Berkshire & Eastern proves good service drives growth: Analysis

Pat Ottensmeyer, the late Kansas City Southern chief executive, had a favorite saying: Service begets growth. It’s not the most catchy phrase you’ll ever hear. But it’s true. And nowhere is that more apparent than in New England, where Genesee & Wyoming’s Berkshire & Eastern is growing a bumper crop of freight in the middle […]

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Capacity pinch points trigger Thanksgiving Amtrak sellouts, high fares

Large crowds waiting for trains in Chicago

CHICAGO — As expected, shortened consists and surging holiday demand are responsible for Amtrak sellouts across the country, notably on segments of virtually every long-distance train nearest population centers, as well as on the Pacific Northwest’s Cascades, New York State’s Empire Service, and Midwest corridors. Repeating their analysis earlier this year for the Labor Day […]

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Railroads debate merits of mergers and alliances

NEW YORK — BNSF Railway, Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are touting interline partnerships as a way to gain new volume without having the regulatory and service-meltdown risks associated with a merger. But Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern say alliances are built on a foundation of sand, and can shift with the whims […]

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British government freezes train fares in England

LONDON — Train fares in England will be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the British government announced on Sunday, in a move it said would address the cost of living and aid economic growth. “We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save […]

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Three state attorneys general voice support for UP-NS merger

Freight train led yellow locomotive with Chicago skyline in background

WASHINGTON — Attorneys General in three states — including the headquarters states of both railroads — have announced their support for the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. In a Nov. 20 letter to Surface Transportation Board Chairman Patrick J. Fuchs, Attorneys General Chris Carr of Georgia, Mike Higlers of Nebraska, and J.B. McCuskey of West […]

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New York MTA opens facility to inspect, test subway equipment

Interior of servicing facility for subway equipment

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has opened a new Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility, where the MTA will inspect and test new subway cars and other equipment before it is placed into service. The facility — the first new subway-car facility opened by the MTA since 1948 — is near the South Brooklyn Marine […]

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News photo: Minnesota Commercial introduces America 250 locomotive

Red, white, and blue GE locomotive

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Commercial Railway has joined the growing number of railroads with locomotives commemorating the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in 2026, introducing B36-7 No. 76 in red, white, and blue paint on Thursday (Nov. 25). The locomotive was built by General Electric in 1985 for Seaboard System. Before coming to Minnesota […]

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