Opinion

Commentary

Insights From IANA Expo2021

With lingering concerns about COVID-19 infections, this year’s attendance at the Sept. 12-14 Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) Expo2021 conference in Long Beach, Calif., was relatively low when compared to the association’s past events. But those participating—3PLs, shippers, railroads, truckers, maritime ship operators, ports and various containerization suppliers—were energized about the multi-modal trade with containers, and the presentation sessions offered meaningful metrics and give-and-take dialogue. And yes, equipment, technology, and various intermodal services and products were on display with a “please touch and question” atmosphere.

Commentary

Stop and Read the Documents

Well, this one’s on the STB. What to do in the face of the STB’s decision about the voting trust sought by CN in which CN would have gained control of the Kansas City Southern? That avenue has been foreclosed by the Board’s recent decision to reject the voting trust.

Commentary
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Taking History: Keeping the Future on Track While Preserving the Past

“The challenge of history is to recover the past and introduce it to the present,” remarked historian David Thelen. He’s right. But that challenge ramps up by an order of magnitude when history presents itself in the middle of a multifaceted, essential, constant-operation infrastructure project that must follow all cultural resources mitigation measures as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act.

Commentary

Back to Their Future: CP and KCS

Get used to the acronym “CPKC,” which stands for Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the name of the Class I railroad that will begin operations sometime within the next 18 to 24 months, provided the Surface Transportation Board approves—as many industry observers and analysts believe it will—the merger of the Canadian Pacific and the Kansas City Southern. The two railroads have circled back to pretty much the original merger agreement they announced on March 21, 2021, one month before CN began its attempt to wrest the deal away from CP with a higher bid.

Commentary

I Am UP: Nathan McKinney and Shaun Bateman

Most locomotives departing Jenks Locomotive Shop in North Little Rock, Ark., fit a mold: polished, armor-yellow titans ready to haul freight across Union Pacific’s 23-state network. But there are others. Here’s the story of two carmen who paint complex commemoratives like the UP No. 1979 We Are ONE Employee Resource Group (ERG) Locomotive.

Commentary

It’s Bernie Sanders Time at the STB

News Item: The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has found that among seven Class I railroads, five—BNSF, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Canadian Pacific (CP)-owned Soo Line, and Union Pacific—were revenue adequate for 2020. Norfolk Southern and CN-owned Grand Trunk Western were within a fraction of a percentage point of making the cut.

Commentary

Innovation is the Antidote

The recent interesting piece titled “PSR: Can We Please Be Honest Here?” encapsulates perfectly what seems to be either the broad sentiment toward, or growing disillusionment, with the PSR operating strategy that

Commentary

The Board Pieces Clearly Favored Canadian Pacific

RAILWAY AGE, FINANCIAL EDGE, SEPTEMBER 2021 ISSUE: For investors, industry watchers and rail consumers, August was either the most interesting or frustrating month to date in the reality dating show, “I Want to Buy a Class I Railroad.”

Commentary

BNSF: Bracing for Impact, Restoring Service

Hurricane-force winds can knock freight cars off the track. Fast-rising water is strong enough to wash crossties out from underneath the rail, leaving the steel suspended like streamers. Impact from debris can destroy entire bridges. And when power lines are downed, critical signal and communications systems are disabled. Here’s how BNSF prepares for recovery when hurricanes like Ida approach.

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