1/26/2017
Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
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The storage dome can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co. By
Railroad News
Jan
26
Jan
26
Rail News Home BNSF Railway January 2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
The storage dome can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co. ByThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Associate EditorUnited Sugars Corp. and American Crystal Sugar Co. in November 2016 unveiled a $44 million bulk sugar storage and transfer facility on BNSF Railway Co.'s network in Montgomery, Ill. Located 45 miles west of Chicago, the facility is in an ideal spot for reaching United Sugars' large customer base in the Chicagoland and Great Lakes areas, said BNSF Director of Ethanol and Bulk Foods Keeley Motley at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) winter conference earlier this month.In addition, the site is well situated for sugar shipments arriving from the Red River Valley at the Minnesota-North Dakota border."If you're loading the rail cars in Minnesota and North Dakota, you're already west of Chicago, … so you're not having to go further than necessary," Motley told attendees at the conference, which ran Jan. 11-12 in Oak Brook, Ill. The 20-acre site includes a 26,000-square-foot storage dome, which can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar. The shipper expects to move almost twice as much sugar to customers each year.BNSF officials anticipate that the facility will lead to a 10 percent reduction in the cycle time for shipping sugar, Motley said.BNSF trains operate the long-haul leg of the journey, while Burlington Junction Railway provides direct service into the facility.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co.
The storage dome can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co. By
Before the storage dome was built, the railroad shipped sugar directly to Chicago-area receivers that didn't always have storage space for the product. That meant rail car cars could sit idle waiting to be unloaded.
"Any time that the rail car is sitting at the receiver means that's time it's not back at the plant getting ready for its next load," Motley said.
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Jan
26
Rail News Home BNSF Railway January 2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
The storage dome can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co. ByThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Associate EditorUnited Sugars Corp. and American Crystal Sugar Co. in November 2016 unveiled a $44 million bulk sugar storage and transfer facility on BNSF Railway Co.'s network in Montgomery, Ill. Located 45 miles west of Chicago, the facility is in an ideal spot for reaching United Sugars' large customer base in the Chicagoland and Great Lakes areas, said BNSF Director of Ethanol and Bulk Foods Keeley Motley at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) winter conference earlier this month.In addition, the site is well situated for sugar shipments arriving from the Red River Valley at the Minnesota-North Dakota border."If you're loading the rail cars in Minnesota and North Dakota, you're already west of Chicago, … so you're not having to go further than necessary," Motley told attendees at the conference, which ran Jan. 11-12 in Oak Brook, Ill. The 20-acre site includes a 26,000-square-foot storage dome, which can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar. The shipper expects to move almost twice as much sugar to customers each year.BNSF officials anticipate that the facility will lead to a 10 percent reduction in the cycle time for shipping sugar, Motley said.BNSF trains operate the long-haul leg of the journey, while Burlington Junction Railway provides direct service into the facility.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co.
The storage dome can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co. By
Before the storage dome was built, the railroad shipped sugar directly to Chicago-area receivers that didn't always have storage space for the product. That meant rail car cars could sit idle waiting to be unloaded.
"Any time that the rail car is sitting at the receiver means that's time it's not back at the plant getting ready for its next load," Motley said.
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Jan
25
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AAR President and CEO Statement on Appointment of Ann Begeman as
Acting Chairman of Surface Transportation Board
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jan. 25, 2017 – Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), issued the following statement on today's appointment of Ann Begeman as Acting Chair of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board:
"The freight rail industry congratulates Ann Begeman on being named Acting Chair of the STB and is confident in Ms. Begeman's ability to lead the Board. We hope Acting Chairman Begeman will continue to heed our request to pause all major rulemaking – most notably its misguided forced access proposal – until the Board is equipped with five, full time Board members."
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Jan
25
NioCorp Developments Ltd. is removing plans for a 4.3-mile rail spur and supporting infrastructure that would have been constructed as part of its planned Elk Creek Superalloy Project.
The project, located in Elk Creek, Neb., originally called for delivery of 7,000 metric tons per week of reagents needed for separation and purification of the three superalloy metals that NioCorp plans to produce. However, the company explained that recent metallurgical process advancements will allow many of those reagents to be recycled from material that was previously planned for disposal.
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Jan
25
TranSystems Corp. has appointed David Maas, PE, as the new senior vice president of its freight rail and intermodal sector.
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Jan
25
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) has approved a construction contract for McCourt Construction Company to build its new Blue Hill Avenue commuter rail station.
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Jan
25
Rail supplier news from GE, Aspen Technology, Brookville, HNTB, TranSystems and Bombardier (Jan. 25)
1/25/2017
Rail News: Supplier Spotlight
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Jan
25
For Immediate Release
AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending January 21, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 25, 2017 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 21, 2017.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 530,299 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.1 percent compared with the same week last year.
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Jan
25
1/25/2017
Rail News: Passenger Rail
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Jan
25
1/25/2017
Rail News: Norfolk Southern Railway
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Jan
25
1/25/2017
Rail News: Norfolk Southern Railway
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Jan
25
Rail News Home Norfolk Southern Railway 1/25/2017 Rail News: Norfolk Southern Railway
Thomas WernerPhoto – nscorp.com
Thomas WernerPhoto – nscorp.com
Norfolk Southern Corp. yesterday named six people who will begin serving new positions and duties in the coming months.
The appointments reflect the "deep strength and versatility" of the company's management team, said NS Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer James Squires in a press release.
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Jan
25
1/25/2017
Rail News: Financials
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Jan
25
RailPros Field Services, Inc., a provider of railroad field and design support services, has hired David Fitzwater, PE, as its new senior project manager.
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Jan
25
Norfolk Southern on Jan. 24 named six people to new Vice President positions and duties, and announced the retirement of two long-time executives.
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Jan
25
1/25/2017
Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN
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Jan
25
1/25/2017
Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN
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Jan
25
Rail News Home Canadian National Railway - CN 1/25/2017 Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN
CN reported yesterday its net income rose 8 percent in fourth-quarter 2016 and 3 percent for the full year compared with 2015.The Class I posted Q4 2016 net income of 1 billion Canadian dollars, or CA$1.32 diluted earnings per share, compared with Q4 2015 net income of CA$941 million, or CA$1.18 diluted earnings per share, according to a CN press release.Revenue in the quarter increased 2 percent to CA$3.2 billion compared with Q4 2015, as carloads rose 3 percent and revenue per ton mile jumped 4 percent."Despite facing difficult winter conditions in December, CN delivered very strong fourth-quarter results and throughout 2016 demonstrated once again its ability to perform well in a mixed economic environment," said CN President and Chief Executive Officer Luc Jobin.For full-year 2016, CN posted net income of CA$3.64 billion, or CA$4.67 diluted earnings per share, compared with 2015 net income of $3.5 billion, or CA$4.39 diluted earnings per share.Revenue for 2016 decreased 5 percent to CA$12 billion compared with 2015. Revenue increases in automotive (6 percent), forest products (4 percent), and grain and fertilizers (1 percent) were offset by revenue decreases in coal (29 percent), metals and minerals (15 percent), petroleum and chemicals (11 percent) and intermodal (2 percent), company officials said. The decrease in total revenue was primarily due to lower volumes in crude oil, coal and frac sand, as well as lower applicable fuel surcharge rates, they said.Carloadings in 2016 declined 5 percent compared with 2015.CN's operating expenses for the year decreased 8 percent to CA$6.72 billion. The reduction in expenses was attributed mainly to cost-management initiatives, decreased traffic, lower pension expenses and fuel costs, which were partly offset by the negative translation impact of a weaker Canadian dollar on U.S. dollar-denominated expenses.CN's operating ratio for 2016 was 55.9 percent, an improvement over the 2015 operating ratio of 58.2 percent."We saw weaker volumes during the year, but quickly adjusted as our dedicated team of railroaders maintained its focus on operational efficiency, while continuing to provide quality service to our customers and improve our safety performance," Jobin said. "Overall, the economy remains challenging, but we remain optimistic and expect to see moderate volume growth in 2017," he added. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/25/2017
CN reported yesterday its net income rose 8 percent in fourth-quarter 2016 and 3 percent for the full year compared with 2015.The Class I posted Q4 2016 net income of 1 billion Canadian dollars, or CA$1.32 diluted earnings per share, compared with Q4 2015 net income of CA$941 million, or CA$1.18 diluted earnings per share, according to a CN press release.Revenue in the quarter increased 2 percent to CA$3.2 billion compared with Q4 2015, as carloads rose 3 percent and revenue per ton mile jumped 4 percent."Despite facing difficult winter conditions in December, CN delivered very strong fourth-quarter results and throughout 2016 demonstrated once again its ability to perform well in a mixed economic environment," said CN President and Chief Executive Officer Luc Jobin.For full-year 2016, CN posted net income of CA$3.64 billion, or CA$4.67 diluted earnings per share, compared with 2015 net income of $3.5 billion, or CA$4.39 diluted earnings per share.Revenue for 2016 decreased 5 percent to CA$12 billion compared with 2015. Revenue increases in automotive (6 percent), forest products (4 percent), and grain and fertilizers (1 percent) were offset by revenue decreases in coal (29 percent), metals and minerals (15 percent), petroleum and chemicals (11 percent) and intermodal (2 percent), company officials said. The decrease in total revenue was primarily due to lower volumes in crude oil, coal and frac sand, as well as lower applicable fuel surcharge rates, they said.Carloadings in 2016 declined 5 percent compared with 2015.CN's operating expenses for the year decreased 8 percent to CA$6.72 billion. The reduction in expenses was attributed mainly to cost-management initiatives, decreased traffic, lower pension expenses and fuel costs, which were partly offset by the negative translation impact of a weaker Canadian dollar on U.S. dollar-denominated expenses.CN's operating ratio for 2016 was 55.9 percent, an improvement over the 2015 operating ratio of 58.2 percent."We saw weaker volumes during the year, but quickly adjusted as our dedicated team of railroaders maintained its focus on operational efficiency, while continuing to provide quality service to our customers and improve our safety performance," Jobin said. "Overall, the economy remains challenging, but we remain optimistic and expect to see moderate volume growth in 2017," he added. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/25/2017
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Jan
25
1/25/2017
Rail News: Norfolk Southern Railway
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