Opinion

Commentary

How Well is Rail Intermodal Integrated into Supply and Value Chain Behavior?

The container shortage Contributing Editor Jim Baze talks about in his commentary, “Enough Intermodal Market Hype!” is fast becoming a big issue. China’s box production lead time now exceeds three months and is growing. This may be in part due to the deficit of boxes going back East from West Coast ports, partly because they aren’t getting them from the Midwest, as his numbers show. “Why not?” is the important question.

Commentary

Enough Intermodal Market Hype!

There has been lots of surging intermodal volume reported since August. So, intermodal is coming back, correct? All is right with the intermodal world? It is sunny skies and good news ahead? Hold that thought. Ask one simple question. What is your actual level of confidence about that optimistic projection? Is it sustainable? Is there 100% certainty? No, a perfect outlook about the future is unreasonable, given the complexity of intermodal supply chain lengths and the number of players involved. Somewhere better than 50-50 and perhaps 75% probable might be a reasonable upside projection.

Commentary

Fifth in a Series: Advocates Speak Out, But It’s Up to Congress

Amtrak is poised to implement the most far-reaching service reductions in its history, Oct. 1. Every long-distance (L-D) train that currently runs every day will be lose more than half of its departures; reduced to running only three times per week. In the past, Amtrak reduced operation of some trains to three or four days a week, the most notable being the infamous Mercer Management cuts of the mid-1990s, which proved that cutting service increased costs by a greater amount than it saved. In other words, restricting the choice of travel days not only inconvenienced customers, but also cost Amtrak more. Despite that experience, Amtrak is about to reduce service on every L-D train, except for the Auto-Train, by 57%.

Commentary

Rail Recovery Lags U.S. Economic Pace – But Merchandise Carloads Are Recovering

Railroads are fundamentally directly involved in heavy manufacturing, resource commodities, energy and industrial production. Not so much e-commerce—at least not as direct movers and organizers. With that in mind, let’s examine how the railroad merchandise carload traffic pattern looks more than halfway through the third quarter of 2020.

Commentary

Rail Safety Week and Infrastructure Investments Go Hand in Hand

As a lifelong railroader, I’m especially pleased to join Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) and others across the nation in observing Rail Safety Week (RSW). In addition to Canada, this year we also welcome our colleagues in Mexico in helping all of us in North America to raise the profile of rail safety awareness.

Commentary

Are Intermodal’s “Green Shoots” Signs of Recovery?

THE FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE SEPTEMBER 2020 ISSUE: The rail industry continues to twist as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. To say that the length of the pandemic either has or will exceed most people’s initial expectations would be an understatement. So as the market continues to scuffle along, “Financial Edge” tried to look for some “green shoots” to provide some sense that there will be a return to normalcy sometime in the future.

Commentary

In Defense of the FRA

I don’t often feel the need to defend our industry’s regulator, the Federal Railroad Administration. Part of that is me. Like many who have stumbled into a career in this industry (and I literally stumbled my way into railroad employment, half-blinded and three-quarters frozen by a blizzard in Chicago), I’ve always had a problem with authority. Not that I begrudge anyone his or her authority, title, rate of pay—any of that stuff. I just don’t like other people telling me what to do, and I positively hate it when others think they need to tell me what to do.

Commentary

Fourth in a Series: Amtrak’s Impossible Demands

Time is running out for daily operation of Amtrak’s long-distance trains. It could also be running out for the very concept that a train could provide reliable transportation between far-flung communities every day, with same-day connections to other trains, at least in this country. With various exceptions, this has been the basis of Amtrak’s long-distance train network for the first 49 years and five months of its corporate existence, as well as for nearly 140 years before Amtrak began operations in 1971.

Commentary

Private Sector Investment in NEC Operations?

For almost half a century, passenger rail service in the United States has resided in the public sector. Despite its unusual statutory charter, Amtrak’s voting shares belong to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Every transit agency that runs trains in its metropolitan area is owned by some sort of public entity, whether based in state or local government, or a separate public-sector authority. Times are changing, though, and certain private-sector entities have expressed interest in running passenger railroads.

Commentary

Intermodal: Missed Signals? Fumbling Close to the Growth Goal Line?

When trying to comprehend what’s going on in complex markets, it’s best to consider multiple expert opinions. It is also prudent to consider different ways to sort the data sets available and then display them against other matched datasets. The more views, the better the comprehension. In the digital age, there are a lot more sources.

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