announced Oct. 20, 2014 that it is no longer pursuing CSX as a merger partner. “Exploratory conversations held with CSX Corp. about a possible business combination have ended,” the railroad said in a statement. “No further talks are planned.”

New Mexico Border Authority awards feasibility study to HNTB

The New Mexico Border Authority has selected HNTB Corp. perform a comprehensive study determining the feasibility of a new rail bypass and international rail border crossing near the Santa Teresa, N.Mex., Port of Entry into Mexico. The results of this initial work, if deemed feasible, will guide the state of New Mexico and its associates in developing the new bypass and border crossing.

STB asks CP to “clear ambiguities”

The Surface Transportation Board, in a decision dated Oct. 14, 2014 (Docket No. EP 724, “United States Rail Service Issues,” has asked Canadian Pacific Railway to “answer specific questions to clarify ambiguities related to CP’s efforts to resolve service problems and respond to fall peak demand.”

CSX posts record 3Q 2014 results

CSX posted record third-quarter 2014 net earnings of $509 million, or $0.51 per share, up from net earnings of $455 million, or $0.45 per share, in the same period last year. This performance was supported by volume increases of 7%, with broad-based growth across nearly all markets CSX serves.
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