Editor’s note: The following is David Schanoes’s presentation, “Better, Safer Railroading: 10% Planning, 90% Execution,” at Railway Age’s 2015 Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads Conference.
The Association of American Railroads on Oct. 27, 2015 awarded the 2015 Professional Environmental Excellence Award, “the highest honor for environmental professionals in the railroad industry,” to CSX’s Raghu Chatrathi, one of eight nominated.
Net income of $452 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, compared with $559 million, or $1.79 per diluted share in third-quarter 2014, combined with an operating revenue that declined by 10%, led to a tough third-quarter 2015 for Norfolk Southern (NS), the railroad reported on Oct. 28, 2015.
Net income of C$1.01 billion, compared with net income of C$853 million in second-quarter 2014, combined with an operating income increase of 16% and a record-low quarterly operating ratio of 53.8%, resulted in a solid third-quarter 2015 for CN, the railroad reported on Oct. 27, 2015.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Oct. 22, 2015 unanimously approved the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform (STRR) Act of 2015 (H.R. 3763). Among the STRR Act’s numerous provisions is a minimum three-year extension of the looming PTC deadline.
Buffeted by decreases in operating income and revenue and business volumes compared to the prior-year quarter, Union Pacific still managed to post an all-time quarterly record operating ratio of 60.3% in 2015’s third quarter. A huge decrease in average quarterly diesel fuel costs—$1.81 per gallon, a whopping 40% lower than in third-quarter 2014—was the determining factor.
The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee has passed H.R. 3763, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015, commonly referred to as the “Highway Bill.” Buried deep within the document (p. 504) is language with provisions to extend the PTC deadline to Dec. 31, 2018, with up to 24 months of additional extensions granted by the FRA on a case-by-case basis.
Railway Age on Oct. 20, 2015 launched its inaugural Fast Trackers contest, in which ten individuals under the age of 40 who have made an impact in their respective fields or within their company will be profiled.
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) on Oct. 20, 2015 posted its highest-ever revenue for the third quarter, with a 16% growth in adjusted earnings per share to $2.69 and the lowest operating ratio for the period in the company’s history.
BNSF and Union Pacific have each moved two of the longest and heaviest unit frac sand trains ever seen in North America. BNSF and short line Southwestern Railroad recently delivered a 150-car train to Rangeland Energy’s RIO Hub near Loving, N.Mex. UP operated a 233-car, DP (distributed power) train out of Mason City, Iowa in late September 2012.