North-American rail

There is little clarity in Shanghai airport’s evolving COVID-19 lockdown situation, with forwarders in China asked not to deliver export cargo to the terminals and airlines suspending inbound shipments.

BNSF and Norfolk Southern look to spare yard capacity to deal with rising intermodal volumes across their networks.

Class I railroads with operations at the largest US inland rail hub, Chicago, are seeing volumes of stored containers swell 200 percent or more, creating congestion across their network.

Union Pacific will start charging Portland-area shippers fees ranging from $500 to $1,000 per domestic container as the railroad deals with higher-than-normal intermodal volumes.

Union Pacific said it expects to repair a container lift at its Houston intermodal yard by mid-week as the region deals with a growing supply of containers and limited truck capacity.

Norfolk Southern is rolling out an incentive program to reward dual moves at two of its busiest intermodal ramps at a time of heavy demand and high volumes.

Intermodal shippers saved record amounts of money in the second quarter, but rate hikes in California, Texas, and Washington will make trucks the cheaper option on transactional loads in the western US going forward.

Intermodal shippers saved record amounts of money in the second quarter, but rate hikes in California, Texas, and Washington will make trucks the cheaper option on transactional loads in the western US going forward.

Union Pacific Railroad has raised domestic intermodal surcharges for a fourth time in 2021 with a $5,000 per container fee on excess contract loads for low-volume shippers in California.

Union Pacific Railroad has raised domestic intermodal surcharges for a fourth time in 2021 with a $5,000 per container fee on excess contract loads for low-volume shippers in California.

Norfolk Southern Railway anticipates domestic intermodal service to return to normal by Labor Day with repairs on 75 percent of recalled chassis completed in August and an influx of leased chassis into the network in September.

Union Pacific has begun a controlled restoration of train service from West Coast ports to the Chicago metropolitan area, hoping a fresh restart will restore terminal fluidity for international intermodal customers.

Union Pacific has begun a controlled restoration of train service from West Coast ports to the Chicago metropolitan area, hoping a fresh restart will restore terminal fluidity for international intermodal customers.

Canadian National Railway (CN) is offering rebates on demurrage charges for shippers that pick up containers from its Chicago and Memphis terminals during periods of lower traffic in an attempt to mitigate congestion at the busy inland intermodal ramps.

Canadian National Railway (CN) is offering rebates on demurrage charges for shippers that pick up containers from its Chicago and Memphis terminals during periods of lower traffic in an attempt to mitigate congestion at the busy inland intermodal ramps.

Norfolk Southern said that changes to the layout of the Landers intermodal yard in Chicago and additional lift equipment will help speed the flow of ocean containers.

CSX and Union Pacific are working hard to restore fluidity on intermodal networks, but both companies said that issues may persist through the end of the year.

Canadian National completed inspections and repairs to a bridge damaged in a wildfire that has disrupted intermodal and other freight services to the Port of Vancouver.

BNSF Railway is rationing the number of ocean containers it will move between Southern California and Logistics Park Chicago for two weeks in an effort to relieve mounting congestion caused by a flood of imports to the Midwest.

BNSF Railway is rationing the number of ocean containers it will move between Southern California and Logistics Park Chicago for two weeks in an effort to relieve mounting congestion caused by a flood of imports to the Midwest.

BNSF Railways has ended domestic intermodal service between Northern California and CSX Transportation’s terminal in northwest Ohio, with a source saying a lack of shipper interest was behind the move.

Canadian National Railway services to Vancouver are sporadic as wildfires slow trains and imports pile up at Port of Vancouver docks. Three out of the four marine terminals are reporting container dwell times that are on average 10 days or more.

Union Pacific’s emergency measure is meant to help move a stack of containers at its Global IV terminal outside of Chicago where an estimated 2,000–3,000 containers sit without chassis.

Regular intermodal service to and from Vancouver may not return for a week as Canadian National investigates whether a fire damaged part of its track running through British Columbia.

Norfolk Southern has shut down domestic intermodal traffic on four busy domestic intermodal lanes into central Pennsylvania for non-asset partners, a signal the eastern US railroad is struggling to handle volume surges and a 53-foot chassis safety recall.

A fire that destroyed a British Columbia town is causing a backlog of intermodal and other rail freight at the Port of Vancouver that will result in delays of up to four days.

CSX has temporarily cut the number of reservations to bring in domestic containers in Chicago because of overwhelming volume, a common theme among the Class I railroads struggling in the Windy City.

Union Pacific Railroad has decided to cap storage fees for inaccessible containers at Chicago’s Global IV terminal after one shipper was slammed with a bill for more than $10,000.

Amid multimodal capacity shortages, Norfolk Southern is increasing daily accessorial charges on shippers who hold onto its 53-foot domestic EMP and TMX containers, hoping to speed turns for containers and chassis and maintain capacity that is under pressure.

Norfolk Southern is significantly cutting domestic intermodal service on two dozen lanes as an emergency measure because of the safety recall of 5,100 chassis.

The plight of one BCO on the hook for huge storage fees is familiar to fellow importers struggling to access thousands of containers at Union Pacific Railroad’s Global IV terminal in Joliet, Illinois.

Norfolk Southern Railway told customers that a chassis safety recall involves more than 5,000 domestic 53-foot chassis that have problems with their wheels.

Union Pacific has raised surcharges out of California for a second time in 2021, a sign it is concerned about having enough rail-owned 53-foot containers to supply core contract customers through the upcoming peak season.

After a rough six-week period following the paralyzing February snowstorm in Texas, intermodal terminals are operating with fewer delays in Dallas-Fort Worth, with chassis available and driver productivity bucking national trends.

The JOC Intermodal Savings Index hit a new record in Q1, but rising spot intermodal rates and surcharges could reduce savings in Q2.

Union Pacific’s Inland Empire Intermodal Terminal that will open in the second quarter will allow the railroad to handle increased domestic freight moving to the eastern half of the US.

Canadian National subsidiary Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad (B&LE) is taking the US Surface Transportation Board to court over its refusal to give unconditional approval of a track sale CN argues would allow for faster intermodal service.

Domestic intermodal shippers in California will be subject to a surcharge of $1,000 to $1,500 on excess contract cargo beginning Apr. 25, the first time Union Pacific has instituted such a peak-season fee before the summer.

The Port of Mobile says a proposed move to open a Gulf Coast rail track to passenger service would hurt its intermodal business.

North American shippers are cautiously optimistic about the potential benefits of a Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, but urge the Surface Transportation Board to fully investigate the transaction rather than rush through the approval process.