FREIGHT FIRST ACROSS 2600-TONNE BRIDGE TRACKS
PKP CARGO INTL @ 70
JUNE 6 2022
#9
DB CARGO UK SAFETY CAMPAIGN
recovery plan
gets
CONTENTS JUNE 6 2022
#9 NEWS
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headline news US rail freight gets recovery plan Knorr-Bremse as client and investorFirst across 2600-tonne bridge SRC announces Railcar Lounge Freight wins in US infrastructure fund
news review R. J. Corman Railroad gets CRISI grant Status reports on grain car backlog Loram and AEGIS sign MOU
REGULARS the Date 34 Keep Railway industry events of the Line: 36 End Old skool quayside action
Cover photo: here is, at long last, some positive developments to report regarding the American rail freight crisis.
Publisher & Editor: James Graham editor@freight-tracks.com
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Press releases: editor@freight-tracks.com www.freight-tracks.com June 6 2022 n 3
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US RAIL FREIGHT GET
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Jonathan Webb
here is, at long last, some positive developments to report regarding the American rail freight crisis. The country’s four largest freight operators have been cajoled into addressing the issues that have caused massive upset among customers and resulted in parts of the network being crippled. The main improvements revolve around hiring more staff and bringing locomotives out of storage. A two-day hearing to relieve the crisis was held in April, when the US Surface Transportation Board ordered Union Pacific, BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern to detail their service recovery plans. Chairman of the hearing, Martin J Oberman, said: “Our freight rail service hearing highlighted the grave concerns of shippers and others regarding freight rail service. While the railroads have faced certain challenges over the last few years, the evidence produced at last week’s hearing
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is overwhelming that the railroads’ longstanding practice of reducing operating ratios by cutting employment levels, mothballing locomotives, and eliminating other essential resources are the central reasons why farmers have been hours away from depopulating herds, manufacturing facilities have reduced operating hours and shippers cannot get their products to market on time or receive essential raw materials for their companies. “These failures are harming the nation’s economy and, in my view, are contributing to the inflationary forces affecting food and fuel in particular.” Oberman continued by stating: “During my time on the board, I have raised concerns about the primacy Class I railroads have placed on lowering their operating ratios and satisfying their shareholders even at the cost of their customers.” Part of that strategy has involved cutting their workforce to the bare bones in order to reduce costs. Over the last
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TS RECOVERY PLAN six years, the Class Is collectively has reduced its workforce by 29% – that is about 45,000 employees cut from the payrolls. In my view, all of this has directly contributed to where we are today – rail users experiencing serious deteriorations in rail service because, on too many parts of their networks, the railroads simply do not have a sufficient number of employees.”
Don’t blame us
Freight operators were quick to fire back, saying the the majority of blame needs to be directed at problems in the supply chain and a difficult labour market, making it a challenge to recruit suitable staff. Problems with the supply chain has been ongoing for many months, with one liberal-leaning watchdog, Accountable US, claiming that freight operators are profiteering from such delays, which can see wagons stuck in sidings for much longer than usual and thus able to charge demurrage fees. Trade group, the Association of American Railroads, gave a robust defence, saying that the “idea that railroads are using demurrage charges to ‘profit from the supply chain crisis’ is untrue,” and that such charges are there “to incentivize other actors in the supply chain to act more efficiently and in ways that would improve the supply chain.”
Freight train, freight train, not going so fast!
The introduction of the recovery plan produced good news in part, with Union Pacific saying that it had stemmed the stampede of disgruntled operators flooding the market with redundant wagons – a figure down 11,000 in May – and increased train milage from 177 to 189 miles per day, Norfolk Southern was less upbeat. It reported that not only had speed decreased on its freight services – from between 21.5 and 23.1 mph in 2019 to 17.34 mph now – but that it was far from certain if the 2019 performance could be achieved by the end of this year. All of the operators are in the process of hiring more crews as quickly as possible in order to meet increasing demand, it’s proving not to be a quick or easy solution. Norfolk Southern has reported that although it hasn’t seen as many staff leave as some other operators – BNSF having reportedly seen approximately 700 staff leave since a new attendance policy was introduced – it’s making improvements to the way that staff are hired. CSX has worked with rail union SMART Transportation Division and as a result has instigated a 40% increase in trainee
pay in order to attract applications. BNSF has reported that over 400 staff have been recruited so far this year, with over half having completed their training. With the cost of fuel skyrocketing, some rail operators have looked at ways of making more efficient use of fuel by altering driving techniques. At the Surface Transportation Board hearing in April, BNSF came in for heavy criticism over its implementation of restricting acceleration to reduce fuel consumption. Despite being urged to abandon this policy, BNSF refused, saying “BNSF evaluates the way it operates the network from a full system perspective and running all trains a little faster along the road and bunching them up at terminals would do more harm to service performance than good and would also unnecessarily mitigate the positive environmental outcomes created by our fuel efficiency programs.”
New directives
The biggest outcome of the hearing was the introduction of much tighter rules and the issuing of new directives surrounding performance and employment, including biweekly conference calls with freight operators, for a three month period, to discuss progress and how to resolve outstanding issues. Other steps include the submitting of weekly performance figures and monthly employment figures. The new directives include the recording of: 1. Weekly average dwell times at the 11th to 20th largest freight yards. Data for the ten busiest is already collected on a routine basis. 2. Weekly average number of wagons in use, number in store, the number in service but not used and weekly average of wagon miles per day. 3. Weekly average of local trains cancelled per week and the reason for cancelation, such as locomotive failure. 4. The number of trains every week that reach their destination within 24 hours of schedule. 5. On a monthly basis,how many new staff have been recruited and how many staff are active – as opposed to still in training. Oberman has made it abundantly clear that he expects railway executives and those employed in human resources to create solutions that will resolve the current issues and prevent a re-occurrence.
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Standard Rail Corporation announces Railcar Lounge
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tandard Rail Corporation (SRC), a US privately-owned company providing rail solutions, has introduced a revolutionary product that will permit railcar owners and shippers — as well as railcar storage facility owners — to manage their operations more easily. Called Railcar Lounge, this produce will permit owners to tighten and simplify control of their assets and during the process enjoy reduced costs and greater efficiency. Railcar Lounge is scheduled for its public launch on August 22 2022 and the team is currently working through a backlog of onboarding new and existing customers who will assist in testing the system prior to the public launch. ” ’Railcar Lounge’ represents the cutting edge of our leadership of the ‘Software-as-a-Service’ revolution which is about to transform the North American rail industry,” says Seth Crespin, President of Standard Rail Technologies Corporation.
Two continents
“There’s nothing artificial about the intelligence we’ve employed across two continents in order to create this unique utility.” Until now, railcar owners and operators would have to manually: (1) locate available storage locations for railcars (2) contact facilities to confirm availability and negotiate storage terms (3) conclude the terms of a storage contract (4) manage the insurance requirements for the term of the contract (5) manually administer and manage this process through spreadsheets. He adds: “Our research shows that these processes require the typical railcar owners, operators, and railcar storage facilities to devote over 80 staff hours (or more expensive consultant hours) a month to procuring rail services for existing assets. Rail movement operations additionally take over 120 hours per month.
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Railcar Lounge can change all of that, notes Crespin. It is a complete, integrated railcar storage management system. It is freely available to users online as an easy-to-use proprietary system. It permits them to keep track of all railcars at any storage facility on the platform. “Now they can find, select storage, and receive authorization in minutes. The same system can provide users with standardised reports and invoices from all storage providers. “And all this information can be exchanged with total security, thanks to an enterprise-level platform built with the highest standard of privacy and security in mind. Railcar Lounge will provide storage facility operators with their own range of unique benefits: Reduces time spent on “tire kickers” Increased market reach and exposure Rate/revenue optimisation Eliminates administrative burdens, reduces human error Optimises under-utilised storage capacity Legal contract management/database Highly secure interface to protect confidential information System onboarding is cost-free
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NEXXIOT HAS KNORR-BREMSE AS CLIENT AND STRATEGIC INVESTOR N exxiot, the global TradeTech pioneer, has anounced Knorr-Bremse, the global market leader for braking systems and other rail and commercial vehicle systems, as a new customer and strategic investor. In a major deal that will shape the future of rail transportation, Knorr-Bremse and its North American subsidiaries New York Air Brake and Knorr Brake Company will integrate Nexxiot’s IoT hardware and software into its future rail products and the systems it produces. By connecting Knorr-Bremse‘s rail brakes, doors, HVAC, sanitary and other systems with Nexxiot’s digital ecosystem, Knorr-Bremse’s customers will benefit from increased vehicle availability, optimised lifecycle costs and greater operational efficiency. The company will also further strengthen its position as one of the most innovative rail suppliers, delivering compelling new insights and digital services to its customers. Knorr-Bremse becomes a strategic minority investor in Nexxiot. Leading investment management firm QVIDTVM, led by Burak Alici, and existing shareholders have topped their investment. “As a core element in our strategy, we’re using dig-
italisation to leverage our already strong position in safety- and mission-critical rail vehicle systems, and to generate further growth and strong profitability,” explains Dr Jürgen Wilder, member of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse AG and responsible for the Rail Vehicle Systems division. “Together with Nexxiot’s dedicated team, we’re now pressing ahead with our ambition to add further value for our customers. By combining our systems technology with Nexxiot’s digital ecosystem, we’re creating a win-win scenario that will boost vehicle availability and lower the total cost of fleet ownership by leveraging a new generation of data-based services.” This IoT technology will allow operators to automate critical business processes and gain myriad new insights to drive a step change in efficiency, sustainability, customer service and profitability. Train parts that have not been monitored in real-time become digitally visible and accessible. “This partnership with Knorr-Bremse will help us build the best products and services for the industry. Together, we aim to accelerate the digitalisation of key areas like rail freight and automation services,” says Stefan Kalmund, CEO of Nexxiot.
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Wabtec delivers f freight locomotiv
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abtec Corporation has agrred to modernise locomotives for Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue), representing Wabtec’s delivery of the first fleet of modernised locomotives for an Australian rail freight customer. The fleet will be transformed into AC44C6M locomotives to meet the performance requirements of Fortescue while delivering operational and environmental efficiencies. “While we have completed more than 1,000 modernisations for customers globally, it’s a first for Australia and demonstrates Fortescue’s commitment to drive more sustainable rail operations,” said Wendy McMillan, Senior Regional Vice Pres-
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ident, South East Asia, Australia and New “By repurposing and rebuilding our loc another 20 years of life, while reducing the repair and overhaul expenses by up to 20 “For Fortescue, the modernised trains tive effort and more than 40% increase in The modernised locomotives will ben creased reliability with new features inclu a new design high-efficiency radiator and to remove obsolescence, and AC traction
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first modernised ves to Australia
w Zealand. comotives, we give these heavy-haul trains e fuel consumption and maintenance, and 0%. s will deliver up to a 55% increase in tracn reliability.” nefit from improved performance and inuding a UX engine, new electrical cabinets, radiator cab, an upgraded control system with individual axle control.
“The procurement of the modernised locomotives is an important element of Fortescue’s locomotive fleet strategy,” General Manager Hedland Operations, Mark Komene said. “This newly modernised fleet will enable substantial long-term capital and operating costs savings, provide the latest traction and control technology, and enable future upgrades to alternative energy sources such as battery electric in support of Fortescue’s industry-leading target to be carbon neutral by 2030.” The new AC44C6M locomotives will be rebuilt at Wabtec’s Fort Worth facility in Texas, USA, before making the journey to Western Australia over the next two years for deployment at Fortescue’s mining operations.
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DB CARGO UK LAUNC MAJOR NEW SAFETY CAMPAIGN
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B Cargo UK, the UK’s largest rail logistics provider, has launched a major new campaign in its ongoing drive to deliver safety excellence across all its operations. Called ‘Together. We’re Safer. Together. We’re DB’, the campaign explicitly empowers the company’s 2200 colleagues to intervene and stop any activity that they see, or even just feel, may be unsafe . Developed in conjunction with the Lancashire-based design agency Studio Up North (SUN), it has been launched following a series of in-depth, internal focus groups held last year - the biggest and most indepth piece of safety-related research undertaken by the company. Every colleague has been issued with a safety intervention card which gives them the authority, backed by the UK management board, to step in and challenge any activity or instruction they believe is unsafe – whether that activity is being undertaken by a col-
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league, a customer or contractor. Colleagues are then encouraged to follow a simple, non-bureaucratic process known as ‘STOP. DISCUSS. RESOLVE. REVIEW.’ which has been used effectively in many other industries to improve company’s overall safety performance. The campaign will be supported by a programme of behavioural safety training to be rolled out to all groundstaff, engineers, drivers and asset owners in the coming weeks. DB Cargo UK’s Head of Safety Marc Binney said: “If we are to succeed in sustaining a positive and healthy safety culture where colleagues are comfortable to challenge unsafe acts and be open to challenge themselves, then we must work together and look out for each other. “Empowering colleagues to intervene when things don’t look safe – even if their concerns ultimately prove to be unfounded – shows they care and they will not be criticised for doing so. We want colleagues to intervene with
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the reassurance and confidence that they have the company’s full support in doing so,” he added. DB Cargo UK’s Head of Communications Richard Sears said: “We are delighted with the new campaign which has already received a very positive response from colleagues working in all areas of the business.
Post boys and girls
“Studio Up North took the findings from last year’s research, visited DB’s sites and spoke at length with our colleagues to come up with a campaign that really gets to the heart of what we’re trying to achieve, he added. “And by making our colleagues effectively the poster boys and girls of the campaign, they have really brought it to life in an engaging way and guaranteed ownership across our operations from the very beginning. “It’s our real colleagues, in recognisable locations, giving relevant advice t hat will really make a difference.”
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PKP CARGO INTE celebrates 70th
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ERNATIONAL h anniversary P
KP CARGO INTERNATIONAL, a member of the PKP CARGO Group, the leading logistics operator in Europe, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. It is exactly 70 years since the decree of the Polish Ministry of Fuels and Energy of January 1 1952 that established the Ostravskokarvinský revír, doprava (OKR – Doprava) company. There are some important milestones in the life of PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL. OKR – Doprava was established in order to ensure the organisational and professional administration and maintenance of the district’s lines, especially the operation of railway transport for the Mining Railway. Other integral activities associated with the railway were the maintenance and repair of the district’s railway lines. In 1955, the Mining Railway opened up to freight transport. The privatisation of the company in January 1994 resulted in the establishment of OKD, Doprava, which smoothly continued the tradition of transport on the Mining Railway. A year later, the company obtained a license to operate rail transport on the public transport railway and was thus able to undertake transport outside the Ostrava-Karviná district. Another turning point occurred in 2004 when the first cross-border train transport from the Czech Republic to Poland took place, and three years later the container terminal in Paskov was put into operation, which is now a key transit point for intermodal transport in Europe. In 2007, OKD, Doprava became a member of the international New World Resources Transportation group based in Amsterdam. The next steps were the acquisition of VIAMONT Cargo in 2008 and a year later OKD-Rekultivace, which was later renamed AWT Rekultivace. “The PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL Group has its roots in traditional and reputable companies, which endows it with extensive know-how, based on 70 years of experience and the trust of its customers. In recent decades, these companies have not only been part of significant changes in freight transport, but very often the engine behind them, whether it involves the construction and development of modern railway sidings or the provision of combined transport. The greatest wealth and capital of the company was and are our employees, who are behind all the success we have achieved during our rich history,” says Dariusz Seliga, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL. “PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL is today synonymous with solid, modern and reliable rail freight and heavy-duty logistics in Central and Eastern Europe. We still perceive the Czech Republic as the heart of our business. Central and Eastern Europe is the base for our role as key partners to large local industrial companies and where we continue to grow and expand, for example to the south of Europe,” says Michal Kubíček, Member of the Board of Directors of PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL.
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Adif promotes the strategic logistics no
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panish rail infrastructure operature Adif is progressing its project for the global transformation of the multimodal platform La Llagosta, Barcelona, a logistics node strategic key in the international transport of goods by railway. The logistics centre La Llagosta, located 15 km from Barcelona, is configured as a fully interoperable, high-capacity node, sustainable, efficient and integrated, which will promote rail transport
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in an area of great socio-economic poten its area of influence. The project, which will connect with t in international width with the Corridor contribution to the objectives of this co with greater efficiency, a significant reduc print
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de and multimodal La Llagosta
ntial, such as the axis Mediterranean and
the Barcelona-French border, will connect Mediterranean and will make a decisive ommunications hub, providing transport ction in polluting emissions and the foot-
of carbon, a reduction in costs in railway operations, greater performance of efficiency and reliability for the circulations railway networks - including their full compatibility with other networks European railways - and more competitive travel times. Adif undertakes several major actions in La Llagosta to adapt it to European standards for merchandise and transform it into a multimodal hub using the mixed width as strategic enclave in the north of Barcelona.
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DP WORLD: MODERNISED RAIL A AND SUSTAINABILITY TO THE EU
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P World now offers rail or barge services at approximately 95% of its European terminals as it looks to provide more resilient and sustainable transport services across the continent. The global end-to-end logistics and smart trade enabler has committed to investing in intermodal transport across the region to offer improved services to customers, while also looking to reduce the number of carbon emitting trucks on Europe’s increasingly congested roads. DP World operates 20 terminals in 12 countries across the breadth of Europe. The forward-looking firm and its customers have benefitted significantly from its recent investments in rail infrastructures at its operations in Turkey and the UK, while its upgraded services in Rotterdam and Antwerp continue to
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be fundamental to the huge business levels moving in and out of the important Hinterland region. While the need for resilient and efficient services are driving much of the firm’s investment, it also believes rail and barge are key to reducing carbon emissions within the sector. A recent study showed that barges can move a ton of cargo 647 miles (1040 km) with a single gallon of fuel. Meanwhile, trains can move the same cargo 477 miles (767 km) and trucks only manage 145 miles (233 km) per gallon. DP World Antwerp, one of the greenest multipurpose terminals in the world, boasts unrivalled railhead services within the terminal, handling up to 40 trains each week, with flexible, direct connections to every major European industrial region. In fact, the rail hub at Antwerp Gateway can handle six trains
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simultaneously, benefiting from six rail tracks of 750m (2460 ft) in length - and therefore capable of handling any type of block train. The port is also connected to the 1500km-long (932 miles) Belgian waterway network and to the pan-European river and canal network, resulting in a substantial 35% of all cargo to/from Antwerp Gateway being transported by barge. At nearby Rotterdam World Gateway, 65% of the hinterland containers continue their journey to their destination via inland shipping and trains, instead of trucks, helping minimise the impact on the environment. And at DP World UK, London Gateway and Southampton are the only ports in the entire country that can handle the country’s longest freight trains – spanning 775m with the approx-
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AND BARGE ADDING RESILIENCE UROPEAN TRADE SECTOR imate equivalent capacity of over 76 trucks. At Southampton, 30% of cargo is transported by rail – the highest rate in the UK – with London Gateway aiming for similar levels. In fact, our on-site rail connections at London Gateway and Southampton take 300,000 trucks off UK roads each year, reducing congestion and carbon emissions. Further east, DP World Constanta – on the south coast of Romania – is the Black Sea’s premier port, and the only one in the country with rail and barge onsite. It features a barge connection to Braila – a river island near the Ukrainian and Moldovan border – and it features an impressive three-line rail terminal that provides a full rail coordination service. Each line is 600m (1970 ft) long, capable of handling three complete 30 wagon trains at one time, operating two rail-mounted gantries with an adjacent stacking yard of 5000 sq m. The terminal transports approximately 30% of cargo by rail to the east European hinterlands, feeding its growing productive base and its burgeoning consumer markets while offering logistics partners intermodal connections as a means to avoid bottlenecks and increased reliability and reassurance as well as onward rail or truck services via a first-class feeder connection.
Rail services
The firm has recently invested heavily in rail services at DP World Yarimca, Turkey, which offer connections to the Middle East and Asia. The international railway line, which has onsite access to DP World Yarimca, offers direct access to many Eastern European countries and China through the Middle Corridor connection as well
as the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku connection. Rashid Abdulla, CEO, DP World – Europe, CEO, commented: “Demand for express delivery has soared in recent years and we believe that is only going to continue due to consumer expectations around time, efficiency and sustainability as companies and end users look to understand more about the carbon footprint of their goods. “Building efficient networks through multimodal capabilities relies on lean port operations, where technology is utilised to provide transparency and forecasting for both merchant and operator, and expertise are imparted on product cycles and consumer demand.” DP World’s Inland Network in Europe is made up of 12 terminals across Germany, France, Switzerland and Benelux. The firm has created significant rail capacity at its Inland hub in Stuttgart in Germany as well as Germersheim. It provides resilient trimodal-modal transport solutions into various European deep seaports, combining inland transport and terminal services, while offering various rail products between the deep-sea ports and our network of inland terminals. The inland network connects DP World’s various terminals and partner firms such as P&O Ferrymasters and Unifeeder to offer end-to-end services across mainland Europe. Rashid added: “We are a very forward-thinking business which believes in technology and innovation. We believe hyperloop technology will revolutionise the sector and we have partnered with Virgin Hyperloop One to create DP World Cargospeed, which will enable fast, sustainable and efficient delivery of palletised cargo around the world. “Europe will benefit significantly from that kind of technology in future,
but for now we believe it is vital to modernise and maximise the intermodal transport available to us.”
We are a very forwardthinking business which believes in technology and innovation
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FREIGHT TRAIN FIRST ACR The Midlands’ newest and longest railway bridge is now fully
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racks have reopened on the Stechford to Aston freight line in Birmingham, England following the installation of a massive 2600-tonne bridge built by Network Rail in partnership with HS2. At 92 m in length, the steel and concrete structure becomes the longest single span railway bridge in the Midlands. It needs that clearance underneath so future tracks for Britain’s new zero-carbon railway can be
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built below for HS2 trains to access its Washwood Heath depot. The demolition of the old railway viaduct and installation of the new bridge has closed this connection to Birmingham rail freight terminal for 23 days. The first train passing over the new structure, reopening the important rail freight route and marking a huge milestone for project contractor Skanska.
Patrick Cawley, directo for Network Rail and HS train pass over this iconic ment for the hundreds o throughout the pandemic a reality. “It’s also a key part of existing railway network HS2. I’m conscious this w passenger journeys over
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ROSS 2600-TONNE BRIDGE functional after carrying its first freight train.
or for ‘On Network Works’ S2, said: “Seeing the first c structure is a proud moof people who’ve worked c to make this new bridge
f the jigsaw to ensure the works in harmony with work has disrupted some recent weeks and I’d like
to thank CrossCountry customers for their patience while we carried out this major project.” Rosario Barcena, Skanska Rail programme director, said: “Installing a railway bridge over an existing railway line is a complex engineering project that requires a huge amount of skill and dedication from all those involved. To have delivered this on time and despite of Covid-19 restrictions is a fantastic achievement and testament to the team involved.”
Building and installing the bridge, known as SAS 13, involved precision planning and engineering and the use of some heavy-duty equipment. Earlier last month the structure was driven into place by remote-controlled vehicles after being pre-assembled on site in a civil engineering project which has taken over two years. Building it on-site reduced carbon emissions and cut the number of lorry movements on local roads, minimising impacts on the local community.
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Porterbrook renews partnership with UK’s National Railway Museum
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K railcar lessor Porterbrook has renewed of its partnership with the National Railway Museum for 2022. The museum in York, and its sister site Locomotion in Shildon, showcases the best of British railways through inspiring displays, collections and exhibitions. Mary Grant, CEO of Porterbrook said: “The National Railway Museum plays a hugely important role in curating rail’s history and heritage while articulating a vision for its future. “I am delighted to continue our partnership with the museum through which we can support their work and highlight how today’s innovations are helping deliver a more sustainable railway tomorrow.” Judith McNicol, Director of the National Railway Museum, said: “We’re delighted that Porterbrook will continue to support the work of the National Railway Museum at such an exciting time in our Vision 2025 work. “Partnerships such as this allow us to achieve our goal of becoming the World’s Railway Museum, and working with rail industry partners is something that we really value and appreciate.”
The partnership is an important element of Porterbrook’s commitment to inspire and support young people into STEM careers in rail. In addition to the National Railway Museum, the company partners with
the Derby Manufacturing University Technical College, supports the Young Rail Professionals organisation and donates rolling stock and components to schools and universities to support hands-on learning.
Kornblum appointed as Managing Director, CargoBeamer intermodal operations
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argoBeamer has appointed Alexander Kornblum as new managing director of CargoBeamer intermodal operations GmbH. At the German logistics service provider, which facilitates rail transport for non-craneable semi-trailers, he will be responsible for sales, demand planning, pricing, customer relations, and strategic business development.
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As Senior Program Manager and Head of EU Rail, he was most recently responsible for developing European rail transport network of Amazon. With over ten years of experience in both globally operating transport groups and high-growth scale-ups, he brings in-depth knowledge of fast scaling, sales, pricing, and capacity management to CargoBeamer.
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RAIL FREIGHT TO BENEFIT FROM $368m US INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Projects in 32 US states to modernise rail across rural and urban communities
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he US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has announced over $368 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program funds to 46 projects in 32 US states and the District of Columbia. These investments will play a crucial role in modernsing our country’s rail infrastructure and strengthening supply chains, helping to reduce congestion and get people and goods where they need to go quickly and more affordably. The programme will create good-paying jobs and benefit urban and rural communities across the United States. The selected projects announced today will not only improve and expand passenger rail and fund conventional and high-speed rail, but they will also increase supply chain resilience and
fluidity, support short line railroads, invest in new technology and safety advancements, and benefit rail industry workforce development and training activities – helping to create jobs and increase economic growth. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has nearly trebled funding for this critical rail infrastructure program - to $1 billion a year for the next five years. Strengthening supply chains and increasing the productive capacity of the economy are key tenets of President Biden’s plans to get goods from ships to shelves more quickly and lower costs for American families. “Americans deserve a world-class rail system that allows people and goods to get where they need to go more quickly and affordably, while reducing traffic and pollution on our
roads,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We’re proud to award these grants to improve passenger rail for riders and strengthen the freight rail that makes our supply chains and our economy work.” “This round of CRISI grants – one of the largest ever – is a major step forward for the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to revitalize and rebuild the country’s infrastructure,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “These awards will allow FRA to support rail projects that lay the groundwork for future economic growth.” CRISI aims to advance intercity passenger and freight rail projects that promote FRA’s key goals of safety, economic growth, transportation equity, and sustainable and resilient infrastructure. CRISI-funded projects will en-4
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$368m US INFRASTRUCTURE FUND hance multi-modal connections, address slow orders, and fix up 100-year-old track to speed up the movement of goods from ports to rail to trucks to shelves. As the nation continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, these upgrades and expansions will help state and local governments and rail carriers meet renewed travel demand and strengthen supply chains. Examples of projects funded this year:
n Heart of Georgia Americus Sub Upgrade (Up to $6.2 million) Georgia Department of Transportation The proposed project will replace approximately 18 miles of rail, 2750 sleepers and make many more rail upgrades between Preston and Cordele, Georgia. These improvements will accommodate 286,000-pound loads and improve reliability, efficiency, and safety by eliminating slow-orders along 51 miles of Heart of Georgia Railroad (HOG) lines that connect at the Cordele Inland Port. n Port of Baltimore Rail Capacity Modernisation (Up to $15.6 m)
Maryland Port Administration The proposed project will construct four new working tracks and two crane rail beams within the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland. The proposed improvements aim to meet demand in intermodal volumes. The Seagirt Terminal supports multi-modal connections with rail, road, and water to both Norfolk Southern and CSX railroad, which support freight traffic to East Coast and Midwest markets. This intermodal connection will help reduce congestion and speed up the movement of goods.
n Raleigh to Richmond Corridor Infrastructure Engineering & Safety Programme
(Up to $57.9 m) North Carolina Department of Transportation The proposed project will perform surveys and complete preliminary engineering for Raleigh to Richmond (R2R) Corridor Program improvements between Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia. Included in this project is the construction of a grade separation on the S-Line in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The project will advance the next phase of the R2R corridor development, which will eventually result in new intercity passenger rail service on a state-owned route that will access 4
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$368m US INFRASTRUCTURE FUND currently underserved and minority rural communities with rail service, as well as improve travel times on the existing Amtrak Silver Meteor service.
n Southwest Kansas infrastructure upgrade (Up to $10.9 m) Kansas Department of Transportation The proposed project will make a series of improvements on the Cimarron Valley Railroad (CVR) from Dodge City to Hugoton, Kansas. The project will replace approximately 51,618 sleepers, relay 3.7 miles of rail in curves, apply new ballast to 67 miles of track, and surface 85 miles of track. These improvements will enable the rail to support biodiesel transport operations as well as local agricultural products, raise the allowable speed from 10 mph to 25 mph, and increase the weight capacity. n Florida Panhandle Rural Capacity Expansion (Up to $8.3 m)
Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad The proposed project will replace approximately 70,000 ties, install approximately 14,300 new sleepers, rehabilitate 11 sidings and make repairs to 60 grade crossings between Jacksonville and Pensacola, Florida. This project will improve the track structure, which will increase the line capacity in order to serve growing demand.
n Great Lakes Corridor Improvement (Up to $21.3 m)
Michigan Department of Transportation The proposed project will rehabilitate track and rail assets operated by the Great Lakes Central Railroad (GLC) just north of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Specifically, the project includes installing 4.25 miles of new rail, eliminating joints on an additional 41.25 mainline track miles, replacing or rehabilitating 11 bridges and culverts, and installing approximately 30,000 sleepers on mainline and siding track. The project will result in fewer track defects, derailments, and other maintenance problems associated with rail joints. The project qualifies for the statutorily required set-aside for rural investment.
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Development and Implementation of HBCU Based Railroad Engineering Programme for Underrepresented Communities (Up to $4.5 m) University of Delaware University of Delaware will partner with Morgan State University (MSU), a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Baltimore, Maryland, to create a railroad engineering programme. The creation of this programme would provide a model for expansion of similar programs to other HBCUs. By statute, a minimum of 25% of this funding must be awarded to rural projects, and this announcement includes nearly double the required investment in rural communities, which underscores the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to addressing the needs of rural communities. In addition, $87.6 million is for projects that support the development of new intercity passenger rail service, and $25.7 million is for capital projects or engineering solutions targeting trespassing, exceeding the required statutory minimums. Historically, CRISI has funded projects that improve safety and railroad infrastructure, reduce congestion, relocate rail lines, conduct rail-related research, and enhance multi-modal connections between rail and other modes such as ports or intermodal facilities. Workforce development projects are also eligible to support the education and training needs of rail workers.
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Kalmar to expand its Ottawa plant UNITED STATES Kalmar, part of Cargotec, is to upgrade and expand its manufacturing plant in Ottawa, Kansas, home to the company’s terminal tractor manufacturing operations in North America. The investment, worth close to €20 million, will eventually enable the plant’s annual production capacity to be doubled, making it the largest terminal tractor manufacturing facility in North America. The investment is driven by the growing demand from the logistics industry for eco-efficient equipment solutions that do not rely on fossil fuels to operate. The project will see a purpose-built extension added to the factory to manage the increased flow of incoming materials and the introduction of new assembly line feeding technology to reduce the use of forklifts and minimise materials and movements in the production area.
State-of-the-art technology The existing line will be converted to a high-speed line for ‘rapid build’ distribution terminal tractors and a completely new ‘flex line’ with state-of-the-art technology will be added to enable high-volume production of Kalmar’s fully electric and high-end terminal tractor models.
Sustainability is at the core of the expansion project, with the plant employing eco-efficient lighting, maximising the use of renewable energy and implementing material handling processes designed to minimise waste. The plant layout has also been designed to protect the wellbeing of personnel, with safety and assembly ergonomics being critical considerations. Michel van Roozendaal, President, Kalmar Mobile Solutions: “We are very excited about taking this huge leap forward in the North American market. When the addition to the plant opens up in 2023 we will have achieved our vision of a Kalmar smart factory with fully digitalised assembly processes. Not only will it be the biggest terminal tractor manufacturing facility in North America by some distance, but it will also be a true American powerhouse for the manufacture of eco-efficient cargo-handling equipment.” “This investment puts us in an excellent position to strengthen our market leadership in North America. The new smart factory will drastically reduce our lead times while increasing the overall safety, quality and efficiency of our production process. “We have a long history here in Ottawa and are excited to continue our growth in this community,” says Alan Wilson, Director of Operations, Ottawa Plant, Kalmar.
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R. J. Corman Railroad Company awarded CRISI grant for Central Kentucky Lines UNITED STATES R. J. Corman Railroad Company was awarded a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) that will benefit the company’s Central Kentucky Lines (RJCC). The CRISI Program is a Federal DOT funding initiative for projects that improve railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability. Through this grant, the R. J. Corman Railroad Company will receive a total of $7,380,600 in funds. R. J. Corman will contribute $4,920,400 as the matching portion for this CRISI grant award. In conjunction with the CRISI grant, R. J. Corman is committed to several other significant investments that will bring this three-fold plan to life. A new three-track freight rail-to-truck transload yard will be constructed southeast of Frankfort, Kentucky, connecting to RJCC’s mainline. The mainline between Frankfort and Lexington, Kentucky, will be rehabilitated by replacing ties, surfacing the track, and converting segments of bolted rail to continuous welded rail. Alongside the significant track work, several mainline switches will be replaced, and three will be automated. The RJCC’s main yard and transload facility in downtown Lexington will be improved by replacing switches, rehabilitating grade crossing surfaces, rehabilitating track, replacing and improving buildings, expanding bulk material transload storage pads, replacing a truck weigh scale, and paving the truck transload and traffic areas. “We are grateful for being the first company to be awarded a CRISI grant in the state of Kentucky. The Bluegrass Multimodal Freight Improvement Project is a multifaceted effort that will transform our operations and service to our key business partners in the area,” said Ed Quinn President and CEO of R. J. Corman Railroad Group. “R. J. Corman is proud to call
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Central Kentucky home. We are excited about the significant improvement and development these funds will bring to our company and the community.” “Kentucky is where America’s rail, road, and river transportation systems meet. I’m proud to partner with local stakeholders to fund improvements to these important arteries and secure the Commonwealth’s place as a national transportation hub. This grant will increase speed, efficiency, and safety on one of Kentucky’s keystone rail lines. Those improvements will support jobs and commerce in the Commonwealth for years to come,” said US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican-Kentucky). “Expanding and enhancing freight transportation on the R. J. Corman Central Kentucky Lines will be a tremendous boost for commerce in Central Kentucky,” said Congressman Barr. “I strongly advocated for this grant project through a letter of support to the US Department of Transportation, and I voted for the funding used to award this grant.” “We are excited for R. J. Corman Railroad Company on being the recipient of the first CRISI grant awarded in Kentucky. My administration supported this project and would like to thank R. J. Corman for their continued investment in rail infrastructure in the commonwealth. This project will have a positive impact on the Central Kentucky freight economy and we are grateful for the investment from the US DOT in supporting this effort,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. “This project will provide safety improvements and operational efficiencies that will have a positive impact on the regional economy,” said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray. The construction phase of the Bluegrass Multimodal Freight Improvement Project is scheduled to begin in early 2023.
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LTG Infra to take care of Lithuanian Railways terminal business LITHUANIA LTG Infra, the company of the Lithuanian Railways (LTG) Group which manages the railway’s infrastructure network, will be responsible for the management and development of all LTG Group terminals from June 1. One of the strategic directions of LTG Infra has been transferred due to the rapidly growing intermodal transportation and further business development. “Our goal is to transport as much cargo as possible in the greenest transport - by train - to Western Europe. In order to increase the efficiency of operations and speed up the imple-
This year, LTG Cargo has started regular intermodal transportation from Kaunas Intermodal Terminal to Duisburg, Germany. and to Poznan, and further efforts are being made to increase freight flows from Western and Central Europe. LTG Infra evaluates the terminal business development opportunities both in Lithuania and abroad. One of the most important development projects in Lithuania is to install infrastructure in Palemona suitable for handling both military equipment and freight trains. The project, which is planned to be completed by 2027, Half of the investment, €13.3 million,
mentation of business development, the operations of terminals are concentrated in one company. “By concentrating our activities, we can offer our customers a wider range of services from a single source and manage resources more efficiently,“ says Karolis Sankovski, CEO of LTG Infra. According to Sankovski, the volumes of intermodal transportation in the directions of Western Europe are already growing rapidly - the volume of cargo is planned to double this year.
will come from the Connecting Europe Facility. Ramūnas Dokšas, who has been responsible for the management of LTG Group’s terminals until now, will head the new terminal management and development division of LTG Infra. LTG Infra owns Vilnius and Kaunas intermodal terminals, and the entire LTG Group has 244 cargo terminals and yards. Last year, about 27,000 TEUs of cargo were handled at intermodal terminals and 47,000 wagons at cargo terminals and yards.
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Sen. Cramer: Rail companies issue status reports on grain car backlog issues
UNITED STATES Senator Kevin Cramer (Republican – North Dakota) announced BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) publicly filed weekly grain backlog status updates as required by the US Surface Transportation Board (STB). A summary of the reporting data specific to North Dakota for the last 10 weeks is below. Following last month’s STB hearing on “Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service,” BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific submitted service recovery plans, explaining the specific actions they will take to improve service and identify the specific metrics they will use to evaluate their progress toward such improvements. Starting June 3, the STB will also require all Class I railroads to report more comprehensive performance metrics and employment data for six months. Last week, Senator Cramer led 20 colleagues in a letter urging the STB to ensure reliable, consistent rail service for American industries and shippers. “We are very concerned over the significant rail service disruptions occurring throughout the US freight rail network. Reports from rail customers, including our manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, and energy producers, indicate reliable rail service is not being provided in many situations,” wrote the senators. The letter also outlines concerns and issues raised by customers and labor organisations at last month’s STB hearing on “Urgent Issues in Freight Rail
Service” from agricultural producers and grain shippers unable to get empty railcars leading to significant delays in delivering commodities to energy producers forced to curtail production due consistently delayed arrival of railcars. Learn more here. In March, Senator Cramer led colleagues in a letter calling on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet to take action to prevent a Canadian Pacific railway strike. A strike would have had significant market implications from agriculture to energy and exacerbated the Biden Administration’s supply chain crisis. Up to 15% of Canadian Pacific’s business is fertiliser shipping and the US relies on the railway to move Alberta crude oil south to US refineries.
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Loram and AEGIS sign MOU to meet growing demand UNITED KINGDOM Loram and AEGIS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see both businesses work together to meet the needs of a growing number of rolling stock asset owners. Loram specialises in rolling stock and on-track maintenance services. By partnering with AEGIS, a global leader in rail consultancy and certification, both businesses aim to provide turnkey high- tech engineering services to owners of passenger, freight and infrastructure vehicles in both the UK and across the EMEA region. The announcement follows growing collaboration between AEGIS and Loram on ETCS retrofit projects, as well as joint work on securing approvals and certification for re-engineered vehicles.
Emerging needs As well as meeting the emerging needs of asset owners such as Network Rail, TfL, HS2 and the ROSCOs, the MOU will also accelerate modification and enhancements to fleets operated and maintained by Loram. Richard Kelly, Managing Director of Loram, said: “As a
business committed to meeting customer needs in a timely and cost-effective manner, I’m delighted that Loram can join with AEGIS to accelerate the delivery of a range of projects and the deployment of on-train signalling systems. “The formation of GBR is about simplifying the railway and enhancing delivering for all our customers, our MOU with AEGIS will make this tangible for the rolling stock owners that work with both our businesses.” Mark McCool, Managing Director of AEGIS said: “Having worked with Loram for many years it is clear that we share a passion for delivering excellence to our customers. “This MoU demonstrates our joint commitment to bring our teams closer together, to share our diverse expertise, to learn from each other and ultimately provide our customers with an enhanced industry leading service, focussed on agility, innovation and best value. “This collaboration will provide a one stop shop offering the complete systems engineering lifecycle for everything from small modifications to full turnkey solutions.” Both AEGIS and Loram operations are based in Derby, England, which describes itself as “at the Heart of the Railway.”
USA: 380% DUTY ON CHINESE RAILCAR COUPLINGS UNITED STATES Last month, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s International Trade and National Security practice group secured a key victory for domestic coupler producers in their efforts to combat dumped and subsidised imports, as the US Department of Commerce released its preliminary results in the antidumping investigation on freight rail couplers from China. Commerce’s decision now results in combined antidumping and countervailing duty deposits of over 380% on Chinese producers and exporters of couplers. This decision results in implementation of cash deposit requirements on all imports of Chinese freight rail
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couplers effective on the date that the results notice is published in the Federal Register. Daniel B Pickard, counsel to the Coalition of Freight Coupler Producers and Chair of
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Buchanan’s International Trade and National Security practice group stated: “The US industry is extremely pleased with Commerce’s preliminary results, which underscore the extreme, unfair pricing of Chinese imports. “This decision is a significant victory for the domestic industry and for its American workers.” The US International Trade Commission determined in November 2021 that there was a reasonable indication of material injury by reason of imports from China. The investigations will now proceed to final determinations by both the Department of Commerce and the ITC.
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KEEP THE DATE: Railway industry calendar of events
13 June 13-15 June 13-16 June 14-16 June 15-16 June 15-17 June 20-22 June 21-23 June 22 June 22-23 June 23 June 18 July 24-25 August 07-08 September 08 September 14-16 September 16-22 September 20-23 September 27 September 04-06 October 05 October 05-07 October 12-13 October 19-20 October 19-21 October November TBC 07-09 November 08-10 November 09 November 14-17 November 15-17 November 29 Nov - 01 Dec 07-08 December 08 December
Copenhagen, Denmark Rome, Italy Louisville, US Birmingham, UK Toronto, Canada Paris, France Frankfurt, Germany Utrecht, Netherlands Berlin, Germany Valenciennes, France Berlin, Germany Lake Geneva, USA Halberstadt, Germany Warsaw, Poland London, UK Munich, Germany Europe Berlin, Germany Worldwide Berlin, Germany London, UK Prague, Chezchia Germany Debrecen, Hungary Berlin, Germany Barcelona, Spain Warsaw, Poland Amsterdam, Netherlands Stockholm, Sweden Lisbon, Portugal TBC Malaga, Spain Duisberg, Germany Paris, France
Danish Rail Conference Smart Rail Europe Annual AAR Damage Prevention & Freight Claims Conference Multimodal Canadian Outdoor Transit and Rail Exhibition UNIFE General Assembly VDV Annual Meeting RailTech Europe VPI Member Meeting and Get Together 2022 Business Meetings For The Railway Industry 22nd Technical Information Day Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) Summer Meeting CRSC Information Day and Member Meeting Rail Freight Summit RFG Awards Dinner 17th Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security European Mobility Week innoTrans World Freight Train Day EPCA Annual Meeting RFG Annual Conference International Rail Forum Conference Rail Infra Forum Rail Freight on Tour Deutsche Logistik Kongress BCNRAIL Internacional Rail Forum 9th International Transport & Logistics Exhibition Intermodal Europe Scandinavian Rail Optimisation Transport Research Arena Intelligent Rail Summit 2022 Rail Live 2022 European Silk Road Summit 101st UIC General Assembly
Lille France Birmingham, UK Milan, Italy
13th International Exhibition of Railway Technology Railtex Expo Ferroviaria
2023 28-30 March 09-11 May 03-05 October
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Hi CUBE BOXCARS
SMALL SCALE RAIL FREIGHT
DO YOU TAKE MILK?
In each issue of Freight Tracks we look at scale model versions of modern and old school freight rolling stock and infrastructure DAPOL O Gauge 6 Wheel Milk Tanker United Dairies
Yard
Limit Rail freight off-duty
OLD SKOOL QUAYSIDE ACTION
T
his scene shows a diminutive Drummond C14 30589 steam locomotive, rebuilt from a 2-2-0T railmotor, as it potters about shunting at Southampton Town Quay in August 1952. The sailing barge ‘Murius’ is transferring cargo. The photograph is credited to Stephen C. Townroe, and restored from a Colour Rail slide. Seven years after the end of the Second World War and just a few years into state-ownership, this scene is now truly from a bygone age. Five four-wheeled wagons are being used to handle the rail movement. The two quayside cranes in shot are lifting loose cargo to and from the land. Fast forward to 70 years later, quayside are all about ISO ocean container shipments and vast trains of TEUs. At the
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present moment in Southampton, the container terminal is operated by DP World Southampton. The container port has 210 acres (85 ha) of land – not counting the 375 acres (152 ha) in the older Western Docks – available for port operations. Loading and unloading operations can be performed simultaneously on four large deep-sea container ships, plus one smaller ship 500 ft (150m) in length. This container terminal is Britain’s second largest deep sea terminal, after that at Felixstowe. The railway line from Southampton has been upgraded to the relatively large W10 loading gauge on the route between the container port and the ABP terminal in Birmingham, where it links with lines that have already received this treatment. This allows the railway line to handle the taller containers now in widespread use.
BECAUSE NOT ALL FREIGHT ON A TRAIN MOVES IN A BOX
visit: tankcontainermedia.com
RAILROADS HAVE BEEN CARRYING FREIGHT SINCE DAY 1. IT’S NOW DAY 71,490. WORLD FREIGHT TRAIN DAY 2022 will celebrate the drivers, yard staff, loaders, planners and workshop staff who get the freight through. Freight Tracks will work with railroads and Freight Operating Companies to promote the importance of the modern freight train in the global supply chain. The date marks the day the world’s first public railway, the Stockton & Darlington Railway in England, opened. That was 71,406 days ago today. Join us as over the next seven months, we will plan a series of events and projects that salute the Freight Train in all its importance.
KEEP THE DATE:
September 27, 2022
