Happenings

AAR pens list of rail "priorities" for Trump White House

Details

Published: Wednesday, 01 March 2017 08:50

The Association of American Railroads on Tuesday outlined what it called a list of infrastructure priorities for the railroad industry in a letter to the Trump administration.

The letter signed by Edward Hamberger, president and chief executive of the group, comes the same day as President Donald Trump prepares to address a joint session of Congress. The AAR also delivered copies of the letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao; Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and Bill Nelson of Florida, and Reps. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania and Peter DeFazio of Oregon.

The text of the statement here:

Credit: railwayage.com

Freight Railcar Review 2016

Details

Published: Wednesday, 01 February 2017 09:50

The North American Freight Railcar Review 2016 provides an industry overview of the North American railcar fleet from January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2015. The report includes an overview of the Umler® Equipment Index and an analysis of the revenue-earning portion of the fleet with a breakdown of sub-fleets by Gross Rail Load. The report supplements Railinc's presentation at the Rail Equipment Finance Conference in La Quinta, Calif., on March 7, 2016.

You can download FREE copies of the North American Freight Railcar Review 2016 and Dr. David Humphrey's presentation from the Rail Equipment Finance Conference below. Registration is required, and a new window will open.

• North American Freight Railcar Review 2016

Originally published: https://www.railinc.com

Beautiful South Georgia Morning at SERC!

Details

Published: Wednesday, 11 January 2017 10:56

Freight Rail Today

Details

Published: Tuesday, 10 January 2017 10:26

The Freight Rail Network

Today, the U.S. freight rail network is widely considered one of the most dynamic freight systems in the world. The $60 billion industry consists of 140,000 rail miles operated by seven Class I railroads [1] (railroads with operating revenues of $433.2 million or more), 21 regional railroads, and 510 local railroads. [2] Not only does the 140,000 mile system move more freight than any other freight rail system worldwide but it also provides 221,000 jobs [3] across the country and numerous public benefits including reductions in road congestion, highway fatalities, fuel consumption and greenhouse gases, logistics costs, and public infrastructure maintenance costs.

The U.S. freight railroads are private organizations that are responsible for their own maintenance and improvement projects. Compared with other major industries, they invest one of the highest percentages of revenues to maintain and add capacity to their system. The majority of this investment is for upkeep to ensure a state of good repair while 15 to 20 percent of capital expenditures, on average, are used to enhance capacity. [4]   

Where Freight Moves

Essentially, goods can move on the U.S. freight rail network anywhere there is active rail. However, freight tends to move from ports, manufacturing hubs, and areas of specific economic activity, such as rural areas for agriculture and energy products, to population centers or outlying regions where power plants and large manufacturing facilities are located. 

Internationally, the U.S. freight rail network connects with Canada and Mexico through several key gateways along the borders. These gateways allow freight railroads to participate in achieving national export goals and facilitating the safe and efficient importation of goods. U.S. Rail Carried Trade with Canada and Mexico provides additional information on the volumes and values of commodities that flow between the NAFTA countries and the most important freight gateways along the borders. 

 Credit: https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0362