U.S. rail traffic still below 2024 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, along with overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic has remained below 2024 levels for an eighth straight week, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Figures for the week ending Dec. 13, 2025, show U.S. weekly traffic of 518,904 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1.4% from the same week a year ago. Both carloads […]

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Union Pacific to develop industrial park near Houston

Map of available proporty at new industrial park near Rosenberg, Texas

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has announced plans to develop a 2,000-acre industrial park outside Houston that will feature 1,300 acres of rail-served land. The Mainline Texas Industrial Park is just west of Rosenberg, Texas, and about 40 miles southwest of downtown Houston. It will be bordered on one side by the main line of […]

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Engineer and trackworker unions to oppose UP-NS merger

Two crew members stand next to their train as another train passes

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division will oppose the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger despite UP’s promises of lifetime job protection. “This debt-ridden tie-up won’t make rail more competitive with trucks as merger proponents claim,” BLET National President Mark Wallace said in a statement on Wednesday […]

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VIA Rail Canada CEO to step down

Man in suit on station platform with train in background

OTTAWA, Ontario — VIA Rail Canada CEO Mario Péloquin is stepping down, Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon has announced. In a Tuesday, Dec. 16, statement, MacKinnon said he has accepted Péloquin’s resignation “effective Jan. 16, 2026, in order to enjoy retirement after a 41-year career in the industry. I would like to thank Mario for […]

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Lionel No. 7-12124 Battery-Powered Harry Potter Train Set

maroon and black toy train set

Lionel’s No. 7-12124 Battery-Powered Harry Potter Train Set is the perfect way to introduce youngsters to the wonderful hobby of toy trains. How do I know this? Because I used this exciting and entertaining passenger set to introduce my two young grandsons (ages 6 and 4 years) to operating electric trains. Believe me when I […]

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Illinois governor signs bill boosting funds for Chicago transit

Large crowd around man signing document at table

CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday (Dec. 16) signed into law the legislation providing $1.5 billion in new funding for Chicago-area transit and authorizing the restructuring of the Regional Transportation Authority, the parent agency of Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Pace. “This new law not only averts the [fiscal] cliff but preserves […]

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STB renews charter of passenger advisory committee

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has renewed the charter of its Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, the group created to assist the board on issues related to passenger service. The board announced creation of the committee in 2023 and selected 21 members from a group of 90 nominees for the first version of the board […]

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MTA, two private firms unite to rebuild train shed at Grand Central Terminal

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, financial company JPMorgan Chase, and real estate investment firm Vornado have announced public-private partnerships to rebuild the train shed at Grand Central Terminal, which is deteriorating from decades of water, chemical, and salt damage. That deterioration has damaged the concrete and steel beams that hold up Park Avenue […]

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