Archive for May 2020
U.S. carload volume tumbles 30 percent in Week 20
(Source: Progressive Railroading 05/21/2020) U.S. railroads logged 184,415 carloads in the week ending May 16, marking a 30.2 percent drop and the biggest decline in year-over-year weekly carload traffic since the Association of American Railroads (AAR) began tracking the data in 1988. For the week, U.S. railroads moved 416,115 carload and intermodal units, down 22 percent compared…
Read MoreRail pins hopes on auto manufacturing as U.S. carloads sustain record decline
(Source: Freight Waves, May 21, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Class I railroads are closely watching the restart of North American automotive production, hoping that the slow ramp up will not only grow auto volumes but also improve demand for supplies such as steel and plastics, according to executives at recent investor conferences. Full story: Freight…
Read MoreBLET, SMART-TD announce launch of Information and Communications Technology survey
CLEVELAND, Ohio, May 20 — The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe), in partnership with the BLET and SMART-TD, is launching a survey in mid-May to learn more about Information and Communications Technology (ICT), which relates to the technology and tools that railroaders use to share, gather and communicate…
Read MoreTransportation Committee Chair DeFazio objects to USDOT IG’s replacement
(Source: Progressive Railroading 05/20/2020) U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) have written to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to oppose President Donald Trump’s removal of former Acting Inspector General (IG) Mitch Behm and demand that…
Read MoreClass I employment level declined in April
(Source: Progressive Railroading 05/20/2020) Class Is employed 124,430 employees as of mid-April, down 2.69 percent from March and down 13.72 percent from April 2019 levels, according to Surface Transportation Board data. Four employment categories logged month-to-month decreases. They were transportation (train and engine), down 6.07 percent to 48,658 employees; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 1.6 percent…
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