General Information
Opinion: For railroads, there may be no new “normal”
(Source: Railway Age opinion column by Nicholas Little, June 11, 2020) NEW YORK — In response to Jim Blaze’s interesting “Railroad Mega-mergers” article from earlier this week, I’m not sure that the historical perspective will apply in a developing “new normal” business economy in the United States. I believe COVID-19 impacts will massively change behaviors.…
Read MoreHave rail volumes bottomed out?
(Source: Freight Waves, June 11, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Rail volumes could rebound in the second half of the year, but the pace of a rebound will depend largely on consumer confidence, executives from several Class I railroads cautioned at recent investor conferences. North American weekly rail traffic totaled 598,301 carloads and intermodal units for…
Read MoreCongressional hearing highlights COVID-19 impact on transportation workers
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/10/2020) The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) yesterday held a hearing on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on transportation workers. In his opening statement, T&I Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) noted that few industries have been hit harder by the pandemic than transportation. “Providing an essential service, transportation workers have continued to…
Read MoreNumber of rail cars in storage spikes in May
(Source: Freight Waves, June 9, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — After hovering around the 400,000-unit mark all year, railcars in storage spiked 25% in May to 520,729. This was the one of many takeaways from the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) June report. Full story: Freight Waves Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Read MoreWarren Buffett’s BNSF cuts jobs as railroads feel COVID-19 impact
(Source: Dallas Morning News, June 9, 2020) DALLAS, Texas — While trains are considered essential businesses, that hasn’t protected the rail industry from the COVID-19 drag. At a time when railroads were already laying off workers in the name of more efficient scheduling, the pandemic caused a significant drop in shipments, leading to even greater…
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