Railroad News

For more than a decade, the commonwealth of Virginia has sought to add lanes to Interstate 81 to relieve heavy truck congestion. The 846-mile highway stretches 323 miles in Virginia — the longest I-81 segment in any state.

Virginia most recently considered a plan to add two lanes to the interstate commonwealth-wide. To be funded by tolls, the project would cost about $13 billion over 20 years.

Today, KCS reported revenue of $346 million, down 23 percent compared with first-quarter 2008. The Class I’s traffic volume declined 15 percent primarily because of the weak U.S., Mexican and global economies, reduced fuel surcharge revenues and a weakened Mexican peso. Revenue dropped in four of five business lines, with only coal recording volume and revenue gains.

KCS recorded a net loss of $7.5 million compared with net income of $32.9 million in first-quarter 2008. The railroad reported a negative impact of $5.9 million from debt retirement costs and $5.1 million in a foreign exchange loss associated with the weakened peso.