Surface Transportation Board

“After a challenging first quarter of the year, I’m proud of the resiliency and discipline the CP team demonstrated to deliver these [second-quarter 2022 financial] results,” said Keith Creel, CP President and CEO, on July 28. Railway Age presented Creel and KCS President and CEO Patrick J. Ottensmeyer the 2022 Railroader of the Year Award.

CP’s Creel: Momentum Building Into 2H22 (UPDATED, Cowen)

“The strong demand environment for North American goods and commodities, coupled with our own unique growth initiatives and the promising upcoming Canadian grain crop, gives me confidence that we will continue to see momentum build into the back half of 2022 and beyond,” Canadian Pacific (CP) President and CEO Keith Creel said during a second-quarter 2022 financial report. After a “challenging” first quarter, he noted the Class I railroad saw a sequential improvement in operating ratio—more than 1,000 basis points despite a fuel headwind—and in operating performance.

Commentary

‘DDKN’ the ‘Textbook Definition of NIMBY’

A perhaps little-known bit of railroad trivia is that, according to a reliable industry source, Illinois Senator and Majority Whip Dick Durbin held the late E. Hunter Harrison in extreme contempt (that’s a polite way of saying “hated”), and the feeling was mutual.

STB Sets Public Hearing on CPKC Merger

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) will hold a public hearing this September on the proposed merger of Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KSC), which seeks to create North America’s first transnational freight railroad, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC).

Time Out: Preparing for Round 9

The battle over Amtrak’s proposal to run two daily round trips between Mobile and New Orleans is far from over. It is about to heat up again after a two-month lull, but the STB announced on July 11 that the relative calm (at least as far as the public will notice) will last a little longer.

Amtrak to STB: Deny CN’s Responsive Application

Amtrak is calling on the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to deny CN’s conditions to the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger because they do “not satisfy the Board’s ‘operationally feasible’ requirement” and “would harm the public interest by adversely affecting the provision of passenger rail service. …”

  • News

TTD to STB: ‘Expand Reporting Requirements to Address Self-Inflicted Service Cuts’

The 37-union-affiliate Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) on July 1 sent a letter to the Surface Transportation Board in response to the agency’s “information collection request” regarding Class I railroad reporting requirements. The letter, signed by TTD President Greg Regan, asks the STB to further increase the already stepped-up reporting requirements to include additional employment data.