Angel to CSX employees: ‘Our focus remains clear’

Freight train with blue and yellow locomotives on three-track line surrounded by trees

CSX CEO Steve Angel introduced himself to railroad employees in this memo today. September 29, 2025 A Message from Steve Angel CSX President and Chief Executive Officer CSX Team, Following today’s announcement, I want to introduce myself and share a few thoughts as I begin my role as your President and CEO. Over the coming […]

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Hinrichs bids farewell to CSX employees

Former CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs posted this letter to railroad employees today on LinkedIn. Just over three years ago I came out of retirement to become President & CEO of CSX. I was the first outsider to come in as CEO in the rail industry and also the first one who had actually been a […]

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CSX names new chief executive

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX today named former Linde CEO Steve Angel as its new chief executive, replacing Joe Hinrichs, who led the company for three years but attracted criticism this summer from an activist investor after the railroad’s financial and operational performance slipped. “We are excited to welcome Steve as our new CEO. He is […]

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Amtrak, CN ask STB to extend filing deadline in contract case

Passenger train stops at station

WASHINGTON — Amtrak and Canadian National Railway have asked the Surface Transportation Board to extend the deadline for filings in their long-running dispute over an operating agreement, telling the board they are “actively engaged in discussions aimed at settling this complex and long-standing case.” In a joint filing on Friday, Sept. 26, the two sides […]

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CSX officially opens the Howard Street Tunnel after clearance project

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX today announced the re-opening of the expanded Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore following a double-stack clearance project that began on Feb. 1. “The completion of the Howard Street Tunnel reflects the dedication of our people — a once-in-a-generation achievement that will drive commerce, jobs, and growth across Maryland and the East […]

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STB proposes schedule for review of UP-NS merger (corrected)

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today proposed a procedural schedule it will follow as part of its review of Union Pacific’s $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern. The schedule the board is proposing slightly tweaks the schedule that UP and NS outlined in July. The railroads had proposed reducing the amount of time the […]

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Metra to begin testing Cafe Car prototype

Commuter train with Chicago skyline in background

CHICAGO — Metra will be putting its prototype Café Car into service this fall, rotating it across most of its busiest lines and stations and asking riders to take a survey about whether they like the concept and about what amenities and features they would like to see. The car will make its debut in […]

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Columnist, author Don Phillips dies

Of all the bylines to grace Trains magazine’s pages over its 85-year history, likely none matches the record of transportation journalist and railfan Don Phillips, whose monthly column ran in the publication in two separate stints between 1977 and 2018, and whose feature stories covered everything from the creation of Amtrak and Conrail to Staggers […]

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Intermodal leads weekly U.S. rail traffic decline

WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic declined 2.2% in the week ending Sept. 20 compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads reported today. Total carloads were down 1.8% compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was down 2.5% compared to 2024. Two of the 10 […]

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Amtrak board full with Gleason confirmation: Analysis

Passenger train with Charger locomotive. Amtrak board full with Gleason confirmation: Analysis.

WASHINGTON — The federal government may be headed for a shutdown if 60 U.S. Senators can’t agree on a path forward by the end of the month, but late last week the upper chamber’s lawmakers did vote to confirm Pennsylvania Republican Robert Gleason to a 5-year term on Amtrak’s board of directors [“Senate confirms Robert […]

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