Hillery Group has completed a A$20m contract for construction works on Bowen Rail Co’s A$62m yard near Bowen in north Queensland as part of Bravus Mining & Resources’ Carmichael Project. ‘This is where our maintenance crews are based and where our state-of-the-art locomotives take on fuel and the sand, oils and lubricants that keep our trains operating safely’, said Bowen Rail General Manager Brendan Lane. ‘What Hillery has delivered in terms of earthworks completed, culverts installed and roads built is world-class and fits seamlessly with the track elements Rockhampton’s Rhomberg Rail have performed.’
A Presidential Emergency Board created by US President Biden has issued its report outlining recommended terms to resolve ongoing rail labour negotiations. Association of American Railroads President & CEO Ian Jefferies said ‘the recommendations would provide 24% compounded wage increases by 2024, with 14·1% of those increases effective immediately, along with additional service recognition bonuses totalling $5 000 over the course of the contract. An agreement based on these terms would lead to the largest general wage increase in nearly 40 years. While the Biden PEB’s recommendations markedly exceed the rail carriers’ proposal, they provide a useful basis to reach a resolution.’
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has cleared the proposed merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. CP acquired KCS in December 2021, but the KCS shares are being held in a voting trust pending the completion of a US Surface Transportation Board regulatory review of the planned merger to create Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The STB review is expected to be completed in early 2023.
The European Commission has approved modifications to a Spanish scheme to support rail freight companies in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The budget has been increased to €3·7m, and public rail freight companies are now eligible.
Nokian Tyres is using an ex-US Army locomotive from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum to haul raw materials 1·6 km from Norfolk Southern’s main line to its factory in Dayton, north of Chattanooga. ‘This locomotive helps us reliably handle larger quantities of materials and streamline our processes’, said Transportation Manager Daniel Dobbs. ‘It’s a step in the right direction to support the factory as we continue to scale up production.’
Following a complaint received in 2018, the European Commission has launched an investigation into whether DB Cargo has benefited from state aid incompatible with EU rules as a result of a profit and loss transfer agreement with parent company DB AG, agreements for the provision of intra-group services and advantageous financing conditions.
RailWatch has installed a Pulsar monitoring station which uses optical character recognition to record the UIC numbers of wagons entering and leaving the port of Wismar in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Aurizon has reported group underlying EBITDA for the year ended June 30 2022 of A$1·468bn, 1% lower than the previous year. The Network business delivered EBITDA of A$801m, down 6% as result of lower volumes, lower historical or catch-up revenue from the Wiggins Island Rail Project, and lower Goonyella to Abbot Point Expansion fees. EBITDA in the Bulk business was down 7% at A$130m, while Coal EBITDA was up 1% to A$541m despite tonnages being down 4%.’The company has delivered a solid operational and financial result despite a challenging year with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, major flooding events and customer-specific reductions in production impacting our volumes’, said Managing Director & CEO Andrew Harding.
Tulsa Port of Catoosa has appointed OmniTRAX as its exclusive rail partner from August 18. The Port of Catoosa Industrial Railroad expands OmniTRAX’s Oklahoma presence from its original Sand Springs commercial development and rail operations.
Keyera Corp and CN have signed a memorandum to evaluate the creation of a rail terminal to serve the energy sector in the Alberta’s Industrial Heartland area to the northeast of Edmonton. The proposed facility would be capable of handling six trains per day. ‘The project will offer a unique opportunity to aggregate products from multiple producers and will provide an efficient mechanism to not only support Canadian industry but also further global energy transition’, said CN President & CEO Tracy Robinson.