Latest news with #Watco
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Train derailment reported Friday near White Lake along Interstate 90
May 9—WHITE LAKE — A train carrying grain derailed on Friday in Aurora County in central South Dakota. The derailment occurred shortly after 3 p.m. Friday at the railway bridge over Platte Creek near mile marker 294 along Interstate 90. The incident took place about 3 miles west of White Lake. Aurora County Emergency Manager Skyler Kehn said Friday night that there were no injuries in the incident and that the train was carrying corn at the time of the crash. The derailment involved eight rail cars with spilled grain, right next to the interstate traffic near the Platte Creek railway bridge. One of the rail cars came completely off the tracks, Kehn said, as the train derailed in the middle of its nearly mile-long span. Kehn said cleanup of the debris is likely to take place starting on Monday. The rail line is operated by Ringneck and Western Railroad, which is the subsidiary of Kansas-based Watco. The company has operated the railroad since 2021, after purchasing the rail line between Mitchell and Presho from the state of South Dakota. Check back with for more on this story.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
People protest non-supply of water during summer days
Berhampur: Residents of Marthapeta Street in the silk city staged a protest on Thursday against disruption of water supply to their area for the last two days. The protesters, placing empty pots and buckets on the road, demanded immediate supply of water. "Water supply to our area was stopped for the last two days without any prior intimation. Several people in the area suffered a lot due to it," said Swarnalata, a woman. "As there is no alternative source, we were forced to buy bottled water for drinking," said Mami, another said they informed engineers of Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO), Berhampur, about non-supply of water to their areas on Wednesday. As no action was taken to solve the crisis, they were forced to stage a protest, they added. Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said India foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so far Water was supplied to the area through water tankers on the intervention of MLA (Berhampur) K. Anil Kumar. General manager, Watco, Berhampur, Bikash Chandra Padhy said water supply to a portion of Marthapeta Street is hit from Wednesday due to replacement of pipe in Nilanchal Sahi, an area that adjoins Marthapeta. "Some families were affected," he said."Work is going on in full swing and is expected to be completed soon. We will supply water through the pipe to the area as soon as the work is completed. Currently, there is no scarcity of water in the city," he is supplying around 70 to 80 million litres of water daily to the city from the water supply projects at Jagadalpur and Dakshinpur. The water level of reservoirs improved following the recent rains in the district, he Feb last year, govt inaugurated the 'drink from tap' system, aiming to supply water to all 55,261 households in Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) to get 24X7 water supply through the taps.
New Indian Express
26-04-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Odisha's Jhupudipara faces water crisis as tube well fails, tanker services delayed
JHARSUGUDA: Residents of Jhupudipara in ward no-1 of Brajrajnagar town are in the grip of an acute water crisis with the lone deep tube-well in the locality becoming defunct amid grossly inadequate tanker supply. Surrounded by coal mines, the ward is among the localities under Brajrajnagar municipality worst hit by water scarcity. The Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) provides a water tanker once every four days, but locals allege that it fails to serve the purpose. With the lone deep tube-well out of service, residents - especially women - are forced to stand in long queues and cover a distance of one to four km under the scorching sun to fetch water. Any disruption in power supply further worsens the situation, making it impossible to draw water even from nearby sources, alleged Chanda Sahaney, a resident. 'The prevailing severe hot conditions with temperature crossing 48 degree Celsius in the coal belt have exacerbated the crisis. Due to underground mining activities, the level of both groundwater and surface water has significantly dropped. Leakages in pipeline connections laid by Watco are also obstructing supply to human settlements,' claimed Sahaney. Another resident Madhusudan Rawal alleged that repeated appeals to the authorities concerned to repair the defunct tube-well and damaged pipelines have been ignored. Criticising the inaction of both the municipal authorities and MCL, he said though local councillor Prabhrithi Gadnayak has raised the issue multiple times, no action has been taken to provide relief to the water-starved residents. Watco general manager Subrata Nayak said a piped water supply project in the area is in final stages and leaking pipelines are being repaired. He assured that tanker supply will be made regular until the pipeline system is fully operational. Acting chairman of Brajrajnagar municipality Gopal Sitani said all irregularities in water distribution in slum areas will be addressed. The MCL authorities will be notified for further assistance.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Could short lines come to the rescue of Class I railroads?
DENVER — There's a pachyderm of a quandary haunting the executive conference rooms of Class I railroads, and short lines may be the solution. Carload volumes have been falling since 2008-2009, almost a generation's worth of declines that began with the global financial crisis and accelerated during the fall of coal and the hollowing out of the American manufacturing base. The current environment represents nothing less than a service crisis for the largest carriers. It's a crisis that has been intensified by the impact on and of regulators such as the Surface Transportation Board and Federal Railroad Administration, as well as legislators, said consultant Anthony Hatch in a presentation at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) conference. There is a new focus on carload service thanks to comprehensive data on pickup and delivery of individual freight cars, the labor-intensive switching known as 'first mile/last mile,' 'and it ain't pretty,' said Hatch, whose trademark salty analysis belies a Harvard degree. Service failures, he said, are 'manna' to the STB, which is concerned with rail market power and rate pricing. 'The STB has used common carrier obligations as a lever, such as in the case of Union Pacific/Foster Farms, to focus on weekly switching.' In that 2023 case, the STB ordered UP (NYSE: UNP) to run trains to a California poultry producer after the shipper filed petitions for emergency service orders when it faced significant disruptions in delivery of feed and other supplies by rail. The solution to these service issues, Hatch said, is increased use of or even the creation of short lines, which have consistently outpaced Class Is in carloads. (One attendee agreed, telling FreightWaves, anonymously, how a Class I railroad suddenly withdrew service to a local lumber supplier. The company promptly bought the line and started its own railroad to maintain its connection to the national rail network.) Hatch emphasized the service aspect of short lines and how their flexible corporate structures make them well suited as the entrepreneurs of railroading. 'Short lines offer tailored, customizable switching services, have better work rules and less severe labor shortages,' he said. 'Short lines are also looked upon quite favorably by regulators and legislators.' Hatch offered as a shortline success story Watco's acquisition in 2020 of chemical giant Dow's (NYSE: DOW) North American rail operations, in particular the Dutchtown Southern Railroad, which connects to Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI) in Geismar, Louisiana. Watco 'increased switching to seven from three to five times per week and grew carloads by more than one-third in the first year of operations,' said Hatch. 'That's a win for the customer who gets more switches, a win for Watco with new business and a win for the Class I partner CN, which gets more cars for its long-haul business.' However, Hatch said that success has raised a contradictory question of why the recent momentum of Class I strategy seemingly is to buy or retake short lines. He pointed to then-Canadian Pacific's (NYSE: CP) acquisition of the Central Maine & Quebec in 2020; Pan Am's sale to CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) in 2022 and the 2024 deal that saw BNSF acquire Montana Rail Link. Hatch said he supports the 'feed the beast' strategy on the part of Class Is to extend market reach, such as by CN from 2018-2021. 'However, that should not preclude thoughtful Class I shortline partnerships that solve customer problems,' said Hatch. RailPulse, for instance, is a freight car database owned by a coalition of car builders, lessors, Class Is and short lines. Nonetheless, Hatch told the session, he has seen no evidence of Class I leadership taking steps toward more such partnerships. But he did acknowledge more meetings and discussions taking place between Class Is and short lines, facilitated by ASLRRA. Subscribe to FreightWaves' Rail e-newsletter and get the latest insights on rail freight right in your inbox. Find more articles by Stuart Chirls rail traffic sees second double-digit increase of 2025 Tax credits, truck limits top small railroads' DC agenda 4 SONAR charts to watch for tariff impacts Fuchs: Efficient Surface Transportation Board will foster rail competition, growth The post Could short lines come to the rescue of Class I railroads? appeared first on FreightWaves. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A Kansas equity company is buying Michigan's Great Lakes Central Railroad. What we know
A Pittsburg, Kansas-based railroad equity company this week announced it has agreed to purchase a mid-Michigan regional hauler that runs from Ann Arbor to northern Michigan. Watco Railroad Company Holdings announced on Thursday that it has reached an agreement to purchase Great Lakes Central Railroad, "the largest Class III regional railroad in Michigan with approximately 400 miles of track stretching through central and northern Michigan." "We are committed to honoring the history of the GLC and building upon our strong partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation and our valued customers,' Watco CEO Dan Smith said. The agreement will enhance Watco's presence in the state of Michigan, the company said, complementing services provided by Watco's Grand Elk and Ann Arbor railroads. Watco did not disclose the purchase price in the press release or say when the transfer of ownership would take place. It said line operations will begin pending approval by the Surface Transportation Board, which has jurisdiction over railroad rate, practice, and service issues and rail restructuring transactions, including mergers, line sales, line construction, and line abandonments. Here's what we know about the deal. Watco calls itself a "full-service supply chain solutions company." "We provide rail, transloading, terminal and port, and logistics services. Our privately owned company, headquartered in Pittsburg, Kansas, has nearly 5,000 team members and has been recognized by Forbes and Newsweek for our outstanding culture," the company website says. Watco was founded in 1983 and now owns and operates a network of short line railroads, terminals, and ports throughout North America and Australia. The company operates 62 railroad companies, including Grand Elk Railroad and Ann Arbor Railroad in Michigan. AAR operates primarily in southeast Michigan from Ann Arbor to Toledo. Grand Elk has about 300 miles of track in southwest Michigan and portions of the Upper Peninsula. Great Lakes Central Railroad is based in Owosso and its rail lines run north from Ann Arbor to Cadillac, with branches to Thompsonville, Traverse City, and Petoskey, Watco said in the release. 'The Great Lakes Central Railroad has been a vital part of Michigan's transportation network and both my father, Louis P. Ferris Jr., and I have been deeply passionate about its role in connecting industries and communities,' GLCR President and CEO Jennifer Ferris said in a release. 'With Watco as a longtime partner since 2013, we are confidentthey will honor the legacy we have built while continuing to serve Michigan's industries and communities with the same dedication and excellence.' GLC covers about 420 miles of track serving 15 Michigan counties, the GLC interchanges with the CSXT, Mid-Michigan Railroad, Huron and Eastern Railway, Canadian National, and Watco's Ann Arbor Railroad, which provides connectivity to Norfolk Southern. The GLC ships a range of commodities, including soybeans, corn, and other agricultural products, fertilizers, plastics, and LPG. The company says it handles about 48,000 annual shipments and "help(s) our partners transport over 24,000 carloads annually." The Surface Transportation Board has divided the freight railroads into three categories based on their operating revenue. According to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, those categories are: Class I railroads: annual operating revenue over $489.9 million. Class II railroads: annual operating revenue between $39.2 million and $489.9 million. Class III railroads: annual operating revenue of less than $39.2 million. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, there are 29 railroads operating in Michigan, most of which are small, regional companies. Michigan's rail system has approximately 3,600 miles of rail corridors. Four of the seven Class I railroads operate in Michigan. The system carries about 17% of all the state's freight tonnage and 21% of the commodities by value. The system also supports three intercity passenger-rail routes. "Watco has a long history of working with the Michigan Department of Transportation through its two other short line railroads in Michigan,' said Peter Anastor, MDOT Office of Rail director. 'We look forward to growing our strong partnership with Watco in preserving and enhancing critical rail service in Michigan, while providing excellent service to customers along the state-owned rail corridor between Ann Arbor and northern Michigan." This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Owosso, Michigan, railroad purchased by Kansas company. What it means
