NIZANDA, Mexico — Eleven days after a derailment that killed 14 people, two lines of Mexico’s Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec remain closed, with no estimate when they will reopen. Along with the trans-isthmus railway’s Z Line, where the Interoceanic Train derailed on Dec. 28, an additional route known as the K Line also remains […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — CEOs with strongly opposing views of the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger will be the keynote speakers at the annual winter meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, a key annual gathering of railroad officials and customers where discussion of the merger is likely to be the leading topic. The event at […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic fell 4% for the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Volume for the week was 404,293 carloads and intermodal units, with 192,665 carloads, down 2.8% from the corresponding week a year earlier, and 211,628 containers and trailers, down 5.1%. Because of the […]
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Watco has announced changes in its leadership, adding new or additional roles for several of its top executives. CEO Dan Smith, who joined Watco in 2009 and became CEO in 2018, has also become executive chairman of the Watco board of directors, while Rick Baden, previously executive vice president and chief financial […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX has laid off 166 management employees, about 5% of the non-union workforce, in cuts announced to employees today (Jan. 7). Other cost-cutting moves, according to Trains sources, include cuts to some management benefits and furloughs to 193 conductors, including 61 covered by the railroad’s Baltimore & Ohion union agreement and 132 […]
Norfolk Southern next week will shift its Chicago-New England intermodal trains to a faster CSX trackage-rights route east of the Albany, N.Y., area thanks to the completion of bridge-clearance projects on CSX’s former Pan Am Railways main line between Worcester and Ayer, Mass. NS trains 264 and 265 currently run single-stack to and from the […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Chief Marketing Officer Tom Williams warned customers on Tuesday, Jan. 6, that the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger “poses serious risks to competition, service, and your supply chain.” BNSF has had time to review the 6,692-page UP-NS merger application that was filed with federal regulators on Dec. 19, Williams […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today said it aims to repeal regulations that have effectively prevented sole-served carload and bulk shippers from seeking access to a second railroad. The regulations cover reciprocal switching, through routes, and through rates. The STB’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would jettison Part 1144 of the federal code of regulations, […]
Athearn N FMC offset double-door boxcar Scale: N (1:160) Price: $29.99 to $34.99 Era: 1977+ to 2000s+ (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn N FMC offset double-door boxcar features: Body-mounted McHenry couplers Die-cast metal underbody with cast center sill, brake system, and crossmember detail […]
GAVIOTA, Calif. — Union Pacific and Amtrak operations along the Coast Line in Santa Barbara County have been shut down by a washout that led to an incident in which a maintenance worker was injured. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department reports it responded at 7:47 a.m. today (Jan. 6, 2026) to an incident north […]
CARTHAGE, N.Y. — A long-dormant Upstate New York rail line has returned to life after 25 years of inactivity. Genesee Valley Transportation subsidiary Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern restored freight rail service to its Newton Falls Line on Nov. 7, 2025, operating a five-car train to Benson Mines, N.Y. The five gondolas, bracketed by MA&N Alco […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration announced it has collected $15.4 million in civil penalties from Class I railroads under what it calls a new streamlined settlement negotiation process. The process involves discussions on the most significant cases while continuing to collect data to improve railroad safety, the FRA says. Class I railroads and Amtrak […]
