OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway’s third-quarter profits rose primarily due to higher rates and more efficient operations, corporate parent Berkshire Hathaway reported on Saturday. Pre-tax income rose 3.6%, to $1.91 billion, on flat revenue of $5.88 billion. Net income grew 4.8%, to $1.44 billion. The railway’s operating ratio was 64.1%, a 1-point improvement over a […]
BEAR, Del. — No one was injured, but several structures sustained damage following the explosion of a propane tank on Delmarva Central Railroad maintenance equipment Saturday afternoon (Nov. 1, 2025). Officials say a 500-pound propane tank exploded about 12:30 p.m. because of a malfunction “during the heating process of the tracks,” Robert Fox, deputy chief […]
TRENTON, N.J. — NJ Transit has become the latest rail entity to mark the coming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, wrapping a trainset from its light rail River Line with graphics marking the anniversary in 2026. Photographer Adam Reich captured the trainset testing at the Trenton Transit Center last week. It is one of the […]
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators have asked the Surface Transportation Board to conduct a “rigorous and comprehensive evaluation” of the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, expressing concern about its impact on agricultural producers and its possible impact on competition. “Already highly consolidated, the current landscape of railroads as it exists today represents […]
WASHINGTON — The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division has reached a tentative agreement with Union Pacific, the labor union announced Friday, Oct. 31. The agreement’s basic terms are the same as in the national agreement just ratified by SMART-TD members [see “SMART-TD ratifies …,” Trains.com, Oct. 30, 2025]. It […]
WASHINGTON — The end may not be near — given Amtrak’s current, chronic capacity shortage, exacerbated by last spring’s sudden withdrawal of the Horizon coach fleet — but the company has begun the lengthy process of selling off its most productive and enduring assets: stainless steel Amfleet coaches and cafes that began arriving from the […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National reported higher third-quarter profits today but announced further belt tightening as it expects trade disputes and economic uncertainty to weigh on volumes next year. “As we look to 2026, we see another year of limited volume growth, with a weak outlook for North American industrial production and housing starts, and some […]
NEW YORK — The Amtrak-led project to redevelop New York’s Penn Station announced several steps forward on Thursday, most notably a call for the project’s master developer. A 98-page request for letters of interest available at Amtrak’s procurement site describes the project as a “a comprehensive redevelopment … to transform the station into a modern […]
OAK BROOK, Ill. — Hub Group sees the opportunity to gain 2.5 million intermodal loads from the watershed area in the country’s midsection if the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger is approved. The watershed, the area within a few hundred miles of the Mississippi River that also is the de facto dividing line between the big […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board has approved purchase of 378 R268 subway cars from Kawasaki Railcar under a contract valued at $1.507 billion. The approval came during the board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Tim Mulligan, the MTA’s chief of rolling stock, said the purchase would complete replacement of R68 and R68a […]
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Schneider National’s intermodal growth continued in the third quarter, the No. 3 intermodal operator said on Thursday (Oct. 30), thanks to higher volumes in the East and an ongoing surge cross-border Mexico traffic. Executives said it’s still too early to assess the potential ramifications of Union Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Norfolk […]
Eager to tie the knot, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have asked federal regulators for a faster review of their proposed transcontinental merger, Trains has learned. The Surface Transportation Board in September proposed a roughly 390-day schedule to review the railroads’ $85 billion deal. The calendar includes wiggle room that would allow the board to […]
