(File photo by Dave Bedard)

U.S. regulator approves CP’s purchase of Kansas City Southern

Two U.S. grain grower groups warn of reduced rail competition

Washington | Reuters — The Surface Transportation Board of the United States said on Wednesday it had approved Canadian Pacific Railway’s US$31 billion acquisition of railroad company Kansas City Southern, with a series of environmental and competition conditions. The board, which oversees U.S. freight railroads, is imposing some requirements on the deal, which was agreed

The president of Quorum Corporation is concerned about a bottleneck of grain-shipping vessels on the West Coast.

Grain is moving, but problems persist

Systemic issues surrounding grain shipments have yet to be addressed

Grain shipments are moving better than they were this time last year, but that’s not saying much. “Last year was awful,” Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) executive director Wade Sobkowich said. “We had some major deficiencies in rail service between January and March of 2022.” Indeed, things were so bad in the winter of 2022


File photo of a BNSF grain train crossing the Gassman Coulee trestle near Minot, North Dakota. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

Biden administration makes case for quick Senate vote to avoid rail shutdown

Bill imposing deal on workers clears House

Washington | Reuters — The Biden administration on Thursday urged the U.S. Senate to quickly pass a bill to block a railroad strike, warning that serious economic disruptions could be felt within days. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to approve a bill to impose a tentative contract deal reached in September on

U.S. President Joe Biden tours a manufacturing lab at McHenry County College during a visit to northwest Chicago suburb Crystal Lake on July 7, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)

Biden says administration engaged in talks to avert U.S. railroad strike

CN's U.S. operations would be affected

Nantucket | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that his administration was involved in negotiations to avert a looming U.S. railroad strike that could shut down supply chains across the country but added that he has not directly engaged on the matter yet. Speaking to reporters outside a fire station on Nantucket


A Panama-flagged bulk carrier, Ikaria Angel, leaves Ukraine’s port of Chornomorsk with wheat for Ethiopia on Sept. 17, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Serhii Smolientsev)

CBOT weekly outlook: Renewed agreement puts pressure on corn, wheat

Soy trade focused on Brazil's crop potential

MarketsFarm — A renewed agreement between Russia and Ukraine to allow the latter’s grain to be shipped out of the Black Sea has recently been putting pressure on corn and wheat prices at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Russia and Ukraine, with mediation from the United Nations and Turkey, agreed Nov. 17 to an

CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line), MGEX March 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. March 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Futures slip on rail strike threat, EU wheat talk

U.S. winter crop ratings at lowest since at least 1986

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade grain futures fell on Tuesday, amid growing concern over a possible U.S. rail strike and market speculation that U.S. grain buyers were purchasing European Union wheat, traders said. French wheat sales to China and the prospect of Polish or German wheat being booked in the United States


CBOT March 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat ease on firm U.S. dollar, export concerns

U.S. rail union votes against tentative contract deal

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade grain futures eased on Monday as a stronger dollar and worries about U.S. exports weighed on prices, analysts said. The dollar advanced against most major currencies, making U.S. commodities look less attractive to importers, as tightened COVID-19 rules in China fuelled worries over the global economic outlook.

BNSF crews clear track near Lemmon, S.D., about 300 km northeast of Rapid City, in late December 2016. (BNSF.com)

Biggest U.S. rail union rejects tentative deal, raising threat of strike

Union digs in on paid sick time

Washington/Los Angeles | Reuters — Workers at the largest U.S. rail union voted against a tentative contract deal reached in September, raising the possibility of a year-end strike that could cause significant damage to the U.S. economy and strand vital shipments of food and fuel. Train and engine service members of the transportation division of


File photo of a CN locomotive in Chicago. (Photo courtesy CN)

Third U.S. union rejects national rail contract deal

Two major unions' decisions due next week

Washington | Reuters — A third U.S. rail union voted on Monday to reject a tentative national contract reached in September, but expects to continue negotiating to reach a deal. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB), which represents about 300 U.S. rail employees, rejected the agreement, said the union and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee

Investigators answer to their own police chiefs at the railways, and ultimately to corporation executives, for whom profit and shareholder value are paramount.

Comment: Railways a law unto themselves

Why major Canadian railways must no longer be permitted to police themselves

Major railways in Canada, alone among private sector corporations, have their own police forces with full investigative and jurisdictional powers over accidents on or near their property. These unique powers — a historic anomaly dating back to the 19th century when railways were being built across North America — have, until recently, escaped public scrutiny.