To Our Valued Customers:

According to current weather forecasts, winter storm Nemo is slated to blanket the Northeastern corridor with heavy snow over the next 24 to 36 hours. This will undoubtedly impact freight rail transportation in the coming days for the immediate area and points beyond.  While there are no official service advisories from the major rail carriers regarding track closures or volume restrictions at this moment, we will be monitoring for available updates and will distribute them as they become available. Please contact your assigned QTS representative of call 800-443-2599 for further information.

Thank you.

The below notice was distributed by BNSF regarding delays in the Northeast as a result of Hurricane Irene:

Norfolk Southern Embargo Notification – Ayer, 

Massachusetts and Albany, New York

Due to conditions resulting from Hurricane Irene, the NS has issued embargoes to Ayer, Massachusetts and 

Albany, New York.  BNSF will continue to accept intermodal traffic destined to these locations.  Rail service will 

terminate in Chicago, where units will be available for customer pick up upon patron notification. 

For more information about the embargo, please reference the AAR Embargo NS000811 at the following link: 

https://aarembargo.railinc.com/epdb/searchEmbargoAction.do?step=viewDetails&embargoNumber=NS000811

Please see the latest notifications from CPRS:

 

July 7, 2011

Customer Bulletin: CP Operations Update- High Water Impacts

The Souris River water levels continue to recede between Minot and Velva, North Dakota. CP Engineering Services crews are working from both east and west ends of the washout area as the water moves back. There are no remaining dikes across our track at any location.

Because of the amount of water in the area, and the major restoration work underway, we are still forecasting the line to be out for another ten days. With the opening of our line in Canada between the border and Moose Jaw, we have been able to move cars west of Minot up into Canada and are adding them to the rerouted traffic over the Noyes/'Emerson gateway. Detours over other railways continue to assist with keeping shipments current. There is no impact to shipments moving between western and eastern Canada.

To view photos of the washouts and repair efforts and a map of the areas that are out of service and under watch, please click here.

As the conditions change, embargoes will be amended and/or removed. To view or subscribe to updates on embargoed locations, please click here.

For up-to-date information on specific impacts to your shipments or other problem resolution inquiries, please contact your Customer Service Coordinator at 1-888-333-8111, selecting Option 1, then Option 1 again to enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN), then press the # sign. Using your PIN when you call bypasses the general queue and routes you directly to your assigned rep or to a backup in the event your rep is not available. If you do not have a PIN or have forgotten it, please send an email to your rep or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and one will be sent to you for future use.

To trace your shipment, visit www.mycpr.ca.

Ian MacKay
Vice President, Customer Services
& Intermodal Operations

 

Please see the below announcement from the KCS regarding Tropical Storms and potential impact to Mexican Rail Operations:

June 30, 2011 KCS de Mexico prepare for tropical storms

 

Due to tropical storms from Veracruz to Tamaulipas, KCS de Mexico is taking preventive action to mitigate the potential effects of flooding or hurricanes in the Doña Cecilia Yard in Tampico, Tamaulipas.   KCS de Mexico's emergency plan is now in effect.  All inventory from the Doña Cecilia Yard is being moved to safer locations on line.  The dispatch center and security teams are in position to provide additional support to these shipments.  Material and equipment to repair the track, if necessary, are being staged on line, as are mobile mechanical units.   At 11:00 p.m. last night, all operations at the Doña Cecilia Yard will be suspended.  Operations are expected to resume 20-22 hours later, depending on weather conditions.  Some delays may occur at points of interchange.   Updates will be provided as they become available.  Please direct questions about these preventative actions or your shipment to the Customer Solutions Center in Mexico at 0-1-800-849-6145 (from Mexico) or 1-888-812-9512 (from the U.S.) or the Customer Solutions Center in the U.S. at 1-800-468-6527 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Kansas City Southern published this notice on June 25, 2011:

June 25, 2011 Weather Interruptions; Maintenance work will impact service in Midwest

 

Due to heavy rainfall and flooding in the Midwest region, Kansas City Southern is anticipating service delays or outages at key interchange points near Kansas City, Mo. Maintenance of way work will also affect service and cause delays on the Pittsburg subdivision between Kansas City and Pittsburg, Ks. Kansas City Southern continues to monitor the situation and work with connecting carriers on alternate routing options. Please contact Customer Solutions at 800-GO-TO-KCS if you have any questions.

Here's the latest from CPRS regarding the devastating flooding impacting their line. 

Please see the below notice from CPRS:

May 23, 2011

Due to devastating tornados in the Joplin, MO area, the Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad, part of the RailAmerica Network, reports today that all Joplin, MO runs are currently on hold pending full evaluation of damages. QTS will continue to monitor this situation, and the impact these storms have on rail traffic.

Here's the latest information from the CP rail on thaw conditions in the northern corridors:

May 9, 2011

   Customer Bulletin: May 9 Update on Spring Conditions
   CP's Spring Contingency Plan is in full effect as some areas in Manitoba and North Dakota experience high water.
   Current update:
*       Due to soft track conditions on the Portal subdivision of CP's mainline near Kenmare, ND we have experienced intermittent outages. The line currently remains open.  Reroute and detour options are also being utilized and shipment delays of up to 24 hours can be expected for some traffic in the area.
               *        On the Newtown subdivision the line is out of service near Newtown, ND as well as between Ryder and Makoti, ND due to continued soft track conditions caused by high water.
               *        The Manitoba Government has removed the dike at Emerson MB and CP's Emerson subdivision opened last Monday to limited traffic. Conditions in the area have improved. Traffic levels through the corridor are increasing and are expected to return to normal operating levels by early this week.
               *        The municipality of Brandon has declared a State of Emergency for all of Brandon, MB. Though there are some road and highway impacts, local yard operations remain open with limited impacts.  The Assiniboine River is expected to crest in the next few days.
               *        The branchline between Napinka and Killarney, MB is out of service due to high water and soft track conditions.

   To see the areas that are out of service and under watch, please click here<http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/Customers/Existing+Customers/Spring+thaw+2011.htm>.

   As the conditions change, embargos will be amended and/or removed. To view or subscribe to updates on embargoed locations, please click here<https://aarembargo.railinc.com/epdb/public.do>.

   We will continue to monitor our network and provide regular updates. For up-to-date information on specific impacts to your shipments or other problem resolution inquiries, please contact your Customer Service Account Representative at 1-888-333-8111, selecting Option 1, then Option 1 again to enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN), then press the # sign. Using your PIN when you call bypasses the general queue and routes you directly to your assigned rep or to a backup in the event your rep is not available. If you do not have a PIN or have forgotten it, please send an email to your rep or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it <mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it > and one will be sent to you for future use.

   To trace your shipment, visit www.mycpr.ca<http://www.mycpr.ca/>.

   Ian MacKay
   Vice President, Customer Services
   & Intermodal Operations

Here's the latest update from the CPRS on spring thaw conditions in the north: