A few weeks shy of their respective first quarter earnings announcements East Coast-based Class I railroads Norfolk Southern and CSX are feeling pretty good about their businesses.
Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman stated in the company’s 2012 annual report that the future is promising for the rail carrier, which saw 2012 come in as its second best year ever in its history in terms of revenue at $11 billion, operating income at $3.1 billion, net income at $413 million, and earnings per share at $5.37.
BNSF reported a 9 percent improvement in profit for the third quarter 2011 versus the third quarter 2010.
The third-quarter operating ratio of 71.7 percent was slightly higher than the 70.8 percent for third-quarter 2010. Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
BNSF, which is privately held by Berkshire Hathway, operates 28,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces.
Canadian National reported a 19 percent increase in profit for the third quarter 2011 versus the third quarter 2010.
CN said a 4 percent increase in carloadings and a 9 percent increase in revenue, coupled with “rigorous cost control” drove its higher third quarter earnings.
CN’s third quarter 2011 operating ratio of 59.3 percent improved from the 60.7 percent operating ratio during the third quarter 2010. Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
CN is primarily a Canadian railroad. Its U.S. holdings include what were formerly Detroit, Toledo & Ironton; Elgin, Joliet & Eastern; Grand Trunk Western; Illinois Central; and Wisconsin Central.
Canadian Pacific’s third quarter 2011 profit fell by 5 percent versus third quarter 2010.
CP’s third quarter 2011 operating ratio deteriorated to 75.8 percent, more than two percentage points higher than its 73.7 percent operating ratio for the third quarter 2010. Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
Canadian Pacific is primarily a Canadian railroad. Its U.S. holdings include Class I Soo Line and regional railroad Delaware & Hudson.
CSX reported a 12 percent increase in profit for the third quarter 2011 versus the third quarter 2010, much of it the result of higher freight rates as traffic volume slowed.
The railroad said higher fuel surcharges improved its bottom line, offsetting higher costs. CSX said also that its earnings were helped by increased coal exports to China that offset a weakness in domestic coal shipments. Coal accounts for some 33 percent of CSX revenue.
CSX’s third quarter 2011 operating ratio deteriorated to 70.4 percent versus 69.1 percent for the third quarter 2010. Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
CSX operates some 21,000 route miles in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Kansas City Southern reported a 99 percent improvement in profits for the third quarter 2011 versus third quarter 2010, driven by higher freight rates and a record level of carloadings, boosted through increased production of automobiles in Mexico destined for U.S. markets.
“These achievements are all the more impressive given the operating challenges caused by prolonged flooding in the Midwest, particularly along the Missouri River,” said CEO David Starling. “The flooding resulted in the closure of a primary rail line into Kansas City from mid-June through Labor Day, which significantly disrupted grain and coal traffic.”
KCS’s operating ratio of 66.6 for the third quarter 2011 was a sharp improvement from the 73.5 percent in third quarter 2010. Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
KCS operates some 3,500 route miles in 10 states in the Central and South-Central U.S., as well as Kansas City Southern de Mexico, a primary Mexican rail line.
Norfolk Southern reported a 24 percent increase in third quarter profit versus third quarter 2010, citing increased freight rates and a 23 percent boost in coal hauled for export.
The third quarter produced for NS “all-time records for income from operations and earnings per share, while also establishing third-quarter records for net income and operating ratio,” said NS CEO Wick Moorman.
The NS third quarter 2011 operating ratio of 67.5 was a third-quarter record low and 2.1 percentage points below its third-quarter 2010 operating ratio of 69.6 percent. Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
NS operates some 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia.
Union Pacific reported a 16 percent increase in profits for the third quarter 2011 versus third quarter 2010, citing price increases and fuel surcharges in the face of a sluggish economy, weather-related difficulties in parched Texas and sharply higher fuel prices.
UP’s operating ratio of 69.1 percent for the third quarter 2011 was slightly higher than the record 68.2 percent operating ratio it posted in the third quarter 2010. Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
Union Pacific operates some 32,000 route miles in 23 states in the western two-thirds of the U.S.
As BNSF is now privately held, it does not report its earnings.
Most major North American freight railroads reported strong earnings for the first quarter 2011 versus first quarter 2010.
Following is a wrap-up for the quarterly earnings reported by the railroads to the investment community.
Not included is BNSF, which is privately held and does not report its financial results to the investment community.
Mention is made of each railroad’s operating ratio. Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the higher is profit.
Canadian National
Canadian National reported a 31 percent increase in first quarter 2011 profit versus first quarter 2010. This comes following a 19 percent increase in CN profit for calendar year 2010.
CN’s operating ratio for the first quarter 2011 was 69 percent, slightly better than the 69.3 percent reported for first quarter 2010. The railroad’s fourth-quarter 2010 operating ratio was 63.6.
CN is primarily a Canadian railroad. Its U.S. holdings include what were formerly Detroit, Toledo & Ironton; Elgin, Joliet & Eastern; Grand Trunk Western; Illinois Central; and Wisconsin Central.
Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific Railway was the only major North American rail system reporting a drop in profit for the first quarter 2011 compared with first quarter 2010. CP cited severe winter weather as the cause of its profit decline.
CP’s calendar-year 2010 profit increased by 39 percent.
The railroad’s first quarter 2011 operating ratio soared to 90.6 compared with 82.3 in the first quarter 2010. CP’s fourth quarter 2010 operating ratio was 77.6.
CP said its 15,143 employee count increased by 613 during the quarter, but gave no indication of whether it would add employees the remainder of 2011.
First quarter 2011 train speeds fell by almost 14 percent and the number of train accidents soared by 57 percent — both attributed to a dramatic increase in the number of avalanches in the Canadian Rockies and winter-long blowing snow throughout CP’s North American rail network.
Canadian Pacific is primarily a Canadian railroad. Its U.S. holdings include Class I Soo Line and regional railroad Delaware & Hudson.
CSX
CSX profit jumped 30 percent during the first quarter 2011 versus the first quarter 2010, the railroad reported April 19. This comes on the heels of a 35 percent improvement in operating profit for calendar year 2010.
The CSX employee headcount rose in March to 30,464 employees, up 3 percent from March 2010, the railroad said.
The CSX operating ratio for the first quarter 2011 was a record low 72.5 for any first quarter. The fourth quarter 2010 CSX operating ratio was 71.1.
CSX operates some 21,000 route miles in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Kansas City Southern
Kansas City Southern’s first-quarter 2011 profit was almost double that of the first quarter 2010. This followed an 82 percent increase in profit for calendar-year 2010.
The employee headcount remained constant at 6,080. The railroad did not indicate whether it would be increasing its headcount in 2011.
The KCS first quarter operating ratio declined significantly, from 75.2 percent the first quarter 2010 to 73.8 for the first quarter 2011. The railroad’s fourth-quarter 2010 operating ratio was 73.2.
KCS operates some 3,500 route miles in 10 states in the Central and South-Central U.S., as well as Kansas City Southern de Mexico, a primary Mexican rail line.
Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern reported a 26 percent increase in profit for first quarter 2011 versus first quarter 2010. This follows a 45 jump in NS profit for calendar-year 2010.
NS said it would add some 1,100 new workers during 2011, returning employment to the same level as in 2008.
NS operating ratio for first quarter 2011 was 77.1 percent, higher than the 75.2 percent in the first quarter 2010, owing, in part, to severe winter weather. The fourth-quarter 2010 NS operating ratio was 71.9 percent.
NS operates some 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia.
Union Pacific
Union Pacific profit rose 24 percent in first quarter 2011 compared with first quarter 2010, This follows a 47 percent jump in Union Pacific profit for calendar-year 2010.
UP said the railroad would increase its 43,000 employee headcount by about 4,500 in 2011.
The railroad reported a best-ever first quarter operating ratio of 74.7 percent — one of the more difficult for railroads because of winter weather. The fourth quarter 2010 UP operating ratio was 73.2.
Union Pacific operates some 32,000 route miles in 23 states in the western two-thirds of the U.S.
Canadian Pacific Railway reported a sharp drop in profit for the first quarter 2011 compared with first quarter 2010, citing severe winter weather.
CP said its 15,143 employee count increased by 613 during the quarter, but gave no indication of whether it would add employees the remainder of 2011.
First quarter 2011 train speeds fell by almost 14 percent and the number of train accidents soared by 57 percent — both attributed to a dramatic increase in the number of avalanches in the Canadian Rockies and winter-long blowing snow throughout CP’s North American rail network.
CP’s calendar-year 2010 profit increased by 39 percent.
The railroad’s first quarter 2011 operating ratio soared to 90.6 compared with 82.3 in the first quarter 2010. CP’s fourth quarter 2010 operating ratio was 77.6.
Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the higher is profit.
Canadian Pacific is primarily a Canadian railroad. Its U.S. holdings include Class I Soo Line and regional railroad Delaware & Hudson.
Union Pacific profit rose 24 percent in first quarter 2011 compared with first quarter 2010, the railroad reported April 20. This follows a 47 percent jump in Union Pacific profit for calendar-year 2010.
UP Chairman Jim Young said the railroad would increase its 43,000 employee headcount by about 4,500 in 2011.
The railroad reported a best-ever first quarter operating ratio of 74.7 percent — one of the more difficult for railroads because of winter weather. The fourth quarter 2010 UP operating ratio was 73.2.
Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the higher is profit.
Looking forward, UP Chairman Jim Young predicted significant volume growth in the second half of 2011. UP is “pretty confident right now we’re going to see a peak” that exceeds traffic volumes the second half of 2010, Young said. “We’ve started off strong in 2011 by achieving record results in the first quarter.”
Union Pacific operates some 32,000 route miles in 23 states in the western two-thirds of the U.S.
CSX profit jumped 30 percent during the first quarter 2011 versus the first quarter 2010, the railroad reported April 19. This comes on the heels of a 35 percent improvement in operating profit for calendar year 2010.
The CSX employee headcount rose in March to 30,464 employees, up 3 percent from March 2010, the railroad said.
More positive financial news is expected from other major railroads as they report first quarter results in the days ahead. Union Pacific will report its first quarter results April 20.
The CSX operating ratio for the first quarter 2011 — one of the more difficult for railroads because of winter weather — was a record low 72.5 for any first quarter. The fourth quarter 2010 CSX operating ratio was 71.1, and the railroad predicted its operating ratio could fall to a record-low 65 this year.
Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the higher is profit.
“Shipments across all major markets — merchandise, intermodal and coal — increased as the economy continued to grow,” the railroad told financial analysts.
CSX operates some 21,000 route miles in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
On the same day (Jan. 20) Union Pacific reported record fourth quarter and record calendar year 2010 profits, UP Chairman Jim Young said he is headed to Washington to meet with President Obama’s economic advisers to oppose a congressional mandate that railroads implement crash-avoidance positive train control by year-end 2015.
UP told investors its 2010 fourth quarter earnings had soared by 31 percent from the same quarter in 2009, and that its calendar year 2010 profit rose by 47 percent to a record $2.8 billion.
Twice during 2010, Union Pacific raised its common stock dividend, raising the dividend by 40 percent in 2010. Since 2001, the Union Pacific common stock dividend rate has been raised by 280 percent, for an average of 28 percent annually.
Young called 2010 the “most profitable year in Union Pacific’s nearly 150-year history.
“Economic indicators point to growth [in 2011], and if jobs improve, there will be even greater strength,” said Young, according to progressiverailroading.com. “The bar is raised, and last year the floor was set. We’re setting our sights even higher.”
UP repeated a previous announcement that it will increase its workforce by more than 4,000 in 2011 — an increase of almost 10 percent in its workforce — while bringing back the remainder of furloughed workers.
As for the Washington trip, in which Young said he will be joined by executives from other railroads, the Journal of Commerce reported that Young “strongly complained about the heavy expense of developing and deploying positive train control technology, which means outfitting locomotives with automated braking gear and tying it into trackside warning devices and other remote control systems.”
The railroads’ opposition to PTC — that its costs outweigh benefits — is disputed by independent studies, some commissioned by the Federal Railroad Administration.
The National Transportation Safety Board has long advocated implementation of PTC as a necessary safety overlay. The UTU and other rail labor organizations similarly support implementation of PTC.
Kudos to Alternate Bus Vice President-East Calvin Studivant and Alternate Bus Vice President-West Bonnie Morr for being chosen as delegates to the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh, where a highlight was President Obama’s speech that may be viewed on the UTU Web site at www.utu.org.
Calvin reports that he shook the president’s hand!
Congratulations also to UTU International President Mike Futhey on his election as an AFL-CIO vice president and his appointment to the federation’s Executive Council.
Several bus locals have been involved in contract negotiations, and the trend is towards shorter agreements in the hope that the economy will improve in the near future.
If that becomes reality, we will be able to negotiate wages and benefits from a far stronger position than in the current recession.
General Chairperson James Williams (Local 1564, Los Angeles) reports his members have ratified a new one-year agreement with the LACMTA after hard work and patience of all the committee members.
General Chairperson Nelson Manzano (Local 710, Elizabeth, N.J.; One Bus) praised the work done by Vice General Chairpersons James Powell and Jose Rivera in reaching a one-year agreement with Coach USA, holding the cost-sharing for health care.
Local 1558 in Westwood, N.J., (Rockland Coaches) reached a similar accord under the direction of General Chairperson Keith Mack, assisted by Mike Byrne, Helaine Parsons, Ed Pollard, Bob Panarotti and Abe Tsay.
Calvin Studivant’s Local 759 in Paramus, N.J., (Community Transit) won an important arbitration, which resulted in an employee being restored to work status with full back pay and benefits.
Also, General Chairperson Bill Koehn (Local 1670, Laredo, Texas; Laredo Metro) is keeping a watchful eye on bus inspections at the Mexican border.
The U.S. DOT has significantly reduced the number of buses inspected, leading to worries about safety, operator fatigue and equipment maintenance on these bus lines that operate far into the U.S. American companies cannot compete effectively when confronted by cheap labor, shoddy maintenance and falsified driver logs.
