Author Topic: Booming growth on freight railroads (Read 70722 times)

KJP · « **Reply #210 on:** November 02, 2008, 10:02:30 PM »

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature5-11-3

October 31, 2008

NS intermodal terminal recommended for expansion

The 19-member Joint Intermodal Tast Force for Transportation and Logistics recommended NS’ intermodal terminal in South Toledo, Ohio, as the focus for expansion of freight warehousing and logistics activities in the Toledo area.

Read more the link above:

noozer · « **Reply #211 on:** November 03, 2008, 02:21:15 AM »

Railroads top trucks in key shipper survey
Railwayage.com

"Rails proving resilient; outlook less favorable for trucks." That's the way Morgan Stanley sums up the results of its latest survey of more than 350 U. S. and Canadian freight shippers. The investment banking house has conducted the survey semi-annually for eight years.

Some major findings of the new survey, released Oct. 31:

--"Shippers see more value from rail, which is supportive of long-term pricing."

Read more at:

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml

noozer · « **Reply #212 on:** November 11, 2008, 09:45:59 AM »

In Depth October 23, 2008, 5:00PM EST text size: TT
Burlington Northern and the Revival of Railroads
The last depression bankrupted them. Now they're positioned to thrive. A look at the nation's most progressive railroad, Burlington Northern Santa Fe
By Emily Thornton

Last April, Warren E. Buffett flew to Kansas City, Mo., to join Matthew K. Rose for a ride in a vintage 1930s railcar. Buffett, the billionaire investor from Omaha, and Rose, the chief executive of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BN), munched on hamburgers and jelly beans as they chugged 430 miles up to Chicago. Along the way, they talked about Burlington Northern's unlikely turnaround and how the once-stalled railroad could build on its recent momentum.

Read more at:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_44/b4106058122336.htm

KJP · « **Reply #213 on:** November 11, 2008, 12:14:51 PM »

Good article. Thanks for posting it.

KJP · « **Reply #214 on:** November 19, 2008, 02:09:52 AM »

This CSX route passes through Youngstown, Akron, Lodi, Willard, Tiffin, Fostoria and Defiance....

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature3-11-19

November 18, 2008

CSX calls for public and private sector cooperation

CSX Intermodal President Jim Hertwig urges more cooperation between public and private sectors to quickly address emerging trends in global trade and the critical need for expanded transportation and distribution infrastructure.

Full story at the link above:

noozer · « **Reply #215 on:** December 02, 2008, 02:09:07 AM »

Though this report covers more than just rail, it is a good indicator that industry is ... and will be ... moving more freight by rail.

USDOT: Value of goods moving north, south across U.S. borders goes up in September
www.progressiverailroading.com

The value of trade moving via surface transportation modes between the United States and Canada and Mexico in September totaled $71.8 billion, down 0.6 percent from August’s level but up 7.5 percent from September 2007’s total, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The modes include rail, truck and pipeline.

Read more at:

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=18861

noozer · « **Reply #216 on:** December 02, 2008, 04:35:14 AM »

Many hope railroad revival will bring jobs to Warren
Published:Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Youngstown Vindicator
By Ed Runyan

WARREN — Soon, residents of Warren’s North End will again hear the rumble of freight trains heading south into town from the former Copperweld Steel mill in Warren Township.

Trains will pass through their neighborhood and back out of town to the east, carrying steel.

Read more at:

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?style=newstyles3.css&Section=&ID=443604&Category=9

KJP · « **Reply #217 on:** December 07, 2008, 11:31:20 PM »

The booming growth has officially stopped.....

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature2-12-8

December 5, 2008
Rail carload traffic tumbles 10% in November

Reflecting a sharply worsening economy, U.S. railroad carload traffic was down 10.1% in November and intermodal traffic dropped 7.9%--"by far the largest monthly declines since we stated keeping track of monthly traffic in 1997 and probably since well before then," according to John Gray, senior vice president of the Association of American Railroads.

Full story at the link above:

KJP · « **Reply #218 on:** December 07, 2008, 11:31:41 PM »

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-12-8

December 5, 2008

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell supports National Gateway

At a National Gateway coalition event hosted by CSX Chairman and CEO Michael Ward, Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell announced his support for the National Gateway’s goal of creating a state-of-the-art, double-stack transportation corridor connecting manufacturing centers in the Midwest with deepwater ports on the East Coast.

Read more at the link above:

noozer · « **Reply #219 on:** December 09, 2008, 08:12:04 AM »

from www.railwayage.com

Fitch finds railroads strong in a weak economy

Fitch Ratings finds the railroad industry "well positioned financially to confront the challenges of a weakened U. S. economy." For 2009, Fitch forecasts "a relatively favorable pricing environment, strong liquidity, and ongoing capital markets access."

Full story at:

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml

KJP · « **Reply #220 on:** December 15, 2008, 12:23:14 AM »

Good to see Pennsylvania spending some respectably-sized amounts on freight rail.....

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-12-15

December 12, 2008

Pennsylvania investing $38.5 Million in rail freight

Governor Edward Rendell said Pennsylvania is investing $30 million as part of PennDOT’s Rail Freight Capital Budget/Transportation Assistance program and a separate $8.5 million in Rail Freight Assistance grants.

Read more at the link above:

noozer · « **Reply #221 on:** December 15, 2008, 02:57:31 AM »

Pennsylvania has a long history (under Gov. Rendell) of supporting rail projects (mostly freight... but some passenger as well).

noozer · « **Reply #222 on:** December 15, 2008, 03:10:06 AM »

Article published Monday, December 15, 2008
CSX still plans new Wood County terminal despite troubled economy
By DAVID PATCH
BLADE STAFF WRITER

The slumping regional and national economies may be dragging down railroad freight traffic, but CSX says its plans for a new intermodal terminal near southern Wood County's North Baltimore will stay on track.

Full story at:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081215/NEWS16/812150329/-1/NEWS

Robert Pence · « **Reply #223 on:** December 27, 2008, 03:39:06 AM »

Some good historical freight footage here.

An acquaintance posted this link to a professional film from 1974, produced as part of the effort to persuade Congress to invest capital in Penn Central. This film likely contributed to the formation of Conrail, which resulted in a a viable, profitable enterprise that ultimately was sold to CSX and NS.

http://www.lubetkin.net/blog/2008/12/penn-central-1974-movie.html

noozer · « **Reply #224 on:** December 27, 2008, 07:39:29 AM »

Wow! What a great film find. Ironic today that our problem isn't bad track and equipment, but not enough good track and equipment.

Beadoleoma · « **Reply #225 on:** December 27, 2008, 08:09:01 AM »

What a gem, this is fascinating!

KJP · « **Reply #226 on:** December 27, 2008, 04:16:56 PM »

Awesome film. I remember that my father got so worried about derailments on Penn Central that he would stop the family car maybe 50 feet back from the tracks whenever we approached a railroad crossing with a train on it. He was a train nut like me, but in the 1970s he used to say "I don't know whether to watch or run."

Robert Pence · « **Reply #227 on:** December 28, 2008, 04:13:13 AM »

In that era the Broadway Limited had a major derailment in the yards east of the depot in Fort Wayne. I didn't try to go and see it because the yards were heavily secured, and I heard that it wasn't possible to get within sight of the wreck because of parked freight cars.

BuckeyeB · « **Reply #228 on:** December 28, 2008, 09:29:36 AM »

Seeing those boxcars rocking back and forth on that bad PC track sure brought back memories. I recall that at one point the Louisville-Indy-Logansport line was embargoed by the ICC because the track was unsafe at any speed. This led to all sorts of reroutings for the James Whitcomb Riley, later the Cardinal across Indiana.

Robert Pence · « **Reply #229 on:** December 29, 2008, 01:58:07 PM »

Quote from: BuckeyeB on December 28, 2008, 09:29:36 AM

Seeing those boxcars rocking back and forth on that bad PC track sure brought back memories. I recall that at one point the Louisville-Indy-Logansport line was embargoed by the ICC because the track was unsafe at any speed. This led to all sorts of reroutings for the James Whitcomb Riley, later the Cardinal across Indiana.

I grew up on the edge of Erie-Lackawanna territory in Indiana, and often had to wait for their freight trains at rural road crossings. In the sixties, before they went in the dumper, I used to see their trains on the stretch between Decatur and Huntington, Indiana. It was a long, flat straightaway and they ran fast. I could sit at a rural road crossing and watch them barrel past, the cars straight upright and steady as a rock.

Unfortunately they were going hungry because of diminishing rail freight traffic, and when they suffered massive storm damage to large parts of their ROW in Pennsylvania, they were unable to recover. With the Conrail merger, most of the old Erie was abandoned.

Beadoleoma · « **Reply #230 on:** December 29, 2008, 07:54:25 PM »

I live in Hyde Park of Cincinnati, and trains still run on those tracks a few times a week it seems. I always enjoy falling asleep or napping to the sound of the engines passing by, such a sonorous sound.

JYP · « **Reply #231 on:** January 14, 2009, 01:09:28 AM »

This is a big article in the Washington Monthly.

Back on Tracks

A nineteenth-century technology could be the solution to our twenty-first-century problems.

By Phillip Longman
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2009/0901.longman.html

audidave · « **Reply #232 on:** January 14, 2009, 12:25:19 PM »

^Incredibly well written article. Very thorough and logical conclusions. I expect Obama to at the very least resolve the Chicago bottleneck during his 4 years. Not sure how much more he'll push for beyond that for rail.

Robert Pence · « **Reply #233 on:** January 14, 2009, 12:56:13 PM »

Quote from: JYP on January 14, 2009, 01:09:28 AM

This is a big article in the Washington Monthly.

Back on Tracks

A nineteenth-century technology could be the solution to our twenty-first-century problems.

By Phillip Longman
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2009/0901.longman.html

That's one of the most comprehensive, factual, and well-informed articles I've read on the topic.

noozer · « **Reply #234 on:** January 15, 2009, 09:01:18 AM »

I forwarded this to some staff I know at ODOT. Great piece of work by the author.

noozer · « **Reply #235 on:** February 02, 2009, 08:13:23 AM »

Norfolk Southern layoffs so far total 150 in Ohio
Monday, February 2, 2009 1:57 PM
Updated: Monday, February 2, 2009 02:52 PM
By Dan Gearino

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A drop in rail traffic has led Norfolk Southern Corp. to lay off 150 railroad workers in Ohio, including a reduction in shifts at the Buckeye Yard on the West Side.

Full story at:

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/02/02/railroad_layoffs.html?sid=101

noozer · « **Reply #236 on:** February 02, 2009, 09:57:14 AM »

There is an execellent article on the state of the freight rail industry in the new edition of Trains Magazine by Don Phillips. Long story short; there will be a slight downturn in rail freight traffic, but it is expected to rebound because shippers realize they can get a far better value for their dollar by shipping by rail.

audidave · « **Reply #237 on:** February 02, 2009, 02:12:08 PM »

Its official, Chicago will be less convoluted for freight trains:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-cn-railroad-close_02feb02,0,1665102.story

Freight train traffic to shift in March in wake of rail merger
CN's acquisition of EJ & E is completed after yearlong debate

By Richard Wronski | Tribune reporter
February 2, 2009

More freight trains will be rolling through suburbs lining the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway starting March 4 now that the line has been acquired by the Canadian National Railway, the Montreal-based railroad said Sunday. After more than a year of regulatory review, public hearings and contentious debate, the CN closed its $300 million deal to purchase the EJ&E and took over the line Sunday morning.
CHOPPED

UncleRando · « **Reply #238 on:** February 17, 2009, 11:41:12 AM »

Check out this video on Cincinnati's railroad that it owns - the Cincinnati Southern Railway. Apparently it pays off to the tune of $14 million a year for the City.

http://www.wlwt.com/video/18707079/

KJP · « **Reply #239 on:** February 21, 2009, 01:41:04 AM »

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1235208805176220.xml&coll=2

Berea begins Front Street bridge construction to eliminate rail-related traffic tie-ups
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Karen Farkas
Plain Dealer Reporter

Berea- Train whistles on Front Street will soon be silenced.

After years of delays, work began this week on an $18 million project to build bridges over two sets of tracks just north of the Browns practice facility.

More at the link above:

KJP · « **Reply #240 on:** February 21, 2009, 01:46:48 AM »

"It could be devastating," he said. "Look what happened to Euclid Avenue [during reconstruction]. I'm going to try to stay open."

What a moron! Another person who relies on the PD for news on what's happening downtown... Two already shaky Euclid Avenue businesses closed -- the Cleveland Athletic Club and a restaurant near CSU. But while the PD reported that while the CAC was faltering, the Union Club across the street was gaining business. Not a peep about that. Hmmm, I guess reporting that would have been contrary to the PD's anti-downtown agenda.

Comment on this quote/PD bias here........

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,13110.msg370751.html#msg370751

Anyway, I'm glad to see this project moving forward. For three years I lived less than 1,000 from the Front Street crossings. It wasn't the train horns that bothered me. They came so often that you didn't notice them anymore. What bothered me was coming back from the grocery store in downtown Berea with frozen food on a hot day and getting stopped at the crossings by a slow train, or by several trains in a row. It was a gamble, or I could take Rocky River Drive, but when Front Street was blocked by trains, Rocky River Drive would get backed up.

Sherman Cahal · « **Reply #241 on:** February 23, 2009, 05:13:48 AM »

Toledo City Council OKs funds for study on intermodal

Economic impact is topic
By Ignazio Messina, Toledo Blade, February 23, 2009

Toledo City Council has unanimously approved $15,000 for the city’s share of a required intermodal economic impact study.

James Tuschman, chairman of the Joint Task Force for Intermodal Transportation and Logistics, said council’s approval last week of the economic impact study will enable the city to become part of grant applications for intermodal funding at Airline Junction.

Read full story at the link above:

UncleRando · « **Reply #242 on:** February 24, 2009, 07:25:33 AM »

Portune to oppose federal rail regulation bill

Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune will travel to Washington, D.C., Thursday to oppose a pending rail freight regulation bill, as part of National Railroad Day.

Full story at:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/02/23/daily20.html

noozer · « **Reply #243 on:** March 17, 2009, 07:58:29 AM »

Article published March 17, 2009
Officials seek intermodal funds
Toledo administrators request nearly $9M from the state
By DAVID PATCH
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Toledo officials have submitted a grant application to the Ohio Department of Development seeking nearly $9 million to pay for most of the cost of modernizing the Norfolk Southern intermodal yard in South Toledo.

Full story at:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090317/NEWS16/903170358

gildone · « **Reply #244 on:** March 17, 2009, 08:58:51 AM »

Quote from: noozer on February 02, 2009, 09:57:14 AM

There is an execellent article on the state of the freight rail industry in the new edition of Trains Magazine by Don Phillips. Long story short; there will be a slight downturn in rail freight traffic, but it is expected to rebound because shippers realize they can get a far better value for their dollar by shipping by rail.

They'd get even better value in Ohio if Patton would support the 3-C corridor project... 4/5 of the benefit will be for freight rail.

News:

Author Topic: Booming growth on freight railroads (Read 70722 times)