Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern confirmed this morning that they are engaged in advanced merger discussions that would create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad. “There can be no assurances as to whether an agreement for a transaction will be reached or as to the terms of any such transaction,” the railroads said. UP and NS […]
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WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remains up after a brief dip in June, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending July 19, rail traffic totaled 506,882 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.6% compared with the same week a year ago. It is the third straight week […]
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX may not be out shopping for a merger partner, but the railroad will consider proposals that would raise shareholder value, improve service, and lead to profitable growth. “We know there’s been a lot of rumor and speculation about consolidation in the railroad industry in recent weeks,” CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs said […]
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OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has announced a pair of new domestic intermodal lanes, with new service linking the Pacific Northwest with Chicago as well as between Memphis and Dallas. On Saturday, UP will launch daily service from Tacoma, Wash., to its Global 4 terminal in Joliet, Ill., outside Chicago. “This service will be complementary […]
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX’s second-quarter profits slumped as unfavorable changes in traffic mix drove a revenue decline and costs rose amid congestion and detours related to a pair of main line outages. But executives said they were encouraged by the pace of the railroad’s operational recovery during the quarter, which produced improvements in on-time performance. […]
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WASHINGTON — A Union Pacific conductor was seriously injured during a shoving move when the car on which he was riding sideswiped a trackmobile on an adjacent track, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on the June 23, 2025, incident in Lexington, Neb. The incident occurred about 12:33 p.m., and involved […]
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News & Products for the week of July 21st 2025 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of July 21st, […]
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WASHINGTON — Amtrak would have owed Canadian National $1.4 million for delays its passenger trains caused to CN freights last year under the CN’s proposal for a new operating agreement, according to a document filed with the Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday (July 22, 2025). The CN filing and one from Amtrak are in response […]
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INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and Union Pacific have reached tentative agreement on an interim 3% raise for BLET members while bargaining for a full contract continues. The union said in a press release that if ratified, the interim agreement would be effective Sept. 1 and provide the raise to […]
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MONTREAL — Canadian National lowered its outlook for the year — and pulled its longer-term guidance today — in response to ongoing trade- and tariff-related economic uncertainty. CN delivered the news while releasing its second-quarter financial results, which included higher operating income despite lower revenue and flat volume. “A few months ago, trade deals seemed […]
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BNSF Railway has not engaged with investment bankers about a possible railroad merger, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett told CNBC today. Yesterday Semafor and Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that BNSF had hired Goldman Sachs to advise the railroad about mergers. But Buffett said neither he nor Greg Abel, the […]
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WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration will lose about 33% of its staff as a result of buyouts offered by the Trump administration, well above the 7% figure for the Department of Transportation as a whole, Politico reports. The news site’s review of data found 4,127 employees took the deferred resignation “fork in the road” […]
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