Commentary

What lurks behind the door Hunter Harrison opened?

At age 70, when most of his contemporaries have retired, Canadian Pacific (CP) Chairman Hunter Harrison is plotting his legacy—a seamless North American transcontinental rail duopoly initiated by his proposed CP-CSX merger.

CSX rejects CP merger proposal

Canadian Pacific has approached CSX about a merger, and CSX has rejected the proposal, according to reports in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Toronto’s Globe & Mail, and other major media outlets. The reports attributed unnamed sources close to the railroads, not CP and CSX themselves. Unclear is whether CP will persist in attempting a merger deal.

STB requiring weekly Class I service performance reports

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board announced Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 that it is requiring all Class I railroads to publicly file weekly data reports regarding service performance “to promote industry-wide transparency, accountability, and improved service.”

Railway Interchange 2015 exhibit space available

Booth space reservations are now open for the indoor and outdoor exhibitions at Railway Interchange 2015, the U.S.-based combined exhibition and technical conference taking place Sunday, Oct. 4 through Tuesday, Oct. 7 at the Minneapolis Convention Center and BNSF’s Northtown yard. Exhibits will be held Oct. 4-6.

Analyst: CP “on to another finish line with sweat and speed”

Canadian Pacific Railway, under the leadership of CEO E. Hunter Harrison, is “raising the bar, again,” according to Cowen & Co. Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl, who attended CP’s 2014 investor day.

CP’s Harrison sets 2018 financial goals

At Canadian Pacific’s 2014 Investor Conference, CEO E. Hunter Harrison unveiled new growth targets out to 2018, and “a multi-year strategy to drive superior service and financial profitability, including more than doubling the company’s earnings per share.”

CSX hosts first-responder CBR training at SERTC

Forty first-responders representing 30 communities around CSX’s railroad network have undergone crude-by-rail (CBR) incident response training at the Security and Emergency Response Training Center (SERTC) in Pueblo, Colo.

Norfolk Southern recognized for carbon disclosure

Norfolk Southern Corp. said Monday, Sept. 29, 2014 it has “earned recognition recently from environmental nonprofit CDP as a marketplace leader in carbon disclosure, reflecting the railroad’s broad integration of sustainable business practices into daily operations.”

WMATA’s Sarles to step down

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager and CEO Richard Ssrles says he will step down from his post in mid-January 2015, completing four years at the position.

Ferromex, Ferrosur add to SD70ACe fleet

Ferrocarril Mexicano, S.A. de C.V. (Ferromex) and Ferrocarril del Sureste S.A. de C.V. (Ferrosur), which are owned by Grupo México (Union Pacific has a 26% stake), are acquiring 34 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) SD70ACe locomotives.

LOAD MORE