General Information
Rail Labor to FRA: Recalling furloughed employees must come before safety waivers
(Source: AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department press release, April 9, 2020) The Honorable Ronald BatoryAdministratorFederal Railroad AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation1200 New Jersey Avenue, SEWashington, DC 20590 Dear Administrator Batory: On March 13th, the FRA opened the Emergency Relief Docket (FRA-2020-0002) for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), activating the provisions of 49 CFR § 211.45. These provisions grant the FRA…
Read MoreNRF: March import levels expected to hit five-year low
(Source: Progressive Railroading 04/09/2020) Estimates indicate that imports last month at major U.S. retail container ports dropped to their lowest level in five years, according to the Global Port Tracker report released this week by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates. Imports are projected to remain significantly below normal levels through early summer, as the…
Read MoreAAR: U.S. rail carload activity drops to Great Recession levels
(Source: Progressive Railroading 04/09/2020) The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on U.S. freight-rail traffic is growing, with the number of carloads and intermodal containers and trailers transported during the week ending April 4 tumbling 15.9 percent to 429,095 units compared with volumes logged in the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American…
Read MoreSome of America’s oil refineries may be on the brink of shutting
(Source: Bloomberg, April 9, 2020) NEW YORK — The next step for some U.S. refineries that have already cut way back may be a full stop. Marathon Petroleum Corp. plans to idle its Gallup, New Mexico, refinery next week, according to a person familiar with the matter. It’s the first U.S. facility to shut as…
Read MoreCoronavirus takes aim at North American rail traffic
(Source: Freight Waves, April 9, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — North American rail traffic continues to tumble, pressured by significant drops in consumer activity as the COVID-19 pandemic takes hold globally. North American rail volume for the week ending last Saturday slipped 16.1% to 596,710 carloads and intermodal units, compared with the same period in 2019,…
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