The rail industry is innovating on several fronts with pilot projects to assess alternative fuels for locomotion, automated track and railcar inspection as well as digital initiatives throughout the enterprise. We expect these innovations, along with the possible transition to a single-person crew, to meaningfully bend the cost curve and deliver strong growth in earnings over the next several years. Over the longer-term horizon, we see increased competitive intensity as autonomous trucking becomes commercially viable and could represent a meaningful challenge for the railroads, particularly on short- and medium-haul intermodal freight.

BMO clients can view our report, “On Track: Railroads Innovating for the Long Haul”, by visiting: https://researchglobal0.bmocapitalmarkets.com/research/3a36401d-cd7e-4452-8481-b385ddb81267/

Episode transcript: https://research-ca.bmocapitalmarkets.com/documents/FE0A58E1-97A0-4962-8055-0C4253213745.PDF

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