BNSF, Union Pacific deliver perfect peak seasons for intermodal customers

BNSF Railway and Union Pacific say they delivered perfect peak seasons for their parcel customers during the holiday rush of 2025. BNSF says its teams safely delivered more than 80 million parcel shipments on time — a 9% increase over volumes in the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas period of 2024. “Every year at BNSF, we come together to […]

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STB chairman updates status of pending proceedings

Freight train with yellow locomotives in mountains

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today released an update on the status of 13 pending proceedings, with Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs indicating decisions are expected this month in four of the matters, with draft decisions to be presented in three others. All others should see action by May, according to the press release. Among […]

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Republican House members urge caution by STB in review of UP-NS merger

WASHINGTON — Republican members of Congress today urged the Surface Transportation Board to conduct a thorough review of the proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern — and to reject the deal if it does not meet the high standards set by the board’s merger rules set in 2001. Rep. Dusty Johnson of South […]

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Union Pacific, Wabtec sign $1.2 billion deal for locomotive modernizations

Yellow locomotives on train of tank cars. Union Pacific Wabtec sign $1.2 billion deal for locomotive modernizations.

PITTSBURGH — Union Pacific and Wabtec have signed a $1.2 billion agreement to modernize UP AC4400 locomotives, which Wabtec says is the largest locomotive modernization investment in rail industry history. The deal follows a $1 billion order in 2022 to modernize 600 locomotives, the last of which is slated to be delivered this year [see […]

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Minor UP derailment knocks out power for 17,000

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

STOCKTON, Calif. — A derailment at Union Pacific’s yard in Stockton initially knocked out power for about 17,000 customers today (Feb. 2), but by midday most had their electricity restored. The Stockton Record reports the derailment occurred about 8 a.m. A Union Pacific spokeswoman said three cars of soybean oil derailed and knocked over an […]

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Lawsuit claims UP, short line blocked grain moves via alternate route

Blue locomotive with Colorado state flag logo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Colorado Pacific Railroad and Weskan Grain, two subsidiaries of the Soloviev Group, this week filed a federal court suit that alleges Union Pacific Railroad and regional railroad Kansas & Oklahoma have conspired to prevent westbound grain moves over Colorado Pacific. The plaintiffs claimed that UP and Watco Cos.’ K&O are using […]

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CN CEO says UP-NS merger application has a ‘long way to go’

MONTREAL — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have “a long way to go” to address issues with their merger application, Canadian National CEO Tracy Robinson said during the company’s quarterly earnings call today (Friday, Jan. 30). “It is not at all clear that the transaction as proposed addresses many of the questions around the negative […]

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Bachmann HO Airslide covered hopper review

Color photo of showing portion of HO scale covered hopper painted two-tone blue with yellow, blue, black, and white graphics on white background.

A newly-tooled model has joined the Bachmann HO scale freight car lineup. The General American 4,180-cubic-foot capacity Airslide covered hopper, offered in four paint schemes, features injection-molded plastic construction, 36″ metal wheelsets, and body-mounted E-Z Mate Mark II plastic couplers. Prototype history General American produced the 4180 Airslide from 1963 to 1980. The cars were […]

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Union Pacific plans to file revised Norfolk Southern merger application in March

Train passing under signal bridge

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific expects to file its revised Norfolk Southern merger application in March, CEO Jim Vena said on the railroad’s earnings call on Tuesday. The Surface Transportation Board on Jan. 16 rejected the railroads’ 6,692-page merger application as incomplete. The application, filed on Dec. 19, didn’t include enough information on post-merger market […]

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BNSF, CSX update storm recovery efforts

Double-stack train in snow

BNSF does not expect full recovery from the winter storm that swept across its network until early next week, the railroad said in a Tuesday, Jan. 27, customer advisory. CSX says in its own Tuesday advisory that it continues to work to fully restore operations, while Union Pacific said Tuesday during its quarterly earnings call […]

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Seven Chicago-area suburbs join forces to address UP-NS merger

Freight train with yellow locomotives on curve

BERKELEY, Ill. — Seven suburban communities along Union Pacific’s east-west main line are organizing to pursue representation in the UP-Norfolk Southern merger proceedings. A memorandum to the president and board of the Village of Berkeley in Cook County says the community was contacted by the other six communities — Elmhurst, Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, and […]

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Union Pacific reports record financial results

Freight train with yellow locomotive

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific today reported record financial and operational results for 2025 despite a drop in fourth-quarter operating income. “The Union Pacific team delivered our best ever full year across safety, service and operating excellence,” CEO Jim Vena said on the railroad’s earnings call on Tuesday morning. “As we close out the year, […]

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