Railroad News

Norfolk Southern Corp. has elected Thomas Kelleher as a board member, effective yesterday. He will serve as an independent director and join the board's finance and risk management committee.

Kelleher, 61, is president of global financial services and investment management firm Morgan Stanley. He also is chairman and chief executive officer of Morgan Stanley Bank N.A. Kelleher is responsible for Morgan Stanley's institutional securities business and wealth management.

nVent:
ERIFLEX

nVent offers an array of products, including nVent ERICO Cadweld, which is used for making exothermic welded connections on track. The company also offers the nVent ERIFLEX product line for electrical conduction and low voltage power distribution (AC/DC power conversion). Used across a range of industries, ERIFLEX products provide "unique advantages that are ideal for railways electrical systems, both onboard and trackside," the company said in an email.

Late last month, Amtrak awarded an $850 million contract to Siemens Mobility for 75 diesel locomotives as part of the railroad’s plan to replace its aging national network fleet.

BNSF Railway Co. has awarded its "Certified Sites" designation to two new industrial locations in Galesburg, Illinois, and Clovis, New Mexico.

The program identifies optimal rail-served sites for customer development along the Class I's network. To be considered for the designation, sites must undergo a thorough analysis that includes an evaluation of environmental and geotechnical standards, available utilities and site availability.

Today, Kansas City Southern reported record fourth-quarter revenue of $694 million, up 5 percent compared with the total in fourth-quarter 2017.

The Class I also registered record adjusted operating income of $248 million, up 4 percent, and record adjusted earnings per share of $1.56, up 13 percent  year over year. In addition, KCS’ operating ratio improved 0.9 points to 63.1, although the adjusted ratio inched up 0.3 points to 64.3.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

In the fourth quarter, CSX registered an operating ratio of 60.3, a 4.8 point improvement compared with its fourth-quarter 2017 ratio of 65.1 and a Q4 record, the Class I announced yesterday.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Editor

In our January 2018 issue, I wrote a column about E. Hunter Harrison’s passing — a big news story at the time since he had died Dec. 16, 2017. But by doing so, I didn’t get to share what had been the top news stories of 2017, at least according to our Daily News readers. So, I’ll get back to what I hope will become an annual tradition by relaying what I’ll call the Top 18 from ’18. These are the 18 Daily News stories that our ProgressiveRailroading.com readers clicked on the most often last year, ranked in order of total page views. It shouldn’t be surprising that items on Amtrak, CSX, Union Pacific Railroad, precision scheduled railroading (PSR) — or even Canadian Pacific’s holiday train — proved to be popular. Without further ado, here are the Top 18 from ’18, including the dates they ran:

Canadian Pacific executives are taking issue with a Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) plan to include the Class I in a far-reaching investigation into possible freight-rail service problems in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area.

The CTA announced yesterday in a press release that such an investigation "would be appropriate based on information received from shipper associations and other parties." The agency plans to hold a public hearing in Vancouver in late January to provide railroads and shipper groups an opportunity to provide evidence in response to the CTA's concerns.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

Norfolk Southern Railway generated more than 60,000 carloads of new traffic last year through its industrial development efforts, the Class I announced today.

The 72 new and 18 expanded industrial plants in 17 states represented an investment of $1.5 billion by NS customers. The commercial development is expected to create nearly 3,000 new customer jobs and contribute to the economy in communities across the railroad's service area, NS officials said in a press release.

BNSF Railway Co. is moving strong volumes throughout its network during the late portion of the peak season, according to a customer letter issued by the Class I Dec. 21.

Volume in the week ending Dec. 15 increased slightly over the prior week and represented a new year-to-date high at nearly 216,500 units, BNSF officials wrote in the letter. Year-to-date volume through that week totaling 10.3 million carloads and intermodal units exceeded the full-year volume in each of the past 11 years, they said.

CN has met all Dec. 31 milestone deadlines in its positive train control (PTC) implementation plan, the Class I announced last week.

Last month, CN applied to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a two-year extension to complete deployment and interoperability of its PTC system, according to a press release.

Canadian Pacific's 2018 Holiday Train is on track to have raised more than CA$1.3 million and collected more than 200,000 pounds of food for local food banks, the Class I announced last week.

The train recently completed its 20th journey through Canada and the United States as part of the railroad's charitable efforts.

The City Council of Willmar, Minnesota, this week unanimously approved master agreements for the Willmar Wye rail project.

The project is a public-private partnership between BNSF Railway Co., the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Kandiyohi County and the city of Willmar to build a new rail line bypass on the city's west side.