OMAHA, Neb. — When Jim Vena walked into the Union Pacific Center for the first time as CEO two years ago today, he was toting a black, spiral bound notebook that he takes everywhere. Among the entries jotted on the back pages — where he lists ideas, priorities, and possibilities — was a single word, […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remained ahead of 2024 levels for a sixth consecutive week, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Aug. 9, traffic totaled 511,194 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3% compared to the same week a year ago. That includes 227,327 […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration today disbanded its Railroad Safety Advisory Committee as part of a broader Department of Transportation push to bring federal advisory panels in line with a presidential executive order. “These committees are long overdue for a refresh. Many have not held a single meeting in over a year, while others […]
MIAMI — Florida passenger rail operator Brightline is reissuing almost a billion dollars of private activity bond debt for which a mandatory redemption has come due. The more than 1,300-page Series 2025B “Limited Remarketing Memorandum” distributed to interested parties Tuesday has a term rate of 10%, but is expected to yield 15% to bondholders of […]
Most railfans will not dispute this statement: The most iconic General Electric locomotives to be employed by Amtrak were the Genesis series. These streamlined, monocoque-body (single shell) workhorses have been everywhere along the passenger carrier’s regional and long-distance services since the 1990s. The impact of the Genesis series locomotives can make it easy to forget […]
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate has passed a funding bill that would largely use capital funding to maintain transit operations, a move the state’s governor and Democratically-controlled House say is not a viable solution to the funding shortfall that could lead to major service cuts in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Philadelphia-area Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation […]
NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road has added more seating on the mezzanine level of Grand Central Madison, responding to customer requests during a period of rising ridership at the two-year-old facility. The station originally had no seating on the mezzanine — the area between the two levels of tracks well below Grand […]
Amid merger speculation and ongoing freight doldrums, CSX will continue to focus on its own growth, service, and operations initiatives, Chief Commercial Officer Kevin Boone told an investor conference today. “Despite a trucking market that’s not really helpful right now … we are seeing truck conversions coming in every week,” Boone says. “I think that […]
Scenes on David Popp’s Olympia & Sand Creek On30 logging layout are starting look much more rustic…and realistic too! Follow along as David share his techniques for adding trees, detailed ground cover, and even placing a few authentic figures into the scene. View the complete Olympia series exclusively on Trains.com Video! […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Patriot Rail has named Anthony Evett as vice president of design and construction. The appointment of Evett, who has more than two decades of experience in transportation, maritime, and freight infrastructure, was effective as of Monday (Aug. 11, 2025). “Tony Evett brings a rare combination of technical expertise, strategic vision, and collaborative […]
The SONAR data product offers numerous angles to get a read on the freight markets, primarily pertaining to the truckload, rail intermodal, and ocean sectors. One of the major trends in the data this year has been lackluster truckload demand, which SONAR measures as a volume of tenders, or electronically-submitted requests to move loads, directed […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a 3% interim raise while negotiations continue with Union Pacific on a new contract. The agreement covers about 6,000 BLET members at UP. It is effective Sept. 1, 2025, is temporary and will be replaced by wage increases agreed to in […]
