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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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      <title>Analysis and Forecast of Railway Freight Ton-Kilometers (RFTK) Based On Railroad Transportation Supply Ability</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2281549</link>
      <description><![CDATA[On the one hand, China's railway transportation supply ability still cannot satisfy the current transportation demand. And the elasticity of transportation demand about RFTK is quite small; On the other hand, the factors influencing RFTK are so many that they can't all be considered completely in the course of building the model (HAO Jia, 2004). And there is often multicollinearity between the factors which affects the effect of the model. This causes a difficult question of how to choose reasonable influence factors in the course of modeling. The partial least squares regression method (PLS) is used to process multicollinearity of variables. And this paper compares the effects of the three modeling patterns for choosing the economic factors, the supply factors and the mix of the two factors. The comparison indicates that the modeling pattern for selecting the supply factors is better. Finally, the article selects the factors reflecting the supply capacity of the railway transportation by the grey relevance degree, and builds a partial least squares regression model (WANG Huiwen, 1999). Comparing the partial least squares regression model with the grey forecast model, the results show that the partial least squares regression model has higher precision and a better effect for the forecast of the railway ton-kilometers when the supply factors are selected as the independent variables.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:59:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2281549</guid>
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      <title>Covered Hopper Car Supply for Grain: Impacts on the State of North Dakota</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1969837</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this study is to appraise the issues and problems of rail car supply in North Dakota from the shippers' perspectives. The study also attempts to provide recommendations for future research in this area, with special attention given to examining carrier and shipper concerns. However, the study makes no policy recommendations of its own.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 07 Jun 2022 11:04:04 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1969837</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>A Base Study of the Box and Hopper Car Supply Problem in the United States</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1886659</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The major objective of this study is to identify and analyze national and district trends in boxcar and covered hopper car ownership. The specific objectives of this study are: 1) to review boxcar and covered hopper loadings; 2) to analyze and compare three railroad samples in respect to ownership and loading trends by geographic area; 3) to analyze the economics of current per diem rates; and 4) to describe the physical facilities for unloading boxcars and covered hopper cars at grain port terminal elevators.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 24 Oct 2021 17:10:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1886659</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Looking to Re-energize</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1514542</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In this article, the author discusses challenges faced by railcar builders serving the market for crude oil, ethanol, coal and other energy-related commodities. Following a collapse of crude-by-rail shipments and a decline in coal consumption by electric power plants, thousands of tank cars and hopper cars were sent into long-term storage; railroads and lessors find themselves having to work off a substantial overhang of car inventory. The article profiles the adjustments being made by a number of railcar builders and suppliers, including FreightCar America, based in Chicago, Illinois; Vertex Railcar Corp., based in Wilmington, North Carolina; National Steel Car, based in Hamilton, Ontario; and Baier Rail, based in Seattle, Washington.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 17 Sep 2018 17:18:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1514542</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Out of the Desert and into a New Rail-World Order</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1514530</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This article explores the future of rail freight, particularly focusing on the pricing outlook and railcar market stabilization. The authors predict continued growth in intermodal volumes as well as solid industrial activity that will boost traffic and offset a projected weakness in coal and automotive. An improved pricing outlook is reflected in a prediction by The Third-Quarter 2017 Railroad Shipper Survey that rail pricing will be up 3.2% over the next 6 to 12 months. Tightening truckload market trends and an underlying solid macroeconomic backup appear to play an important role in the near-term pricing dynamics. The year's third quarter saw stability in railcar demand, with strength in mid-sized and small-cube covered hoppers, intermodal equipment and Class F cars offset by modest weaknesses in boxcars, hi-cube covered hoppers and tank cars. It is predicted that railcar deliveries will expand from 49,500 in 2019 to 60,000 in 2022.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 17 Sep 2018 17:18:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1514530</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessing the Potential for Improved Functioning of the Grain Merchandising/Transportation System</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1530316</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Since the end of the surplus grain car situation that characterized much of the 1980s, sudden surges in demand have strained the rail grain transportation system with greater frequency, creating recurring problems for shippers and carriers. Public debate has tended to narrowly identify the problem as a grain "car shortage." This study examines the functioning of the grain merchandising/transportation system, of which car supply is only one aspect. It provides a description of the commercial functioning and efficiency of the grain merchandising/transportation system in periods of "normal" and "surging" demand, and an analysis of the trends in rail capacity for grain movement, including factors that affect it. The study found that the term "car shortage" is somewhat of a misnomer. During periods of peak demand, there have been no reports of grain shortages, i.e., feeders/processors ceasing operation, or long queues of ships at ports waiting to load grain. In many respects, the problem centers on the allocation of profit opportunities among competing grain traders, when profit or trading margins are unusually wide. As one approach to solving the problem, the study recommends the use of market pricing of rail grain cars/grain transport to clear the market and to allocate grain transportation capacity to its most efficient use. Market pricing should also be used to govern access of privately-owned cars to railroad systems.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 13 Aug 2018 22:28:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1530316</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Six Years of Growth</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1467620</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This article presents findings from RaiIInc's annual analysis of the North American revenue-earning fleet. The analysis shows an increase in total fleet, driven primarily by covered hoppers and tank cars. The author discusses the increase in fleet size and presents data on select car types based on the commodities they commonly carry.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 May 2017 08:23:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1467620</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Automatic Approval of Railway Car Requisition Plans for One Type of Car</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1337129</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Approval of car requisition plans is the core and foundation for the preparation of railway daily freight traffic plans, whose preparation efficiency and quality can be improved by optimizing that approval, thereby improving the economic and social benefit of a railway. This paper comprehensively aims to achieve a set of optimization goals for building an automatic approval model of car requisition plans for one type of car, while satisfying a set of constraints. The constraints include the station loading capacity, station unloading capacity, requirement that the total number of approved cars be less than or equal to the planned total number of car loadings for the next day for the railway bureau, number of loaded cars to be delivered to other railway bureaus, throughput capacity of a demarcation station, throughput capacity of bottlenecks, suspension and restriction orders, loading restrictions according to goods category, requirement that the number of approved cars be less than or equal to the requisition number of cars for each batch of car requisition plans, number of empty cars that a station can offer other stations within the same railway bureau, the number of empty cars that a station can obtain from other stations within the same railway bureau, and the requirement that the total number of approved cars of a station be less than or equal to the total number of empty cars that it can make use of the next day. The optimization goals include maximizing the traffic revenue of the railway bureau and the sum of the priority scores of car requisition plans, while minimizing the running kilometers of repositioned empty cars within the railway bureau. LINGO software is used to solve this model accordingly. The feasibility of the model and algorithm is demonstrated for a specific case.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2015 10:03:40 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1337129</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>General Model of Multirailroad Freight Car Management</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1265031</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 24 Oct 2013 06:44:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1265031</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Mind the Gap: Why The Current Case Law on Demurrage Makes Little Sense and Undermines the Federal Statute</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1146670</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Section 1074 of U.S. Code Title 49 gives railroad the statutory responsibility to establish and collect demurrage charges in order to fulfill national needs related to (1) freight car use and distribution, and (2) maintenance of an adequate supply of freight cars.  However, in 2010, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear argument in Norfolk Southern Ry. Co. v. Groves, a case that created a circuit split as to the application of demurrage rules to warehouses and other intermediaries in rail transportation. The author of the current paper contends that by declining to hear argument in this case, a lower court ruling that highlighted and expanded a regulatory gap that undermines the purpose of 49 U.S.C. 10746 was permitted to stand. This regulatory gap relies on designations such as "consignee" and "in care of" that railroads do not use. The courts' continued reliance on these terms and the common law of contracts allow parties who bear responsibility for the inefficient handling of freight cars to avoid responsibility for demurrage charges. The author calls for the United States Surface Transportation Board to act aggressively to fill the demurrage gap by making the statute paramount and providing guidance to the courts so that the statute is not impeded by common law.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:50:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1146670</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Freight Cars: A Red-hot Market</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1114439</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This article describes how a huge bulge in freight car orders in this year’s first quarter sent waves of optimism through an industry that is the bedrock of the railway supply business. However, there were also undercurrents of concern. Hope that the freight car industry was coming out its recession slump was tempered by fears that the sudden feast of orders might produce a shortage of castings and other components. This new surge in orders caused some manufacturers to wonder if this would cause the same problem that overtook the industry in 1978-1979. That was when buyers, spurred by newly created per-diem incentives, flooded the marketplace with order for 127,000 cars in a single year. At that time, there were nearly 20 carbuilders versus today’s six and they had to scramble to find scarce parts to keep the assembly lines moving. The article attempts to balance demand with the production of new cars.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Aug 2011 07:43:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1114439</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Good (Traffic) Driver</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1114448</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Class I executives outlook on North American freight railroads ranges from cautiously optimistic to bullish. There is reason to be optimistic now that automobile manufactures have managed their financial problems. The automotive segment is helping to keep Class Is on the road to revenue growth. This article reviews the recent history of the industry and set out what is necessary to keep Class Is generating revenue.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Aug 2011 07:43:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1114448</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Fleet Stats: Facts, Figures and Silver Linings Amid the Uncertainties of a Game-Changing Recession</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/899202</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This series of articles presents perspectives on rail car leasing, locomotive orders, and passenger car purchases. In addition, the following statistics are included: 1) selected car fleet data; 2) railroad car owners; 3) private car owners; 4) freight cars installed by Class I railroads and others; 5) changes in the U.S. freight car fleet; 6) U.S. freight cars by type and age; 7) Class I locomotives; and, 8) passenger rail vehicle statistics.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:25:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/899202</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Railroad Restructuring</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/865127</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper describes how it seems appropriate at the outset to consider the meaning (in the context of today’s rail problem) of the word “restructuring.” Presumably it does mean rehabilitation, since that important subject is separately discussed in another paper, but restructuring may in some cases may be a prerequisite to or at least a handmaiden of rehabilitation. It seems clear that restructuring is intended to alleviate the specific ill of today’s railroads in the United States which many writers refer to as Balkanizaiton. It is the corporate structure and the geographic extent of the corporation’s ownership or trackage rights, and thus operating rights, with which the paper is concerned.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:24:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/865127</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Non-Railroad-Owned Freight Cars: Issues and Compensation Practices</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/865120</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper creates awareness about certain increasingly important issues of railroad car supply, namely, issues surrounding the providing and usage of non-railroad-owned freight cars. The paper discusses the increasing usage of these cars for rail transportation, and compares schemes for their supply and use. The issues of ownership cost compensation trends for these cars are also addressed.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:24:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/865120</guid>
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