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OMAHA, Neb. — The 6,692-page merger application that Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern submitted to federal regulators last week underscores the benefits of the first U.S. transcontinental merger, UP CEO Jim Vena says. Vena came to Union Pacific as CEO in August 2023 with a transcon merger on his to-do list — and has touted […]
New York Central 4-8-4 Niagara 6023 is near the end of its short life as it rambles through Millbury Junction, Ohio, (7.5 miles east of Toledo) with nine-car mail-and-express train X-78 in September 1955. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
CHICAGO — Railcar manufacturer FreightCar America has acquired parts distributor Carly Railcar Components, the companies announced today. Family-owned Carly Railcar Components, founded in 1995, distributes original-equipment components and operates a core-exchange program for remanufactured parts. Headquartered in Irwin, Pa., it also has a location in Orange, Texas. FreightCar America says the acquisition strengthens its aftermarket […]
Rail transit had quite a year in the U.S. … and not in a particularly good way. Financial, equipment, and labor issues all played a part in making at a stressful year for transit operators. The combination of reduced ridership with the post-pandemic shift to more work-at-home opportunities, along with political divisions over funding, make […]
Trains’ annual review of the year’s top stories begins today, in a new, slightly abridged format. After several years of addressing the top 10 stories of the year, we’ve trimmed the list slightly. This year, we’ll be counting down the top five stories starting later this week; before then, we’ll take a look at significant […]
DENVER — With Gov. Jared Polis on hand for the departure, Amtrak’s Winter Park Express launched its 2025-26 season on Friday, Dec. 19. It was the first of 57 scheduled trips for the ski train through March 29. The train is operating three days a week for its first three weekends — Dec. 19-21, Dec. […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vetoed a bill that would have required two-person crews on New York City subway trains. Assembly Bill 4873, sponsored by state Rep. Monique Chandler-Waterman (D-Brooklyn), would mandate that all Metropolitan Transportation Authority trains of two or more cars have a conductor as well as an operator. […]
BALTIMORE — The B&O Railroad Museum will unveil the newly restored American Freedom Train No. 1 on Jan. 12, 2026. The locomotive is one of three steam engines that pulled the American Freedom Train during its 1975-76 tour celebrating the U.S. bicentennial. The event will also start a yearlong series of America 250 events at […]
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern currently have more than 2,300 locomotives in storage and anticipate, at least initially, a further reduction in motive-power needs if the railroads are allowed to merge, the railroads say in their application to the Surface Transportation Board. But the combined railroad would need more than 1,000 additional locomotives by year […]
Reactions to the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger filing began collecting shortly after the 6,992-page, four-volume document was released early Friday, with most expressing skepticism about the benefits of the first transcontinental merger. Trade groups representing shippers, which had previously indicated concerns about the merger, have issued renewed statements of opposition. Chet Thompson, president and CEO […]
WASHINGTON — The Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application filed with the Surface Transportation Board on Friday attempts to explain away adverse effects on passenger trains by vague promises of future “targeted infrastructure enhancements,” but generally doesn’t outline what those might be. In one case, a combined UP-NS proposes adding nine daily freights to a single-track […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has clarified and stepped up enforcement of requirements that cross-border train crews demonstrate English proficiency, the Department of Transportation announced today (Dec. 19). The actions come after inspectors encountered Mexican crews at Texas gateways who appeared to have difficulty interpreting track bulletins and communicating safety requirements in English. In […]
