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KCS; KCSM Hurricane Harvey impact


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 25 August 2017 - 04:54 PM

KCSR/KCSM Service Advisory:

 

Weather Alert – Tropical Storm Harvey

August 24, 2017

 

We would like to take this time to inform you of the approaching tropical storm, likely to strengthen into hurricane, posing potential risks to the Texas coast. 

Storm Harvey has produced several inches of rainfall resulting in flash flood warnings in some locations already.  According to the National Hurricane Center (www.nhc.noaa.gov), Harvey is expected to make landfall as a hurricane along the Texas coastline around midnight tomorrow night, Friday, August 25th.
 
With safety of our employees, customers’ shipments and the communities we serve in mind, KCS will temporarily suspend train operations between Kendleton, TX and Laredo, TX beginning around midnight tonight, Thursday, August 24th.   

Heavy rains prior to and after Harvey are expected. As such, we anticipate a delay of 48 – 72 hours as we evaluate the network prior to resuming shipments. We have extra crews assigned to monitor and address the situation firsthand. We are committed to resuming service as soon as it is safe to do so.  

Please look for another communication this weekend after we have assessed Harvey’s impact to the network.  

In the meantime, should you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact our KCS Customer Solutions team who will gladly assist you.  

Please stay tuned for updates on the storm.

 



#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 25 August 2017 - 04:57 PM

KCSR/KCSM Service Alert:

 
Force Majeure enacted for KCSR and KCSM and Embargo placed for KCSR

August 25, 2017

 

As we communicated yesterday, Hurricane Harvey is expected to make landfall tonight on the Texas coast. According to the National Hurricane Center, Harvey is expected to linger over Texas for several days resulting in heavy rainfall and flood warnings.

Service between Kendleton, TX (Houston) and Laredo, TX, was suspended last night, Thursday, August 24th at midnight. As a result of this and other lane closures, KCS (KCSR and KCSM) is enacting Force Majeure and KCSR has placed an embargo effective immediately for all northbound and southbound KCSR cross-border traffic via Laredo and for KCSM connections through Brownsville/Matamoros.

KCSR has registered an embargo from the following connecting carriers to specific service areas on the KCSR and KCSM networks:

KCSR Embargo details:
Origin Carriers: NS, CN, CSX, CPRS, UP, BNSF, and associated shortlines

KCSR/KCSM Destinations: Houston, Corpus Christi, Victoria, Rosenberg, Laredo and Laredo as a junction into Mexico. (Note, depending on the severity of the impact at Beaumont, Port Arthur, Port Neches, Lake Charles and Leesville, an embargo may be placed for these destinations, as well.)

Intermodal: Kendleton, TX and Laredo, TX; all KCSM served intermodal locations

Carload: Houston and all KCSR destinations south of Houston; all KCSM served locations. KCSM can continue to receive auto equipment at Laredo via connections originating in the west.

We appreciate your patience and understanding on the service interruptions and the resultant Force Majeure caused by Hurricane Harvey. We will continue to update you as the status changes.

Should you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact our KCSR or KCSM Customer Solutions teams who will gladly assist you.

* List is not all-inclusive. Please contact your CSC representative for any additional clarifications

 



#3 CNJRoss

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 07:11 AM

KCS news release:

 

Kansas City Southern to Join Employees in Support of Hurricane Harvey Relief

 

 

Kansas City, Mo., August 29, 2017.  Kansas City Southern (KCS) (NYSE: KSU) today announced its charitable fund will immediately donate $50,000 to the American Red Cross to aid in Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in south Texas.  In addition, it will also match employee gifts to the American Red Cross via the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation-KCS Fund, dollar for dollar up to $25,000 for a total possible gift of $100,000 from KCS and its employees. Employee gifts can be made here

The Houston, Texas and Gulf region are central to the KCS rail network with many employees and customers located there.  The safety and well-being of these communities is paramount.  KCS is keeping customers apprised of how the network is affected by Hurricane Harvey through Service Status Updates in the Customer Resources section of www.kcsouthern.com.

KCS continues to monitor the situation and any consequences in other states where employees may be affected in the days ahead, and may provide additional relief.

 



#4 CNJRoss

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Posted 30 August 2017 - 07:14 AM

KCS Service Status Update:

 

Hurricane Harvey update

 

August 28, 2017

 

On Friday, August 25, 2017, we communicated that due to Hurricane Harvey, lane closures between Kendleton, TX (Houston) and Laredo, TX, resulted in a Force Majeure being declared for KCSR and KCSM and an embargo for impacted areas on the KCSR network. These remain in effect.

According to the National Weather Service, Harvey dumped over 20 inches of rain on portions of Southeast Texas since Thursday night and the forward motion of the hurricane has now stalled with another 15 – 25 inches of rainfall expected over the next several days. Some locations may receive as much as 50” of rain. Flooding is occurring throughout the region and there has been little opportunity to assess damage to our network at this time. Forecasts have expanded flood warnings to include the eastern Gulf Region including cities such as Port Arthur, Beaumont and Lake Charles.

We continue to monitor the current weather, the forecast and our network and are working closely with our rail partners to have a plan in place for possible detours should they be needed once the rain subsides and assessments can be made. All rail carriers in this region are impacted, and we are all committed to ensuring the delays are minimized through our active working relationships while keeping our customers, employees and communities we serve top of mind.

For those interested in helping out Hurricane Harvey victims, you can make a donation by TEXTING "Harvey" to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross. The Kansas City Southern Charitable Fund will support recovery efforts through the American Red Cross and other agencies as their specific needs become more clear.

We appreciate your patience and understanding on the service interruptions and the resultant Force Majeure caused by Hurricane Harvey. We will continue to update you as the status changes.

Should you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact our KCSR or KCSM Customer Solutions teams who will gladly assist you.

 

KCSR-Texas-Cities-Harvey-2017.jpg

 



#5 CNJRoss

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Posted 31 August 2017 - 01:10 AM

KCS Service Status Update:

 
Hurricane Harvey update for Wednesday, August 30th, 2017

August 30, 2017

 

Since Friday, August 25, 2017, the lane between Kendleton, TX (Houston) and Laredo, TX, has been closed due to Hurricane Harvey resulting in a Force Majeure being declared for KCSR and KCSM and an embargo for impacted areas on the KCSR network. These remain in effect.

 

According to the National Weather Service, Harvey has dropped record-breaking rainfall surpassing 50 inches for the greatest amount of measured single-storm rainfall for the continental U.S.  Additional rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches are expected around Houston spanning into southwestern Louisiana. Numerous Flash Flood Warnings are in effect. 

 

We continue to monitor the current weather, the forecast and our network and are working closely with our rail partners to have a plan in place for possible detours should they be needed once the rain subsides and assessments can be made. All rail carriers in this region are impacted, and we are all committed to ensuring the delays are minimized through our active working relationships, while keeping our customers, employees and communities we serve top of mind.  

 

Thus far we have not sustained significant damage to our infrastructure.  We continue to monitor the situation which has expanded and is now impacting new areas on our system, namely Beaumont, TX, and Lake Charles, LA. 

 

The Kansas City Southern Charitable Fund announced it will donate $50,000 to the American Red Cross relief efforts and will match KCS employee donations up to $25,000.   For those interested in helping out Hurricane Harvey victims, you can make a donation by TEXTING "Harvey" to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross.

 

We appreciate your patience and understanding on the service interruptions and the resultant Force Majeure caused by Hurricane Harvey. We will continue to update you as the status changes. 

Should you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact our KCSR or KCSM Customer Solutions teams who will gladly assist you.

 

KCSR-Texas-Cities-Harvey-2017.jpg

 



#6 CNJRoss

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Posted 01 September 2017 - 07:07 PM

KCS Service Status Update:

 
Hurricane Harvey update for the weekend beginning Friday, September 1, 2017

September 08, 2017

 

 

One week ago, on Friday, August 25, 2017, the lane between Kendleton, TX (Houston) and Laredo, TX, closed due to Hurricane Harvey. This closure resulted in a Force Majeure being declared for KCSR and KCSM and an embargo for KCSR destinations of  Houston, Corpus Christi, Victoria, Rosenberg, Laredo (when a junction with KCSM only*). These remain in effect.

Assessments of our line have indicated a few areas where maintenance will be required before reopening the line. In areas where we are able to safely access, work has begun. We continue to monitor the entire line from Laredo to Lake Charles for any potential breaches to our line while some areas remain inaccessible for assessments at this time.  

We continue to work closely with our rail partners to have a plan in place for any available detours. Due to the widespread nature of this hurricane, all rail carriers in this region have been impacted.  We remain committed to resuming service via detours or normal operations as soon as possible. The safety of our employees, customers and the communities we serve remain top of mind.  

When we are able to resume transit, delays should be expected on all routes while we reduce backlog and respect imposed speed restrictions given the conditions and repair work.  

The Kansas City Southern Charitable Fund announced it will donate $50,000 to the American Red Cross relief efforts and will match KCS employee donations up to $25,000. For those interested in helping out Hurricane Harvey victims, you can make a donation by TEXTING "Harvey" to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross.

We appreciate your patience and understanding on the service interruptions and the resultant Force Majeure caused by Hurricane Harvey. We will continue to update you as the status changes. 

Should you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact our KCSR or KCSM Customer Solutions teams who will gladly assist you.

*KCSM (specifically over Laredo) is open to connections not coming via the route through southeastern Texas

KCSR-Texas-Cities-Harvey-2017.jpg

 



#7 CNJRoss

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Posted 11 September 2017 - 03:57 PM

KCS Service Status Update:

 
Network update

September 11, 2017

 

On Saturday night, September 9, 2017, the Beaumont Subdivision was reopened resuming service for cross-border traffic.

The embargo for KCSM traffic over the St Louis and Kansas City interchanges has been lifted. The embargo for KCSM Traffic over other interchanges remains in effect. We will announce other changes as embargoes are lifted.

Delays should be expected on all routes for some time while we reduce backlog and respect imposed speed restrictions given the conditions and repair work. We will continue with detours where possible.

We appreciate your patience and understanding on these service interruptions. We will continue to update you as the status changes.

 

Should you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact our KCSR or KCSM Customer Solutions teams who will gladly assist you.

 

 



#8 CNJRoss

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Posted 13 September 2017 - 09:08 AM

Cross-posted from KCS 17th Annual Holiday Express (2017)

 

KCS news release:

KCS Releases 17th Annual Holiday Express Schedule; Kicks-off Fundraising to Help Kids in Need

 

 

Kansas City, Mo., September 12, 2017.  Kansas City Southern (KCS) (NYSE: KSU) has released its schedule for the 17th annual Holiday Express train, which will stop in 22 communities in six states on 26 dates.  At each stop, visitors can board the train, visit with Santa and his elves and tour the inside of three cars of the festive six-car train.  Each event is free and open to the public.

 

In addition to free, public events, KCS’ Holiday Express has a charitable component.  Over the past 16 years, the project has raised well over $1 million to purchase gift cards, which are donated to The Salvation Army at each scheduled stop.  These gift cards are used to purchase warm clothing and other necessities for children in need in the local community.

 

This year, KCS will work with the Salvation Army to target communities along the route most impacted by Hurricane Harvey for additional support, including Victoria, El Campo, Kendleton and Beaumont, Texas.  For these communities, The KCS Charitable Fund will make a supplemental donation to provide additional support as they recover from the hurricane.

 

KCS and its employees have previously given over $100,000 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Harvey relief.

 

“In 2017, KCS celebrates 130 years of doing business and the 17th annual KCS Holiday Express.  As a company, we value family and community, which is why we are pleased to continue this long-standing tradition of making the holidays a little brighter in communities where we live and work,” said president and chief executive officer Patrick J. Ottensmeyer. “This year, we want to give extra attention to the communities along the route impacted by Hurricane Harvey.”

 

Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to the 2017 KCS Holiday Express fundraising campaign may do so by visiting www.kcsouthern.com > Corporate Responsibility > Holiday Express or by clicking here.  The campaign will close October 31.  

 

The KCS Holiday Express was built on the tradition of the Santa Train, which ran on a segment of the network bought by KCS in 1997.  In 2000, a group of warm-hearted KCS employees noticed that the Santa Train was the only Christmas some kids had, and that some kids did not have essential items like coats, hats and gloves, so they committed to elevating the project.  In 2001, volunteers transformed a retired freight train to the experience that communities throughout KCS' U.S. service territory enjoy today. 

 

Led by KCS’ Southern Belle business train, the Holiday Express train includes a smiling tank car “Rudy”; a flatcar carrying Santa’s sleigh, reindeer and a miniature village; a gingerbread box car; an elves’ workshop; the reindeer stable; and a little red caboose.  Each car is dressed in lights.

 



#9 CNJRoss

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Posted 13 September 2017 - 02:50 PM

KCS Service Status Update:

 
Network update / Embargoes Lifted

 

September 13, 2017

 

 

On Monday, September 11, 2017, we reported that the embargo for KCSM traffic over the St Louis and Kansas City interchanges has been lifted. We are pleased to announce that as of today, September 13, 2017, all embargoes for KCSR and KCSM destinations have been lifted.

 

Delays should be expected on all routes for some time while we reduce backlog and respect imposed speed restrictions.  

 

Additionally, we have been notified by our partners at Norfolk Southern that they have lifted all their remaining embargoes, as well.

 

We appreciate your patience and understanding.

 

Should you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact our KCSR or KCSM Customer Solutions teams who will gladly assist you.

 



#10 CNJRoss

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Posted 13 October 2017 - 03:49 PM

KCS Service Update:

 
KCSR and KCSM ends Force Majeure

 

October 13, 2017

 

On August 25th, 2017, we communicated that network closures due to Hurricane Harvey resulted in both KCSR and KCSM issuing a notice of a Force Majeure for certain traffic.

We are pleased to report that today, October 12, 2017, the Force Majeure condition caused by Hurricane Harvey has ended. This communication lifts the KCSR and KCSM Force Majeure notice related to Hurricane Harvey.

As always, we thank you for your understanding and patience related to this extreme weather event.

 






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