Freight Rail Map of Class I Carriers in North America - ACW Railway Company Freight Rail Map of Class I Carriers in North America This is an interactive map of the major freight railroads, also known as class I railroads in the United States. They include CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS), Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF), Union Pacific (UP), Canadian Pacific (CP), Canadian National Railway (CN), and the Kansas City Southern (KCS). Contact Us Main Office: (910) 974 - 4219 Fax: (910) 974 - 4282 967 NC Hwy 211 E Candor, NC 27229 Connections: CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Markets Served: Raleigh, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greensboro Ownership: Privately Held Carl Hollowell Carl Hollowell is Vice President of Operations/Marketing and General Manager of the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway Company. He began his railroad career with the South Carolina Central Railroad (SCRF) in Hartsville, South Carolina, after receiving his BBA in Computer Information Systems Management (CISM) from Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina.

The SCRF was one of several RailTex acquisitions within the mid-Atlantic region from both CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway. Carl continued his career with RailTex, holding various operational and management positions. In 1993, Carl served as Director of Operations and Rail Planning for Tengizchevroil, a joint venture Robert Menzies Robert Menzies is the Owner and Chairman of the Aberdeen Caroilna & Western Railway Company. He acquired the Aberdeen Carolina & Western in 1987 from the Aberdeen & Briarpatch Railway. He has had a lifelong interest in the transportation industry. He began his undergraduate studies in transportation at Arizona State University. He continued on to receive a graduate degree in transportation and logistics at Michigan State University. Bob then taught transportation at Murray State University in Kentucky as well as Tri-State University in Indiana. He has owned businesses in other service industries across the U.S., and always stresses the need Dale Parks Dale Parks is Vice President of Mechanical at the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway Company. He began his Railroad career in 1986 at the Mid Atlantic Railroad in Chadbourn N.C. Having been in Train Service as a locomotive engineer, he worked his way up to Chief Mechanical Officer.

In 1989, he took a job opportunity to work with Railtex at the Georgia South Western where he was responsible for the locomotive and freight car fleet. Then in 1992, he was transfered to the North Carolina & Virginia Properties, where he took care of The Chesapeake and Albemarle Railway and the Ed Thum Ed is Vice President of Transportation/Maintenance of Way at the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway Company. He began his railroad career in 1990 at the North Carolina & Virginia Railroad as an Engineer/Conductor for RailTex. In 1994, Ed attended the University of Tennessee and received his certification as a FRA Certified Track Inspector. In 1995, Ed accepted the position as Train Master at the Virginia Southern Railroad in Keysville, Virginia, for RailTex. Also, in 1995, Ed received his certificate for DSLE training and in 1998 received his certificate of completion for Hazardous Material Operations in Pueblo, Colorado. In 2005, Ed Jennifer Harrell Jennifer is President of the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Business Management at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Jennifer worked for a prominent commercial real estate firm in Charlotte for 3 years. After getting a strong understanding in the commercial and industrial sector, she moved back to Pinehurst to begin her railroad career beginning as Director of Marketing and Sales with a moving to President as of November 1, 2016. Union Pacific Union Pacific If you are a supplier, contractor or carrier, please visit the Suppliers page . UP Employees should visit their MyUP page . Register to access Secure Tools, Applications and Reports to help simplify your business. Railroads of United States of America BNSF - Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway Freight railway. Today's BNSF Railway is the product of some 390 different railroad lines that merged or were acquired during more than 150 years. These include: Burlington Northern (BN), Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), Northern Pacific Railway (NP), Great Northern Railway (GN), Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S), Frisco (St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company), Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF).

KCSR - Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR) is a Class I railroad that operates over approximately 3,100 track miles in 10 central and southeastern states. Among the U.S. Class I railroads, KCSR has the shortest route between Kansas City, the second largest rail hub in the country, and the Gulf of Mexico. KCSR also boasts the Meridian Speedway from Dallas, Texas to Meridian, Mississippi, which is the fastest-growing and least-congested east west route in the U.S. CSX Freight railway. CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., owns companies providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services that are among the nation's leading transportation companies, connecting more than 70 river, ocean and lake ports, as well as more than 200 short line railroads. CSX Transportation Inc., operates the largest railroad in the eastern United States with a 22,000-mile rail network linking commercial markets in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces. UP - Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad is an operating subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation.

It is the largest railroad in North America, operating in the western two-thirds of the United States. The railroad serves 23 states, linking every major West Coast and Gulf Coast port and provides service to the east through its four major gateways in Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans. Additionally, Union Pacific operates key north/south corridors and is the only railroad to serve all six major gateways to Mexico. UP also interchanges traffic with the Canadian rail systems. P&W - Portland & Western Railroad Portland & Western Railroad (P&W), a wholly owned subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., operates a 520-mile regional system to the Portland metropolitan area, the Willamette Valley, coastal Toledo, and the deep-water Port of Astoria. Willamette & Pacific Railroad is also part of the Genesee & Wyoming Oregon region. The Belt Railway Company of Chicago The Belt Railway is the largest intermediate switching terminal railroad in the United States. The Belt has 28 miles of mainline route with more than 300 miles of switching tracks, allowing it to interchange with every railroad serving the Chicago rail hub.

The Belt's Clearing Yards span a 5.5 mile distance among 786 acres, supporting more than 250 miles of track. With Chicago being the largest hub of the railroad industry, very few rail cars travel transcontinentally without coming through Chicago. Delta Southern Railroad Delta Southern Railroad Company, headquartered in Tallulah, Louisiana, is a short line freight railroad with three rail lines: (1) Tallulah, Louisiana (KCS connection) to McGehee, Arkansas (UP connection), (2) McGehee, Arkansas (UP connection) to Warren, Arkansas (KCS connection), (3) Sterlington, Louisiana to Monroe, Louisiana (UP connection). High-speed railroading | The Economist American railways High-speed railroading America’s system of rail freight is the world’s best. High-speed passenger trains could ruin it Jul 22nd 2010 Tweet UNION STATION in Los Angeles has been restored as a fine example of the Art Deco architecture that typified California in the 1930s. It has served as a backdrop for many Hollywood films, from “Union Station” (naturally) to “Blade Runner” and “Star Trek: First Contact”.

It was the last grand station to be built before America's passenger railways went into what you might call terminal decline. Today it is a hub for Metrolink commuter trains and Amtrak services to faraway cities such as Chicago and Seattle. These trains have to pull in and then back out in a clumsy manoeuvre. But there are plans for through tracks in time to carry the high-speed services that California is desperate to have by 2020 under an ambitious $42 billion plan to connect San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento. California's plans were given a boost by Barack Obama's stimulus package last year. This earmarks a lump sum of $8 billion, plus $1 billion a year, to help construct fast rail corridors around America (see map). Such lines are common in Europe, Japan and, increasingly, China, yet the only thing at all like them in America is Amtrak's Acela service from Boston via New York to Washington, DC. It rarely reaches its top speed of 150mph (240kph) and for much of the way manages little more than half that, because the track is not equipped for higher speeds.

Acela, like virtually all trains run by publicly owned Amtrak, has to use tracks belonging to freight railways, whose trains trundle along at 50mph; passenger trains must stick below 80mph. Despite the excitement of railway buffs and the enthusiasm of environmentalists, high-speed rail in America is likely to mean a few more diesel-electric intercity trains at 110mph, not swish electric expresses going nearly twice as fast. But the problem with America's plans for high-speed rail is not their modesty. It is that even this limited ambition risks messing up the successful freight railways. Their owners worry that the plans will demand expensive train-control technology that freight traffic could do without. They fear a reduction in the capacity available to freight. Most of all they fret that the spending of federal money on upgrading their tracks will lead the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the industry watchdog, to impose tough conditions on them and, in effect, to reintroduce regulation of their operations. Attempts at re-regulation have been made in Congress in recent years, in response to rising freight rates. “The freight railroads feel they are under attack,” says Don Phillips, a rail expert in Virginia. America's railways are the mirror image of Europe's.

Europe has an impressive and growing network of high-speed passenger links, many of them international, like the Thalys service between Paris and Brussels or the Eurostar connecting London to the French and Belgian capitals. These are successful—although once the (off-balance-sheet) costs of building the tracks are counted, they need subsidies of billions of dollars a year. But, outside Germany and Switzerland, Europe's freight rail services are a fragmented, lossmaking mess. Repeated attempts to remove the technical and bureaucratic hurdles at national frontiers have come to nothing. Staggering progress Amtrak's passenger services are sparse compared with Europe's. But America's freight railways are one of the unsung transport successes of the past 30 years. They are universally recognised in the industry as the best in the world. Their good run started with deregulation at the end of Jimmy Carter's administration. Two years after the liberalisation of aviation gave rise to budget carriers and cheap fares, the freeing of rail freight, under the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, started a wave of consolidation and improvement. Staggers gave railways freedom to charge market rates, enter confidential contracts with shippers and run trains as they liked.

They could close passenger and branch lines, as long as they preserved access for Amtrak services. They were allowed to sell lossmaking lines to new short-haul railroads. Regulation of freight rates by the Interstate Commerce Commission was removed for most cargoes, provided they could go by road. Before deregulation America's railways were going bust. The return on capital fell from a meagre 4.1% in the 1940s to less than 3% in the 1960s. In 1970 the collapse of the giant Penn Central caused a huge shock, including a financial crisis. By 1980 a fifth of rail mileage was owned by bankrupt firms. Rail's share of intercity freight had slumped to 35% from 75% in the 1920s. Tracks were neglected and fell into disrepair, leading to a downward spiral of speed restrictions and deteriorating service. The term “standing derailment” was coined to describe the toppling-over of stationary freight wagons when the track gave way beneath their wheels. Several factors had combined to bring about this sorry state of affairs. Services and rates were tightly regulated.

Companies were obliged to run passenger services that could not make a profit. And road haulage received a huge boost from the building of the interstate highway system, which began in the late 1950s. Although this was supposed to be financed by taxes on petrol and diesel, railmen saw it as a form of subsidy to a new competitor, the nationwide trucking industry. In a neat twist, the poor condition of today's highways and the lack of public money for repairs have tilted the competitive advantage back to a rejuvenated rail-freight industry. Giving the railroads the freedom to run their business as they saw fit led to dramatic improvements. The first result was a sharp rise in traffic and productivity and fall in freight costs. Since 1981 productivity has risen by 172%, after years of stagnation. Adjusted for inflation, rates are down by 55% since 1981 (see chart 1). Rail's share of the freight market, measured in ton-miles, has risen steadily to 43%—about the highest in any rich country.

The $34 billion purchase last year by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), one of the seven main freight railways (see chart 2), opened many Americans' eyes to the industry's significance. That America's shrewdest investor should place his biggest bet on BNSF focused attention on how the country's railways have been quietly boosting the economy by sucking costs out of many supply chains. Coal is the biggest single cargo, accounting for 45% by volume and 23% by value. More than 70% of coal transport is by rail. As demand grows for the lower-sulphur coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, it has to travel farther. In response railroads have invested in more powerful locomotives to haul longer coal trains: since 1990 the average horsepower of their fleet has risen by 72%. Yet energy efficiency has also improved. Lighter, aluminium freight wagons, double-decker ones and more fuel-efficient locomotives have lifted the number of ton-miles per (American) gallon of fuel from 332 to 457—an improvement of 38%.

But the fastest-growing part of rail freight has been “intermodal” traffic: containers or truck trailers loaded on to flat railcars. The number of such shipments rose from 3m in 1980 to 12.3m in 2006, before the downturn caused a slight falling back. Behind this lies the tide of imports coming into the West Coast ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. A special rail expressway for freight, the Alameda Corridor, was opened in 2002 to link the ports to the big national rail routes, bypassing the 200 level crossings (grade crossings, in America) on the original branch lines that used to cause huge traffic jams on the roads as mile-long freight trains rumbled across. The corridor, one of the biggest infrastructure projects in modern America, was completed on time and on budget for $2.4 billion by a public-private partnership considered by many to be a model for other rail schemes, such as California's proposed high-speed passenger line.

Despite lots of investment—amounting to $460 billion since 1980, and equivalent to 40% of revenues in recent years—capacity constraints and rising fuel costs pushed up freight rates from 2003 until the onset of recession, since when they have levelled off. This has caused unhappiness among some coal companies which have no alternative means of transport. Although most American rail corridors involve two railroads covering the same origin and destination points, in reality competition is limited. Usually one route is more direct than the other, and if a mining company has sidings and a branch line linked to one railroad it cannot quickly and easily switch to another. Even so, American rail freight is among the cheapest in the world, costing less than half as much as in Japan or Europe. After adjusting for differences in purchasing power it is cheaper even than in China (see chart 3). But the past ten years have seen another source of growth, as interstate highways have become clogged in places and have shown the effects of a lack of investment. Since one freight train can carry as much as 280 lorries can, railways can help to limit the rise in road congestion. Trucking companies such as J.B.

Hunt have come to see the advantage of putting trailers on flat wagons for long-haul and using roads only for local pickup and delivery. This move was also spurred, according to Mr Phillips, by a shortage of lorry drivers. He says that tougher drink-driving rules and social changes have shrunk the numbers of “good ole boy” truckers inured to a life on the road. Most hauliers now suffer labour turnover of 100% a year. Freight railways' very success is starting to create difficulties for them. The Department of Transportation estimates that many are already exceeding their theoretical capacity and are congested. It estimates that lots more investment will be needed, because capacity will have to rise by nearly 90% to meet forecast demand by 2035. The investment bill could rise yet more because of a change in the pattern of trade: in 2014 the Panama Canal opens a second lane, doubling its capacity and allowing it to carry bigger container vessels and bulk ships. Coming through to Gulf of Mexico and East Coast ports, these vessels will increase the need for better rail links inland.

In addition the freight railroads face a $15 billion bill for a new safety system to control trains on lines that also carry passengers or dangerous chemical cargoes. This system, Positive Train Control (PTC), is intended to stop or slow a train automatically if a driver goes too fast or passes a red signal. The bill to introduce PTC was signed by George Bush in 2008 only a month after a crash between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train in California, causing 25 deaths and 135 injuries. The railway companies complain that only 3% of crashes are caused by the sort of human error that PTC is designed to avert and that claims that the system will improve efficiency on the network are unfounded. Whereas the FRA says that the new safety system will apply to only 65,000 miles (out of a total of over 140,000), the industry reckons it will cover more than half the network. The railways are seeking tax breaks and other subsidies to reduce the cost of complying. Another looming threat is re-regulation.

Fed up with increasing rates, customers, notably chemical, coal, agribusiness and utility companies, are complaining that these are evidence that the railroads are abusing their market power. The railroads retort that despite record traffic and profits, their return on investment since 2000 has been only 8%, which according to the Surface Transportation Board, another federal regulator, barely covers the cost of capital. They also say that freight rates are usually governed by what their competitors—ie, truckers—charge. When higher diesel costs put up trucking rates, the railways follow suit. Politicians from West Virginia have been pushing a bill in Congress that threatens to re-regulate the railways. The industry seems confident it will not get through, but risks will remain: opposing PTC could play into the hands of those who wish to increase oversight. In his annual letter to shareholders in February Mr Buffett said that BNSF, like Berkshire Hathaway's electric utilities, required “wise regulators who will provide certainty about allowable returns so that we can confidently make the huge investments required to maintain, replace and expand the plant.” The emergence of express intercity rail services may cause the freight railways the biggest problem of all.

The policy is not only laid down by the president but also often has enthusiastic support at state level. The railways can hardly oppose Mr Obama's plan to boost high-speed rail, but they are apprehensive about what it will mean for them. The problem is not the creation of new corridors with trains rattling along at 150mph. Such lines, like those proposed in California or between Tampa and Orlando in Florida, would have their own track, separated from existing lines though on the same strip of land as a freight railway. The expertise to build and run these lies mainly in Europe and Japan, where engineering firms and the technology and consulting arms of national railways have been eyeing the American market eagerly. The trouble for the freight railways is that almost all the planned new fast intercity services will run on their tracks. Combining slow freight and fast passenger trains is complicated. With some exceptions on Amtrak's Acela and North East corridor tracks, level crossings are attuned to limits of 50mph for freight and 80mph for passenger trains. But Mr Obama's plan boils down to running intercity passenger trains at 110mph on freight tracks.

Add the fact that freight trains do not stick to a regular timetable, but run variable services at short notice to meet demand, and the scope for congestion grows. Return of regulation The freight railroads have learned to live with the limited Amtrak passenger services on their tracks. Occasionally they moan that Amtrak pays only about a fifth of the real cost of this access. Some railmen calculate that this is equivalent to a subsidy of about $240m a year, on top of what Amtrak gets from the government. Freight-rail people regard this glumly as just part of the cost of doing business, but their spirits will hardly lift if the burden grows. Their main complaint, however, is that one Amtrak passenger train at 110mph will remove the capacity to run six freight trains in any corridor. Nor do they believe claims that PTC, due to be in use by 2015, will increase capacity by allowing trains to run closer together in safety. So it will cost billions to adapt and upgrade the lines to accommodate both a big rise in freight traffic and an unprecedented burgeoning of intercity passenger services.

Indeed, some of the money that the White House has earmarked will go on sidings where freight trains can be parked while intercity expresses speed by. Federal and state grants will flow to the freight railroads to help them upgrade their lines for more and faster passenger trains. But already rows are breaking out over the strict guidelines the FRA will lay down about operations on the upgraded lines, such as guarantees of on-time performance with draconian penalties if they are breached and the payment of indemnities for accidents involving passenger trains. The railroads are also concerned that the federal government will be the final arbiter of how new capacity created with the federal funds will be allocated between passenger and freight traffic. And they are annoyed that there was little consultation before these rules were published. There have been some heated meetings between freight-railroad managers and FRA officials. Henry Posner III, chairman of Iowa Interstate Railroad, ruefully notes that freight railroads, in the form of passengers and regulation, “are getting back things that caused trouble”.

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Two of the top picks were based in Canada, though all of the stocks trade on U.S. exchanges. The top-rated stocks were Union Pacific Corp. and Canadian Pacific Railway, which both received ratings of A+. Next, with a rating of A, were Canadian National Railway and Genesee & Wyoming. CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern followed with ratings of A-. Kansas City Southern had a rating of B+, while Providence and Worcester Railroad ranked No. 8 with a rating of C+. Rail Dividends Another approach is to pick railroad stocks based on the dividends they offer. When focusing on dividends, look at how the stock has performed over time as well as at its current status. Rankings and dividend reports change frequently. The Online Investor website ranked six railroad companies in June 2014. Genesee & Wyoming stood at the top with the highest dividends followed by Norfolk Southern, CSX Corp., Canadian National Railway, Kansas City Southern, and Providence and Worcester Railroad. Worldwide Rail Behemoths Forbes' annual Global 2000 ranks the largest publicly traded companies. This list gives each company's sales, profit, assets and market value.

Southern Pacific ranked the highest of the railroads with the greatest market value and profits, even though East Japan Railway had greater sales and assets. Other railroads listed in order of their ranking were Central Japan Railway, Canadian National Railway, CSX Corp., Norfolk Southern, MTR, Daqin Railway, West Japan Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway. Railroad Stock Performance Transportation stocks often serve as a barometer for the stock market and overall economy. Cowen & Co.'s equities researchers rated four railroad companies as "Outperform" and raised the price targets for their stocks, the Wall Street Journal's Market Watch reported in June, 2014. "Outperform" means the analysts expect these stocks to exceed the industry average in returns, though ratings can change based on a company's performance as well as industry and economic dynamics. The top four railroad companies beginning with the highest price target were Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and Genesee & Wyoming. In addition, one railroad stock, Norfolk Southern, made CNN's May 2014 list of Top 20 Stable Stocks. Freight Rail Today | Federal Railroad Administration 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] The documents Freight Railroad Background and Impact of the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 offer more information about the current state of the U.S. freight rail industry. In addition, FRA's Railroad Geographic Information System provides an interactive tool that allows users to view various aspects of freight rail infrastructure in the U.S. Public datasets are available in the National Transportation Atlas Database . [1] The seven Class I freight railroads are: BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Grand Trunk Corporation, Kansas City Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern Combined Railroad Subsidiaries, Soo Line Railroad, and Union Pacific Railroad. [4] Federal Railroad Administration, " National Rail Plan Progress Report ", September 2010. How Freight Moves Freight is moved by rail, water, pipeline, truck, and air. The rail network accounts for approximately 40 percent of U.S. freight moves by ton-miles (the length freight travels) and 16 percent by tons (the weight of freight moved).

[5] On the rails, in general, bulk freight, such as grain and coal, ships in rail cars and consumer goods, such as items found at a neighborhood store, ship in containers or trailers called intermodal traffic. Intermodal traffic refers to the transport of goods on trains before and/or after transfers from other modes of transportation such as planes, vessels, or trucks. It has been the fastest growing segment of the freight rail industry since 1980. [5] Federal Railroad Administration, " National Rail Plan Progress Report ", September 2010. What Freight Moves Almost anything can be shipped by rail. Since each person in the U.S. requires the movement of approximately 40 tons of freight every year, many of the goods people use daily are either wholly shipped or contain components shipped by rail. Of rail freight, 91 percent are bulk commodities, such as agriculture and energy products, automobiles and components, construction materials, chemicals, coal, equipment, food, metals, minerals, and paper and pulp. The remaining 9 percent is intermodal traffic which generally consists of consumer goods and other miscellaneous products. [6] Rail is efficient at moving heavy freight over long distances, as are water and pipeline freight services.

Trucks excel in providing time-sensitive delivery services for high-value goods being transported over medium- and short-haul distances. Raw materials and heavy freight going long distances are likely to continue their journey by rail, or some combination of truck, rail, and water. With the future growth in freight, it is anticipated that freight rail will continue to make investments in the capacity required to move heavy and long-distance shipments. [7] [6] Association of American Railroads, “ Class I Railroad Statistics ”, May 2012. [7] Federal Railroad Administration, "National Rail Plan Progress Report", September 2010. 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. Image created by Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Railroad Policy and Development (Office of Policy), based on Surface Transportation Board’s 2010 Carload Waybill Sample. The Future Population and demographic trends pose an enormous challenge for U.S. transportation infrastructure. Forecasts suggest that the U.S. is becoming a more urbanized country and urbanized areas will increasingly converge into larger networks of metropolitan areas called megaregions as the population continues to grow. It is forecast that by 2050, 75 percent of U.S. inhabitants will live in these areas and 80 percent of population growth will occur there. As a result, more passenger and freight traffic will move into these regions, and traffic congestion and loss of productivity, as well as their related effects, will diminish the quality of life in and around megaregions. To compete in the global marketplace and to enhance quality of life, effective investments in U.S. transportation infrastructure must be made and innovative transportation solutions must be considered.

One way to do this is to form public-private partnerships where private companies and governments cooperate to maintain, improve, and expand transportation infrastructure. Rail transportation investments provided by public-private partnerships are an effective way to meet future transportation challenges while at the same time providing significant public benefits such as reductions in road congestion, highway fatalities, fuel consumption and greenhouse gases, logistics costs, and public infrastructure maintenance costs. In these situations, public and private dollars pay for their respective portion of the benefits they receive from an infrastructure project. The freight railroads in the U.S. are poised to meet these challenges by offering multiple transportation solutions in a constant effort to meet customer needs. One such solution is intermodal transportation which allows for containers containing all types of goods to be placed on rail and moved across the country to facilities where they are transferred to other forms of transportation to their final destination. The efficiencies gained from intermodal transportation are even greater with the emergence of double-stacked containers on railcars. With improvements in service and facilities, rail intermodal will become more competitive and absorb the projected increases in freight movement caused by population growth and the growth of the intermodal movement of goods into the future.

UP: Intermodal Glossary Intermodal Glossary A AAR (Association of American Railroads) The central coordinating and research agency of the American railway industry. This agency deals with matters of common concern in the whole field of railroading from operations to public relations. Accessorial Charges Charges for a wide variety of services and privileges that are made available in connection with the transportation of goods. Includes all charges other than freight charges. Air Problems Any issues associated with the train line or air brake system, including leaking gasket, frozen or blocked train line, stuck triple valve. Availability Time The time equipment is grounded and available for pick-up by the customer. B Back Haul Traffic for the return movement of a car or container towards the point where the initial load originated or to handle a shipment in the direction of the light flow of traffic. Bad Order A freight car loaded improperly, mechanically defective, or has safety violations. Beneficial Owner The actual owner of the lading that is being shipped. The IMC negotiates transportation services and rates on behalf of the beneficial owner. Billing Carrier (Bill Road) The carrier performing the first line haul service of the movement. This carrier is responsible for preparing the waybill document and transmitting the information to any following carriers.

Bill of Lading A shipping form which is both a receipt for property and a contract for delivery of goods by a carrier. The principal bills of lading are: Straight A non-negotiable document. Surrender of the original is not required upon delivery of the freight unless necessary to identify consignee. Order A negotiable document. Surrender of the original property endorsed is required by transportation lines upon delivery of the freight, in accordance with its terms. Clean Either a Straight or Order Bill of Lading in which the transportation company acknowledges receipt of the property without noting any exceptions as to shortage or damage to the property received. Exchange A bill of lading which is given in exchange for another. Export One given to cover a shipment consigned to some foreign country. Government A special form of bill of lading which is used in making shipments for the account of the United States Government. Block A group of rail cars destined to the same location. Blocking or Bracing Wood or metal or other approved supports to keep shipments in place in or on rail cars, containers and trailers. Bobtail Motor Carrier slang indicating a non-revenue movement without a trailer or container attached. Bogie A frame with wheels on which a container is mounted for street or highway transport.

Commonly referred to as a chassis. Bonded Warehouse A warehouse owned by persons approved by the Treasury Department, an under bond or guarantee for the strict observance of the revenue laws; utilized for storing goods until duties are paid or goods are otherwise properly released. Bridge Move A railroad movement involving at least three roadhaul carriers at which the IP is neither the first or last carrier. Broker An individual who acts as an agent for a customer, who is attempting to route a car to a customer in Mexico or Canada. Equipment destined to a locale in Mexico is billed only to the border. At that time a broker, in cooperation with a broker in Mexico, prepares the proper paperwork which allows the car to cross the border and proceed to its destination. Broncos Motor vehicles, equipped with Hy-Rail attachments enabling them to ride on rails, operated by engineering employees patrolling track in the Feather River Canyon during rain or snow. They look for slides, washouts and any unsafe track condition. Broncos operate just one mile ahead of trains under special rules and do not use track and time. C Car Location Message (CLM) That part of the fleet system which deals with providing the fleet operator with information on car movement data for all cars in the fleet (see fleet).

This information comes in the form of a periodic (usually daily, sometimes hourly) message or report which contains the latest movement data on all cars from the fleets that are on our lines. This message follows an industrywide standard format that enables shippers who use railroads across the U.S. and Canada to use this information for updating their own computer systems. Car Scheduling A system of assigning a "trip plan" that is based primarily on waybill data. Cars are scheduled to the first available train that may carry the specific type of traffic into which they are categorized. Cartage Pick up or delivery of freight within commercial zone of a city by local carrier acting as agent for a shipper or over-the-rail carrier. Chassis A rubber-tired trailer under-frame on which a container is mounted for street or highway transport. Circus Ramp Stationary or portable end loading/unloading ramp which requires a truck tractor to drive a trailer onto or off of rail flatcars. Claims A demand, supported by evidence, to show that the claimant has sustained a loss through the negligence of a carrier. The principal kinds are: Damage Claim due to physical injury to shipment or because shipment was not delivered within a reasonable time. Loss Claim due to failure to deliver goods.

Overcharge Claims when more than the legally published charges were collected. Reparation Claims for a refund of charges which, while in accordance with legally published tariffs, are unreasonable or unjust and the carrier has since published the lower reasonable rate. Clearance The limiting dimensions of a rail shipment that would allow/prevent its clearing of tunnels and bridges. COFC (container on flatcar) The movement of a container on a railroad flatcar. This movement is made without the container being mounted on a chassis. Common Carrier A transportation line engaged in the business of handling persons or goods for compensation and for all persons impartially. Connecting Carrier A carrier that has a direct physical connection with another or forming a connecting link between two or more carriers. Consignee The individual or organization to which freight is shipped. Freight is shipped by the consignor to the consignee. Consignor The individual or organization shipping freight to a consignee. Container A receptacle that resembles a truck trailer without wheel (chassis) that is lifted onto flatcars. Containers are designed for all modes of intermodal transport. Most containers are 20-, 45-, 48- or 53-feet in length.

Container Yard A yard used for storage of containers when not in use. Container yards can be railroad or privately owned. Conventional Car A single platform flat car designed to carry a trailer or container. Containers can only be single stacked on a conventional car. Conventional cars are equipped with one or two stanctions, depending on length, for shipment of one or two trailers. Crane A large machine that straddles the railroad track for the purpose of loading and loading containers and trailers to and from rail cars. Crews Are Tight Sufficient crews are available, but rest issues may cause delays to calls. Crews Are Short Not enough crews are available to protect scheduled outbounds and any deadheads/dogcatch events. Cross-Town When a drayman or railroad delivers a container or trailer from one railroad to another for continuance of the move. Customs Broker A company or individual licensed by the Treasury Department to act on behalf of importers/exporters in handling U.S. customs transactions. Cut-Off Time The time a container or trailer must be ingated at the terminal to meet a scheduled train loading for departure. D Dead Head When a drayage firm is required to move empty equipment a long distance to pick up a load.

Movement of a crew from one point to another or to a train by vehicle transportation or by train. Dedicated Train A train that by design transports a dedicated commodity or type of cars. In the case of intermodal, intermodal trains only carry trailers and/or containers. Detention A charge made on trailers/containers held by or for a consignor/consignee for loading or unloading, forwarding directions or any other purpose. Displacement Light The weight of a vessel without cargo, fuel or stores. Diversion A change made in the route of a shipment in transit. Division The amount of revenue apportioned to each rail carrier participating in a given route, where the customer is invoiced on a through-rate basis. Door-to-Door A movement of lading from the customers front door (dock) to the receivers front door (dock). Door-to-Ramp A movement of lading from the customers front door (dock) to the destination intermodal ramp closest to the receiver. Double-Stack The movement of containers on articulated rail cars which enable the one container to be stacked on another container for better ride quality and car utilization.

Drayage The movement of a container or trailer to or from the railroad intermodal terminal to or from the customer's facility for loading or unloading. Drayman A person employed to pick up or drop off a container or trailer at an intermodal terminal. Driver Assist When a drayman is required to assist in the loading/unloading of a container or trailer. Drop & Pull Drayman drops loaded or unloaded unit at shipper or receiver and hooks up to unit which was previously dropped and returns it to the ramp. Dry Run When a drayman goes to a ramp to pick up a container and for some reason leaves without one. Dunnage The process of sending and retrieving information electronically, i.e. bills of lading, freight bills, etc. Embargo To resist or prohibit the acceptance and handling of freight. An embargo may be caused by acts of God such as tornadoes, floods, inclement weather, congestion, etc. EMP A domestic interline container service offered by Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. Also included in the program are agent railroads such as I&M Rail Link, Iowa Interstate, Wisconsin Central and Kansas City Southern.

EMP provides a fleet of nearly 25,000 48' and 53' domestic containers and chassis that may move throughout a large network. For EMP specific terms, see the EMP Glossary En Route In transit to destination. Extra Board Unassigned engineers or trainmen used to protect vacancies or make up extra crews as needed to protect higher traffic levels. F Freight of All Kinds Flatcar A freight car having a floor without any housing or body above. Frequently used to carry containers and/or trailers or oversized/odd-shaped commodities. The three types of flatcars used in intermodal are conventional, spine and stack cars. Flip When a container is picked up off of the ground and mounted on a chassis for street or highway transport. Flip Charges Charges assessed to a shipper when the railroad is required to provide an unnecessary or extra flip. An example of this is when a private container is grounded off of a train and no chassis is available at that time. A flip charge is assessed because a flip is required at a time after the train is unloaded. Foreign Equipment Any car not belonging to the particular railway on which it is running. Foreign Carrier A term used by a carrier in making references to all other carriers collectively.

FRA Federal Railroad Administration - The FRA deals specifically with transportation policy as it affects the nation's railroads and is responsible for enforcement of rail safety laws. Free Time The period allowed the owner to accept delivery before storage or detention charges begin to accrue. Freight Bill Statements containing commodity and payment information. Freight Forwarder One who assembles small shipments into one large shipment which then is tendered to a regulated over the road carrier. Upon reaching destination, the shipment is separated into small shipments and delivered. G Gate A point at an intermodal terminal where a clerk checks in and out all containers and trailer. All reservations and paperwork are checked at the gatehouse. Gatehouse A structure at the gate where a clerk inspects and clears the entrance and exit of all containers and trailers. Gateway H Haulage A legal agreement between two rail partners. The owner of the agreement is referred to as the 'Haulage Rights Carrier.' The other partner is referred to as the 'Haulage Movement Carrier.' With this agreement, the 'rights carrier' requests the 'movement carrier' to move equipment over an agreed segment of track, but to outside parties it appears as if the 'rights carrier' is doing the work.

Hazardous Material (Haz Mat) Substance or combination their of which, because of its quantity, concentration, physical or chemical characteristics, may cause or significantly pose a substantial hazard to human health or the environment when improperly packaged, stored, transported or otherwise managed. Headhaul Rail or truck term used to define the highest revenue generating shipping lane from shipper to receiver. I ICC Interstate Commerce Commission, a federal regulatory agency that governed over the rules and regulations of the railroading industry. The ICC Termination Act of 1995 ended this regulatory agency. Most responsibilities were transferred to the Surface Transportation Board. Inbond When lading clears customs at the ultimate destination instead of at the border. Ingate The process of checking a container or trailer into the intermodal facility. The ingate process includes inspection of the unit, reservation confirmation, the input of data into Union Pacific's computer system and the filling out of the J-1. Inland Carrier A transportation company which hauls export or import traffic between ports and inland points. Interchange The exchange of rail cars between connecting railroads.

Interchange Agreement Agreement between a railroad and a drayage company that allows a specific drayage company to drop off or pick up railroad or private intermodal equipment at the said railroad's facilities. Also known as an Equipment Interchange Agreement. lnterline Freight Freight moving from point of origin to destination over two or more transportation lines. lntermodal Transport of freight by two or modes of transportation. Examples are: ship-rail, rail-truck. Intermodal Terminal A railroad facility designed for the loading and unloading of containers and trailers to and from flat cars for movement on the railroad and subsequent movement on the street or highway. Intermodal Marketing Company (IMC) IMCs purchase rail and truck transportation services, utilize equipment from multiple sources, and provide other value-added services under a single freight bill to the ultimate shipper. Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) An industry trade association representing the combined interests of intermodal freight transportation companies. IPI (Interior Point Intermodal) Imported traffic movement from an origin port to an inland point on an ocean bill of lading. J J-1 A report filled out during the ingate and outgate process.

The J-1 details damage to the unit, container information, shipping information, drayman involved and time of ingate/outgate. L Lading That which constitutes a load. The freight in or on a rail car, container or trailer. Landbridge Containerized marine traffic that is routed via rail across the United States on traffic between the Far East and Europe/Canada in lieu of all water routes. Landing Gear Moveable metal legs on the front of a semi-trailer which support the trailer when not connected to a tractor. Lift The process of moving a container or trailer to and or from a rail car. Live Load When a drayman stays with a container or trailer while being loaded or unloaded. Load Shift The term when the contents of a container or trailer are shifted inside the unit sometime after it leaves the actual origin and before it arrives at the final destination. Local Move A railroad movement in which only one road haul carrier participates. The one carrier serves both the origin and destination station. LTL (Less Than Truckload) A shipment that would not by itself fill the truck to capacity by weight or volume. Lumper A person hired to help unload a container or trailer instead of using the driver.

M Maintenance of Way The process of maintaining roadbed (rail, ties, ballast, bridges etc.) These materials are hauled in special maintenance of way cars, which also include cars that are equipped with heavy equipment, such as cranes and tie replacing machines. Mexico Crossings Number of cars delivered/received on a daily basis between Union Pacific and Mexican railways at border points, such as Laredo, Texas. Mini-Landbridge Imported traffic movement from an origin port to a destination port on an ocean bill of lading via land transportation. N Notify Party The party that is notified at the time a container or trailer is grounded from a train. Most notify parties are draymen. O Receipt and contract of carriage with a steamship company movement of goods between ports. Off Junction Location where interchange to another carrier takes place. OTR (Over the Road) Refers to movement of a truck over the road instead of an intermodal movement. Outgate The process of checking a container or trailer out of an intermodal facility. The outgate process includes inspection of the unit, input of data into Union Pacific's computer system and the filling out of the J-1.

OutReach Program A rail-truck or truck-rail movement in which Union Pacific has combined the rail and drayage into a single transportation package for EMP and SPDU containers. Containers are shipped via rail from one terminal to another. After that, a contracted drayage firm drays the container to the paper ramp operators lot for customer pickup. The process also works reverse as well, shipment can originate with the truck movement and then move to the rail portion of the movement. Also referred to as the OutReach Program. Overhead Shipment A railroad movement involving at least three railroad carriers at which UP is neither the first nor the last carrier. P Packer A moveable piece of heavy machinery used to lift rail containers or trailers on/off railroad flatcars at an intermodal facility. Also known as a piggybacker. Packing List A detailed specification as to goods packed into a container or trailer. Pad An area within a parking lot or intermodal terminal designated for a particular type of container or trailer, such as loaded outbound. Pallet A wooden, paper or plastic platform usually with a top and bottom, on which packaged goods are placed to facilitate movement by some type of freight handling equipment.

Paper Ramp A rail-truck or truck-rail movement in which Union Pacific has combined the rail and drayage into a single transportation package for EMP and SPDU containers. Containers are shipped via rail from one terminal to another. After that, a contracted drayage firm drays the container to the paper ramp operators lot for customer pickup. The process also works reverse as well, shipment can originate with the truck movement and then move to the rail portion of the movement. Also referred to as the OutReach Program. Per Diem Charge based on a fixed rate per day which a carrier makes against another carrier or customer for use of its containers or trailers. Pickup Number A secure number provided to parties listed on the waybill. It allows only those parties to receive a container in order to outgate from our ramp facilties. Piggyback Transportation of a highway trailer on a railroad flatcar. Pigs A railroad term for trailers loaded on flatcars. Placard A sign affixed to a rail car or truck, which indicates the hazardous designation of the product being transported in that vehicle. Pool An assigned group of containers, trailers or cars used to satisfy the transportation requirements of a customer. Port Charge A charge for services rendered at ports.

Port Mark A term used in foreign shipping which denotes final destination – not the port of entry unless such port is the final destination. Port of Entry A port at which foreign goods are admitted into the receiving country. Ports of entry are officially designated by the government. Power Short Means there is not enough power coming into the terminal to protect the scheduled outbound departures. Premium Service Highest level of service available on the railroad. Private Equipment Equipment whose ownership is vested in a person or company that is not engaged in the service of common carriage. Proportional Price Price from or to an intermediate point. Rate is to be used in combination with another carrier's proportional rate to make an interline rate. Pup A 28' trailer, used mostly in less-than-truckload business. R Ramp Slang word for an intermodal terminal. Ramps were originally structures, permanent or temporary, from which trailers or machinery are driven onto or off of a railroad flatcar. Ramp-to-Door A movement of lading from the intermodal ramp closest to the customer to the receivers from door (dock). Ramp-to-Ramp A movement of lading from the intermodal ramp closest to the customer to the closest intermodal ramp to the receiver.

RCAF (Rail Cost Adjustment Factor) An index published quarterly by the AAR showing the average change in railroad costs. Reconsignment Any change, other than a change in route, made in a consignment before the arrival of goods at their billed destination. Any change made in a consignment after the arrival of goods at their billed destination. When the change is accomplished under conditions which make it subject to the reconsignment rules and charges of the carrier. Recrew Crew used to bring a train into a terminal when the original crew has insufficient time to complete the trip and a second crew is necessary. Relay Power Changing out a train's locomotives to correct a situation, such as bad order engines or wrong type/class of units for service. Revenue Empty Movement of an empty container or trailer that generates revenue for the railroad. Done for repositioning purposes. Reverse Route The exact reverse of the route a loaded car traveled from its destination, including all carriers and junctions involved. REZ-1 An independent agent that handles all reservations and billing functions for EMP customers with a centralized system to manage assets through the internet. REZ-1 also handles UP trailer reservations for selected points.

Rubber Wheel Interchange Containers or trailers that are interchanged between two railroads by means of drayage. Rule 11 A railroad accounting term which refers to a customer shipping their freight "pre-paid" to an intermediate point and "collect" beyond that intermediate point to the final destination. Run-Through A train which originates on a different railroad that it terminates and does not get reclassified at interchange but rather "runs-through" to a point on the second railroad before the train is broken up. S SCQ (Specific Commodity Quote) A private contract issued to Union Pacific Intermodal customers that lists rates for specific origin and destination pairs. Also includes restrictions and provisions for the application of those rates. Seal A device for fastening or locking the doors of a rail car, container or trailer. This is done for security and integrity of the shipment. Sidings Blocked Auxiliary tracks normally used to meet/pass trains now used to hold trains/cuts of cars spacing/staging for terminals. Slack The elongation which occurs between railcar couplers because of their spring-loaded design. Slot Utilization The method of utilizing every space available on a double-stack car. A slot includes the space above a container when another container can be double-stacked.

A five platform double-stack car has 10 slots available for loading. If all 10 slots are loaded, you have 100% slot utilization. Spine Car A light weight articulated car that is a assembled in permanent consists of three or five platforms. Spine cars carry containers or trailers in single stack configuration. Stack Car An intermodal flatcar that was specifically designed to place one container on top of another better utilization and economics. Also referred to as a well car because the cars are depressed in the center to allow clearance of the double stacked containers when moving under low-lying structures. Stanchion The hitches used to support the nose end of trailers when they are mounted on a flatcar. There are two types of stanchions: collapsible and fixed. STCC (Standard Transportation Commodity Codes) The STCC system is a 7-digit coding structure designed to classify all commodities or articles which move or may move in freight transportation. Steel Wheel Interchange Containers or trailers that are interchanged between two railroads while on the railroad flatcar. Storage Charge A charge assigned to the shipper or consignee for holding containers or trailers at an intermodal terminal beyond the free time allotted to them.

Street Time The time a container or trailer is away from the possession of the railroad. System Equipment Equipment owned or leased by a railroad. Each railroad considers their own equipment as system equipment. T The weight of a container and the material used for packing. As applied to a car/trailer, the weight of the car/trailer exclusive of its contents. Tariff A legal listing of rates used when moving regulated traffic by rail. Through Rate A rate applicable from origin to destination over two or more rail carriers. Tight on Power Power is adequate to protect departures, but some delays may occur due to late arrival and servicing of locomotives. To Go "In the Hole" When at the meeting point of opposing trains, one train "holds the main," the other "takes the hole" in a siding. Terminal Is Current No trains holding, switching is current, no delays expected to traffic, resources are adequate to protect operations. TOFC (trailer on flatcar) A rail trailer or container mounted on a chassis that is transported on a rail car. Also known as piggyback. Trailer A rectangular shaped box with permanent wheels attached for the transport of goods on rail, highway or a combination of both.

Transload To physically transfer product from one transportation vehicle to another. U UDE Undesired emergency, when air pressure contained within the air brake system is released, resulting in the application of train brakes. UMLER (Universal Machine Language Equipment Register) A computer readable file of vital statistics for each railroad car in service. It applies to all railroads, types of cars and data processing machines.

Question: In America, which 'UP' is the largest freight railroad company?
Answer: UNION PACIFIC