Commentary

Improving Ridership Modeling and Service Development Plans Through Better Travel Data

Using new tools to forecast ridership for better passenger rail planning.

Commentary

ZE Energy Sources for Locomotives

First, let’s look at the release of harmful substances by locomotives with onboard energy sources. The most prominent is the diesel-electric locomotive. Its electric traction motors are environmentally friendly, but its diesel

Commentary

Sen. Herb Kohl, 1935-2023, Rail Shipper Advocate

Aside from being a successful entrepreneur whose name adorns 1,100 department stores in 49 states, or once being an owner of the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks, former Sen. Herbert Hiken Kohl

Commentary

C3RS: Railroad Safety Revisited—or Not

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the devastating train derailment that thrust the small community of East Palestine, Ohio, and its people into the media, it’s fair to ask, what is

Commentary

BNSF Welcomes Montana Rail Link

Railroading is a team effort, and since 1987, BNSF and Montana Rail Link (MRL) have been operating in collaboration across the Big Sky state and portions of Idaho and Washington. During the time that MRL leased and operated mainline tracks between Huntley, Montana, and Sandpoint, Idaho, our teams worked shoulder to shoulder to ensure strong outcomes for customers, employees and communities alike.

Commentary

Digital Twins: A Key Driver to Transform North American Railroads

Digital twins are virtual representations of real-world objects or systems that use data, simulation and machine learning to help decision-making. They can be applied to various domains, such as manufacturing, healthcare and

Commentary

Adventures on VIA Rail: The Last ‘Budd Train’

Fourth in a Series: There was something special about the Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs) built by the Budd Company in the middle of the past century. They were self-contained passenger cars (and

A hydrogen supplier installs a new hydrogen-powered fuel cell at a Union Pacific crossing in Louisiana. (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of UP)
Commentary

Hydrogen-Powered Generators Support Safe Operations, Safeguard the Environment

Deployment of new hydrogen fuel-cell power generators is helping Union Pacific (UP) ensure continued safe operations while having a positive impact on the environment.

“While rail bridge closures at Eagle Pass and El Paso affect approximately 45% of UP’s cross-border business, we expect the impact on overall volumes to be minimal due to quick resolution of activity,” TD Cowen analysts report. (Union Pacific Photograph)
Commentary

TD Cowen’s 2024 Rail Preview

We modestly lower our fourth-quarter 2023 estimates on mix pressures that are likely to be somewhat mitigated by fuel tailwinds. Intermodal recovery comes at the price of yield given the protracted over-the-road (OTR) rate trough. A revenue per carload rebound is likely a late-2024 story, at best. First-quarter 2024 should see typical seasonal softening, which is well understood as the focus shifts to recovery. We favor Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) in 2024 on margin recovery prospects.

Commentary

Solid Operations and Service Closing 2023

In recent weeks we’ve focused on the big tailwind from Thanksgiving and its subsequent slingshot effects, which accelerated the overall system and propelled some key metrics at Union Pacific, BNSF, and CSX

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