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Founded in 2010 by Joseph “Joe” Stanko Jr. and J. Allan Nicholls, Diverging Approach offers customers wayside and grading crossing system design, VHLC and ELX programming, communications systems, CAD services, construction management, material supply, on-site engineering and crossing design.

According to Irving, Tex.-based RailPros, the acquisition will add signal and communications training and certification, turnkey program delivery, and alternative delivery execution to its existing work in engineering, field services, training, and media production for the freight and transit/commuter rail industries. Combined, the organization will deliver “fully integrated, end-to-end solutions for complex rail and transit programs across North America,” RailPros said in its Feb. 3 announcement.

“The acquisition of Diverging Approach is a transformational step for RailPros,” said Kendall “Ken” Koff, CEO of RailPros, which has offices and personnel across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. “Diverging Approach brings nationally recognized expertise in rail communications and signal systems that significantly expands our geographic footprint and elevates RailPros into the top tier of providers in this space. Just as importantly, our organizations share a deep commitment to safety, quality, and operational excellence. Together, we are uniquely positioned to deliver fully integrated, industry-leading solutions to freight railroads and transit agencies across North America.”

“We look forward to joining Team RailPros,” Diverging Approach President Joe Stanko Jr. said. “Aligning with RailPros allows us to better serve customers and clients across the North America, and to continue to provide innovative, high-quality solutions for the rail and transit industry.”

RailPros in 2025 acquired St. Louis-based Design Nine, Inc., and opened offices in Kansas City, Mo., and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The post RailPros Acquires Diverging Approach appeared first on Railway Age.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Center for Critical Infrastructure Protection (CCIP) at ENSCO, Inc., on Feb. 3 reported entering a formal partnership to provide cybersecurity training designed specifically for public transit agencies.

The courses are for APTA members.

Under the agreement, CCIP has delivered an initial cybersecurity awareness training course, available now through APTA’s learning platform, APTAU, according to the partners. “Cybersecurity Awareness” introduces key cybersecurity concepts such as confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and examines real-world examples of cyber incidents in the transportation sector, they said. Participants learn how to identify common attack methods including phishing, malware, and social engineering and apply best practices for password management, safe internet and email use, and data protection.

APTA and ENSCO are also planning the rollout of additional, specialized cybersecurity courses for the public transit industry. All courses, they said, will be hosted through APTA’s Learning Management System (LMS), with flexible delivery options including pre-recorded, live remote, and on-site instruction. ENSCO’s CCIP, launched in 2024 and located at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colo., will provide “expert instructors and curriculum developed in alignment with industry standards and best practices,” according to APTA and ENSCO.

“This partnership reflects APTA’s commitment to our members in advancing cybersecurity awareness and training,” said Polly Hanson, Senior Director of Security, Risk & Emergency Management at APTA. “As cyber threats continue to evolve, training the transit workforce to identify and respond to those risks is no longer optional—it’s essential.”

“We’re proud to partner with APTA to help the transit industry take meaningful steps toward a more cyber-resilient future,” said Erin Plemons, Director of the CCIP at ENSCO. “Our courses are built to deliver real-world relevance, ensuring public transit professionals are prepared to address today’s threats and tomorrow’s challenges.”

The post APTA, ENSCO Team on Cybersecurity Training appeared first on Railway Age.

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE FEBRUARY 2026 ISSUE: We now bring you this regularly scheduled reprieve from the UP/NS merger banter. 

The constantly shifting landscape of the application of tariffs across broad swathes of the U.S. economy puzzles consumers and manufacturers. Don’t want to hand over Greenland? How’s 10% grab you (and 200% on wine—ouch!!) Go to sleep, it’s a 10% tariff. Wake up, it’s a 20% tariff. Step out for lunch when the tariff is 25% and you return to a 60% tariff that is adjusted because some perceived slight occurred at the wrong time of day. Who says Presidents never get hungry?

The rail economy witnesses the volatility. In 2025 there were inventory purchases pulled forward followed by an intermodal loadings ramp-up. Then there was the sustained pause, and the post-pause rebound that never really materialized in the expected way following “Liberation Day.”

Not enough yet? Remember the “Taco Tuesday” trademark battle between Taco Bell, Taco John’s and New Jersey’s Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar? How long before the President decides that being blasted with both Tacos and TACO Thursday (after the recent Davos flim-flam on Greenland) gives reason for Presidential business interests to own that trademark? You heard it here first.

One thing that everyone seems to agree on is that tariffs create uncertainty. Even as of the writing of this column, the world waits for the Supreme Court to decide the legality of the 2025 tariffs. If determined illegal, then the question becomes, will it matter? 

Expectations are that tariffs overturned by the Supreme Court will be re-started under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act  as a license—a strategy promoted by the Administration.

Back to North American rail. Potential Section 232 tariffs, specifically addressing the use of foreign steel, are meeting resistance throughout the industry. The current group of tariffs were added in 2025 under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The Greenbrier Companies Senior Vice President External Affairs  Jack Isselmann notes that “Section 232 is based on national security, not traditional trade law. The goal is to ensure the U.S. maintains a strong domestic steel and aluminum industry that can support defense, infrastructure, and critical manufacturing.” In August 2025, 400 items were added to the list of items to be subject to these tariffs—railcars not included. 

In September 2025, a request was submitted by Union Tank Car Company requesting inclusion of tank railcars into the Section 232 steel derivatives tariff. Succinctly, these tariffs add a 50% surcharge to foreign-sourced steel used in tank railcar products (even the railcar head shields) directly to the U.S., and is tariff- and tax-free under USMCA. This would include tank railcars as well as the componentry. Even with a January 2025 deadline, no decision to include tank railcars has been made, yet. Oppositional letters have been filed by Greenbrier and the Railway Supply Institute. Other letters may have been filed.

At January’s Chicago MARS conference, The Greenbrier Companies President and CEO Lori Tekorius said tariffs on tank railcars could increase costs up to 12.3% and cause up to 13,760 lost jobs. Greenbrier estimates tariff-related production decreases of between 6.5% and 12.3%. Speaking with Tekorius, she noted, “North American railcar builders are among the largest purchasers of U.S. melted and poured steel. Applying a 50% Section 232 tariff to the full value of a railcar erodes freight rail’s cost competitiveness, limits its ability to gain modal share and delivers no corresponding benefit to domestic steel suppliers while driving up railcar costs.”

The impact on railcar pricing, rail consumers, railcar manufacturers and owners and component suppliers could easily be economically punitive. 

North American rail is fighting for many things. As Tekorius notes, it needs modal share, but also needs loadings growth (a part of modal share) and a competitive edge against trucking, railroad pricing, higher interest rates and inflation-causing tariffs. It needs a strategy to address economic policy indecisiveness. (Endorsing stablecoin, cryptocurrencies, isn’t it?) Steel, components (mostly made of steel) and labor are the three biggest pieces of a railcar’s cost. 

Projections for 2026 new car builds range from a low of 20,000 to the high 20,000s. This is after fewer than 30,000 railcars were built in 2025. When railcar builders will be fighting for every railcar, many will question the upside of inviting the federal government to shine a spotlight on railcar builders. Who benefits and what the benefits might be will take time to unravel and understand.

However, the Jan. 23, 2026-announced 100% tariffs on Canada and Mexico might make this moot anyway. Oh, but wait—TACO!

The post TACOs Leave a Bitter Taste in Carbuilder Mouths appeared first on Railway Age.

For freight railroads and their customers, Union Pacific’s proposal to acquire control of Norfolk Southern commands center stage in Washington in 2026. With the prospect of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States pending Surface Transportation Board (STB) decision, interests from Wall Street to Main Street will press their views.

Rather than add to that commentary, this overview looks beyond UP-NS for a scan of other Washington issues now in front of the freight rail sector. Federal oversight and investment top the list, but tech policy also merits scrutiny in this midterm election year.

In May 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously (8-0) upheld in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, et al. v. Eagle County, Colorado, et al. the STB’s finding that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) does not require the agency to consider environmental upstream and downstream effects that are “separate in time or place” from the underlying project under review.

The Court’s endorsement of the STB’s rational adjudication reinforced other Board reform initiatives under Chairman Patrick Fuchs. Complementing but distinct from early DOGE efforts, Vice Chairman Michelle Schultz led listening sessions intended to streamline Board procedures. Notwithstanding the 43-day federal shutdown in late 2025, the STB has already implemented some process reforms with more planned in 2026.

“Our goal is to increase accountability, transparency and collaboration at the Board,” Fuchs told Railway Age. “We have cut the backlog of pending matters and accelerated decisions in recent proceedings. The Board now, for the first time, issues regular ‘Updates on Outstanding Proceedings,’ providing entities greater certainty around the timing of Board action and thereby benefitting parties’ operational and capital planning.”

In September 2025, railroads and shippers united to urge the STB to leverage its authority and “provide clear and definitive guidance on the scope and application” of Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 preemption to “protect the fluidity of the transportation network and the continued growth of American businesses.” 

Roger Nober, who formerly chaired the STB under President George W. Bush, served as EVP and Chief Legal Officer for BNSF, and is now a professor at George Washington University, said, “Any time railroads and shippers advocate for the same outcome, it’s worth paying attention. The STB can and should issue the requested preemption statement. Crafting preemption guidance that courts will respect will take thoughtful care, given the Supreme Court’s 2024 Loper Bright ruling mandating that the judiciary use its own judgment to interpret statutes such as the ICCTA.” 

Fuchs, Schultz and Member Karen Hedlund are well positioned to thread this needle. Declared Fuchs, “In light of the potential benefits to the public, we are considering issuing a policy statement on preemption in the first half of 2026.” 

In another early 2026 action, the STB proposed to repeal 49 C.F.R. § 1144 and streamline the path for shippers to obtain competitive access. The repeal of the current regulations governing prescription of reciprocal switching, through routes and through rates, opens a competitive debate.

Whether the STB will implement its agenda with three, four, or five members is up to Congress and possibly the Supreme Court. Senate confirmation of Republican Richard Kloster remained pending as of late January 2026. Last year, the President removed Democrat Robert Primus from the STB, vacating that seat. Primus challenged his dismissal, and in December 2025 added a racial discrimination claim. An upcoming Supreme Court decision on the President’s removal of Federal Trade Commission Member Rebecca Slaughter could instruct resolution of Primus’ case and shape how the STB fits with an evolving unitary executive branch framework.  

This year began under another Continuing Resolution funding much of the federal government. Following House approval late in January, the Senate anticipated passing FY 2026 “THUD” appropriations including USDOT and the STB. Less than eight months remain before Congress must finalize funding for the next fiscal year, FY 2027.

Beyond appropriations, Washington strategy dean Bruce Mehlman places surface transportation alongside the Farm Bill and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702 as top 2026 Congressional reauthorization priorities. The expiring Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) includes authorizations for Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and other rail and multimodal programs, which will end unless Congress acts by Sept. 30, 2026.

STB reauthorization also remains pending. The legislative dialogue is uncertain with UP-NS under consideration and reciprocal switching in renewed play. FRA reauthorization typically features new rail safety provisions, but the mandate crusade following the 2023 East Palestine incident has subsided. That doesn’t mean that rail management and labor won’t differ over more safety requirements.

OneRail Coalition Director Devon Barnhart said, “While the rail sector has a range of interests in surface transportation reauthorization, we are united in our concern about any increase in truck size and weight. Our OneRail members are fully aligned on the essential role rail plays in easing congestion and supporting safe, reliable goods movement.”

Although highway and transit priorities have historically dominated surface transportation reauthorization, rail now counts, too. From a freight rail perspective, short lines seek continued advance appropriations for the FRA Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. The IIJA broke new ground with $1 billion annually in pre-approved advance appropriations for CRISI for each of the five fiscal years, FY 2022-2026, making CRISI a game changer for short lines and their customers. 

The push to maintain robust CRISI funding collides with what Eno Foundation analyst Jeff Davis calls the “$150 Billion Problem.” As Davis explains, “$150 billion is the approximate amount of extra revenue, or reduced spending, that the [Highway] Trust Fund (HTF) will need to remain solvent for another five-year authorization.”

By comparison, when enacted in the wake of COVID and the supply chain logistics crisis, the 2021 IIJA included $118 billion in transfers from the general fund. The funding gap for the IIJA’s successor legislation is larger. If agreement can’t be reached, Congress could temporarily extend surface transportation reauthorization, a frequent past outcome. 

Shoring up the HTF with general funds may help CRISI and other multimodal programs. If surface transportation funding requires general taxpayer dollars to prop up inadequate highway user fees flowing into the HTF, why shouldn’t these general funds support rail investments? Plus, unlike electric vehicle subsidies, CRISI has bipartisan appeal with support from the Administration based on the President’s FY 2026 budget proposal that included $500 million for CRISI above IIJA advance appropriations.  

Playing the CRISI long game mirrors the approach of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) to modernize the 45G track maintenance credit. H.R. 516, which would increase the per-mile tax credit cap from $3,500 to $6,100, index the credit to inflation going forward, and allow eligibility for expenditures on all current short lines, now has 141 House cosponsors. The Senate counterpart S. 1532 has 36 cosponsors. 

While the legislative path to enacting 45G modernization isn’t yet clear, as ASLRRA President Chuck Baker told Railway Age last October, “We feel good about our case. We have the right champions. We have a lot of support.” Concluded Baker, “We don’t know how long it will take but we’ll keep banging on the door until somebody opens it.”

Last October, the Senate confirmed David Fink as FRA Administrator. A fifth-generation railroader, Fink started at Conrail in 1976 as a 15-year-old summer track worker. Fink rose to President of Pan Am Railways and brings deep rail experience to the FRA.

At his Senate confirmation hearing in May 2025, Fink underscored his belief in FRA’s “primary mission, which is one of safety first.” He committed to refresh regulations, improve FRA’s CRISI grant program delivery, and partner to advance safety innovations and get “safety technology out in the field.”

Fink’s safety focus builds on Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s announcement in September 2025 that FRA would add rail bridge safety standards training to leverage the current federal and state track inspector workforce. In January 2026, Fink reformed the agency’s safety civil penalty settlement negotiation process and rechartered FRA’s Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC). 

Streamlining CRISI project delivery will take time. More than 15 months have passed since FRA’s most recent CRISI awards of $2.4 billion in combined FY 2023-2024 funds, including 81 awards valued at nearly $1.3 billion for short line projects. As of late January, the rail industry waited for FRA’s anticipated notice of funding opportunity for approximately $1.1 billion in FY 2025 CRISI funds.

Yet with AI and transformative tech sweeping society, the insistent policy challenge facing FRA and railroads looms beyond the industry. 

In December 2025, Purdue University declared, “For the first time in the U.S., a roadway has wirelessly charged an electric heavy-duty truck driving at highway speeds.” This multistage research demonstration with Indiana DOT, according to Purdue, “lays groundwork for highways that recharge EVs of all sizes across the nation.” 

Then, at the January CES 2026 tech showcase came this: “Automotive technology supplier Aumovio has partnered with cloud computing giant Amazon Web Services to speed up the deployment of autonomous vehicles, starting with Aurora Innovation’s fleet of self-driving commercial trucks.”

If one day AI-driven autonomous trucks recharge under way while delivering freight, what must shift in Washington for freight railroads to keep pace?

As T&I Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) assessed last June, “Unfortunately, while other government agencies, including those in the Department of Transportation, are embracing the promise of innovation and developing the right regulatory frameworks for its promotion, much of the Federal Railroad Administration’s regulatory framework remains a relic of the past.”

The Washington Post agreed, urging FRA in December to remove “burdensome regulations holding back technological progress” that “block American-made automation technology from being adopted.”

Following that editorial, FRA announced a new temporary waiver program to better evaluate the impact of automated track inspection (ATI) technology. Association of American Railroads President and CEO Ian Jefferies welcomed the revised ATI waiver as a positive step forward, noting that the industry “values its partnership with the Administration and shares its goals of strengthening U.S. manufacturing, onshoring supply chains, driving down costs, accelerating innovation, and advancing smart regulatory reform.” Jefferies added that under Secretary Duffy, “a data-driven, future-forward approach to regulating new technology benefits everyone—including employees—by enabling railroads to safely adopt AI-driven and other innovations at the pace needed to keep America’s supply chain competitive and resilient.”

Former FRA Administrator Allan Rutter, now a senior research scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, underscored the urgency of accelerating rail tech adoption: “Freight railroads are implementing AI-supported analytics and other technology tools to improve service as the market demands, without government mandate. Where tech has a safety nexus, however, FRA has a statutory role. I am confident that Administrator Fink will align the FRA’s regulatory stance with a safety focus consistent with the other USDOT modal agencies accelerating deployment of autonomous vehicles including trucks.”

In a statement to Railway Age, Fink said, “Under Secretary Duffy, the FRA is modernizing American rail by prioritizing safety and investing in innovation. Our rail industry is the backbone of a competitive U.S. economy, delivering essential goods that families rely on every day. By cutting through red tape to unleash new technology—such as granting the long-overdue waiver for automatic track inspection technology that the previous Administration sat on—we are ensuring that our infrastructure remains safe, efficient and ready to serve the American people.”

Rutter captures the work ahead: “FRA must team productively with the other USDOT agencies to assure tech adoption that benefits all transportation modes. But to get beyond press releases, rulemaking and litigation, FRA also must partner with the regulated rail community—and that includes labor. Railroads would do well to advocate rail technologies that enhance rather than replace the work of railroad workers.”

For 2026 in Washington, think multiple tracks. FRA and USDOT will plot new courses to drive tech, while streamlining regulation. Congress will consider the next phase of federal investment in rail amid a surface transportation funding reset. The STB will assess rail competition and a petition for approval of the first U.S. coast-to-coast transcontinental railroad—all while trade and other domestic and foreign policy actions shape the economy.

In November, voters will have their say. Their voice will cap a dynamic year signaling our future. 

Don Itzkoff is Chief Policy Officer for Patriot Rail.  

The post Multiple Tracks appeared first on Railway Age.

Santa Fe 4-6-2 3415, the Baldwin built in 1919 and operated by the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad in Kansas, is on track to return to service by Labor Day 2027. 

The locomotive has been out of service since 2023 and is presently the subject of a major overhaul with the help of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s show crews. The paid crew members from Durango are being assisted by volunteers in Kansas. 

“Santa Fe 3415 is an important icon for Abilene, the State of Kansas, and the storied history of the steam power that built our nation’s agricultural and manufacturing infrastructure,” said A&SV President and General Manager Ross Boelling. “The 2024 Kansas Legislature named our engine an official icon of Kansas to commemorate the role of railroads in building Kansas, and the Santa Fe Railroad in particular as a legacy Kansas company. We’re eager to get the engine back up and running so we may continue to live up to this mission.”

Formed in 1993, Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad operates a mix of historic equipment and motive power on the former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific track between Abilene and Enterprise, Kan. The railroad has been operating 3415 since 2009. 

—Justin Franz 

The post Santa Fe 4-6-2 on Track to Steam in 2027 appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

CSX on Feb. 3 reported that Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Diana Sorfleet will retire. Riz Chand, it said, will become Chief Human Resources Officer, effective Feb. 23, 2026.

Sorfleet retires after nearly 15 years of service. She “played a central role in shaping the company’s people strategy and strengthening its culture,” and helped guide it through organizational changes, including the transition of four CEOs, according to CSX.

Sorfleet joined the Class I railroad in June 2011 after many years in human resources with Exelon, where she rose to Vice President for Diversity and Development. In 2018, she was promoted to her current role, following service as Chief Human Resources Officer.

Sorfleet is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. Subsequently she earned a master’s degree in management and human resources from National Louis University, as well as a master’s degree in business administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

“Throughout her tenure, Diana has been a trusted steward of our culture,” said CSX President and CEO Steve Angel, who took on the leadership role in September 2025, following Joe Hinrichs’ departure. “Her leadership, strategic insight, and unwavering commitment to advancing CSX’s long-term objectives have strengthened the organization. We are grateful for her service and wish her the best in her next chapter.”

Based in Jacksonville, Fla., Chand will oversee Human Resources, Total Rewards, People Systems, and Occupational Health Compliance when he takes on his new role at CSX. He currently serves AEA Investors, a mid-market private equity firm, as Chief Talent Officer and Operating Partner. His background includes senior human resources leadership positions at BNSF, Energy Future Holdings, Kennametal, Mary Kay Cosmetics, and Aetna International, as well as early-career work with PepsiCo Foods, The Hay Group, and Schlumberger.

Chand holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.

“We are pleased to welcome Riz to CSX,” Steve Angel said. “He is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of driving talent development and organizational performance. I look forward to partnering with Riz in building a high-performance culture that will strengthen our company and ensure its continued success.”

• CSX 4Q, Full-Year ’25: ‘Challenging Year’
• BNSF, CSX Offering More, ‘Faster’ Coast-to-Coast Service

Telos Advisers, a national advisory firm specializing in transportation and infrastructure projects, has appointed Stephen Gardner as a Strategic Advisory Board Member. His key areas of focus will include rail and transit policy; funding strategy; customer experience; and service planning, safety and network development.

Gardner served most recently as CEO of Amtrak, before stepping down in March 2025. He was appointed to lead “America’s Railroad” in 2022, succeeding William J. Flynn and following service as President since 2020. Previously, Gardner was Executive Vice President/Chief Operating and Commercial Officer (May 2019-November 2020) and held several other executive positions in policy development, infrastructure investment, technology planning, and marketing. Before joining Amtrak in 2009, he spent nearly a decade on Capitol Hill working on surface transportation policy. Railway Age readers named Gardner one of 10 Influential Leaders in 2022.

“Stephen is a seasoned transportation expert with deep experience in railroading and federal transportation policy who has managed complex organizations and led one of the largest capital programs in the United States,” said Eric Daleo and Megan Strickland Co-Founders of Newark, N.J.-based Telos Advisers. “We’re excited to welcome him to Telos and to leverage his expertise as we continue to support clients navigating critical infrastructure and investment initiatives.”

“I’m excited to join Telos’s Advisory Board and the committed group of seasoned transportation leaders and experts they’ve gathered to help clients take on challenging projects and achieve major goals,” Gardner said. “In an increasingly complex landscape, Telos has the know-how and unique capacity to support clients through rapid change, major transactions, and game-changing deals.”

Separately, Bruce Robinson, former Associate Administrator at the Federal Transit Administration, recently signed on as Senior Director of Telos Advisers.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber on Feb. 2 reported appointing Jessie Lazarus to build and lead a new organization that directs rolling stock strategy and “ensures dedicated attention to the acquisition and lifetime costs for the MTA’s most strategic assets, including buses, subway cars, and commuter rail trains.” As Chief of the new Rolling Stock Program, Lazarus and her team will manage the $12 billion dollar investment from the 2025-2029 Capital Plan to replace the MTA’s aging fleets. Together, they will work closely with Lieber, agency presidents, and the Chief Financial Officer “to pursue a focused, long-term strategy to modernize terms and conditions, apply aggressive performance-based fleet specifications, harness data to inform acquisition choices, increase supplier competition, achieve the best value for these strategic assets over their lifetime, and generate economic development benefits by encouraging domestic manufacturing,” according to MTA.

Lazarus signed on with MTA in 2023 and has served as Deputy Chief of Commercial Ventures, responsible for strategic, commercial partnerships that are said to “enhance the MTA’s financial position and strengthen service offerings,” which include the transition from MetroCard to tap-and-ride.

Lazarus joined MTA from Toyota, by way of CARMERA, a spatial AI company that she helped lead through acquisition by Toyota in 2021. As Vice President of Go-to-Market, she was responsible for building the company’s partnerships with OEM, mapping, and technology stakeholders. Prior to joining CARMERA, Lazarus was Chief Digital Officer for the City of New York. She is a graduate of Middlebury College and Harvard Business School.

“With billions of dollars set aside for new subway cars, commuter trains, and buses in the new capital plan, we need strong leadership driving the decision-making,” Janno Lieber said. “Jessie’s no stranger to big projects and complex commercial negotiations, and I have total confidence in her ability to deliver the best deal for the MTA and our millions of daily riders.”

“The subway cars, buses, and commuter trains that New York grew up on belong to a different era,” Jessie Lazarus said. “The new Rolling Stock Program will make sure the MTA’s multibillion dollar commitment to the future of our transit system gives New Yorkers a smoother, greener, faster, more cost-efficient ride to explore the amazing places the MTA can take them for generations to come.”

• Watch: NYMTA Launches Railcar Acceptance, Testing Facility
• Kawasaki to Supply 378 More ‘B’ Division Cars to NYCT
• MTA 2025–2029 Capital Plan Gets Greenlight
• NY Governor Signs FY26 State Budget Into Law

Baker Alloush is the new Director of Facilities at NCTD, which operates Coaster commuter rail, Sprinter hybrid rail, Breeze bus, Flex on-demand, and Lift paratransit services. He has more than 15 years of experience in facilities and maintenance operations management, leading initiatives in formulating, tracking, facilitating, and closing work orders involving large-scale departmental moves and technology updates.

Prior to joining NCTD, Alloush was Director of Facilities and Maintenance Operations at Coachella Valley Unified School District. He earned a bachelor’s in business administration and operational management from California State University, Long Beach, and holds various certifications, including Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Supervisor, Hazmat Waste, and Construction Project Management.

“I am excited to welcome Baker Alloush to the NCTD family,” said Alex Denis, NCTD Chief Operating Officer–General Services. “Baker brings extensive experience in public sector facility management and planning, which will be instrumental in ensuring our environments are responsive to customer needs and empower our teams to thrive.”

“It is a privilege to be a part of the NCTD team, and I am committed to advancing NCTD’s mission of achieving organizational and operational excellence,” Alloush said.

Separately, NCTD earlier this year promoted Ioni Tcholakova to Director of Service Planning, and last year celebrated 50 years of service.

Tennessee-based KLW has named Shane Picklesimer as Chief Commercial Officer. He will lead commercial strategy, including sales, customer engagement, and market development, with a focus on “disciplined growth, long-term market alignment, and commercial support for procurement and sourcing activities,” according to the company, which was established in 1998 by Gulf and Ohio Railways, Inc., and now serves Class I railroads and a range of rail and industrial customers as a remanufacturer of advanced locomotive platforms and a provider of maintenance services.

Picklesimer has worked with customers across the rail industry, including Class I’s, short lines and regionals, transit agencies, utilities, and industrial customers. He was most recently a sales leader/key account manager at A. Stucki Company.

“Our customers share common priorities around reliability, lifecycle value, and long-term performance,” KLW CEO Greg Hall said. “Shane brings a practical approach that supports how customers evaluate equipment, technology, and long-term partnerships.”

“My focus is on strengthening customer engagement across rail, transit, utility, and industrial markets, while introducing platforms, including our battery hybrid strategy, that support reliability, lifecycle value, and next-generation technology adoption,” Picklesimer said.

• CN/KLW Hybrid Stress Testing
• CN, KLW Partner on Hybrid Locomotive
• ADM Receives KLW Tier 4 Switcher
• ACSRS, KLW, NS Partner on Idle Reduction Technology

The post People News: CSX, Telos Advisers, NYMTA, NCTD, KLW appeared first on Railway Age.

National Mediation Board (NMB) member and Democrat Deirdre Hamilton has sued to regain her post following her Oct. 14, 2025, firing by POTUS 47—one of many legally questionable independent federal regulatory agency firings by the President, all of which are now before federal courts. Hamilton’s lawsuit was filed Feb. 2 in Federal District Court for the District of Columbia.

Named as defendants in the Hamilton lawsuit, along with the President, are White House Personnel Office Director Daniel Scavino, Scavino advisor Mary Sprowls, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (responsible for restoring Hamilton’s pay and benefits should her lawsuit succeed), and NMB Chairperson and Republican Loren E. Sweatt.

Hamilton contends her firing unlawful, as the NMB’s statute provides that a member serve until their Presidentially nominated successor is Senate confirmed; and that an NMB member otherwise may be removed from office only “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, malfeasance in office, or ineligibility, but for no other cause.”

Hamilton, who began her first term in January 2022, was nominated by President Biden in 2021 and Senate confirmed Dec. 7, 2021. Although that term expired June 30, 2025, the President had not nominated a successor. On Oct. 8, 2025, Hamilton received a one-sentence email from Sprowls, “On behalf of [the President] I am writing to inform you that your post as a member of the National Mediation Board is terminated, effective immediately.”

In her lawsuit, Hamilton contends that firing “disregarded” the clear statutory language limiting her removal to cause or Senate confirmation of a successor. She asks the court to declare the termination unlawful and for Bessent to pay her lost wages and benefits.

Since Hamilton’s departure, the three-member NMB has been functioning with Republican Sweatt and Democrat Linda Puchala. The POTUS still has not nominated a Hamilton successor.

Separate lawsuits challenging termination have been filed by members of other independent federal agencies, including Surface Transportation Board (STB) member and Democrat Robert E. Primus, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member and Democrat Alvin Brown, and Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Each of those agency statutes similarly limit termination for cause.

While Primus’ and Browns’ lawsuits are pending, the FTC- and NLRB-terminated Democrats have been granted injunctive relief by a federal district court, nullifying the firings, but the decisions have been appealed. Finality is expected only following Supreme Court review of at least one of the challenges.

Primus, who was in the midst of a second term expiring Dec. 31, 2027, was fired by the POTUS Aug. 27. In addition to the challenging the legality of the firing, Primus alleges racial discrimination.

A separate POTUS 47 firing of Federal Reserve Board member and Democrat Lisa Cook already is before the Supreme Court, with a decision expected before summer. The facts of that termination differ from the cases of Hamilton, Primus, Brown, and the FTC- and NLRB-terminated members. Cook, whom the Supreme Court has allowed to continue serving on the Federal Reserve Board, is alleged to have committed a crime of mortgage fraud prior to her becoming a Federal Reserve Board member.

• Will NMB, NTSB, STB Stay Independent?
• STB Heeds SCOTUS on UP-NS Merger

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FROM THE EDITOR, RAILWAY AGE FEBRUARY 2026 ISSUE: Cartoons are supposed to give a fast, easy-to-understand message, without requiring much contemplation, right?

Take the classic Peanuts scene, for example. Lucy holds the football for perpetually hapless place-kicker Charlie Brown. Believing that Lucy, who deep down is really a mean, narcissistic little kid, won’t do what she repeatedly does—pull the ball away at the last moment—gullible, gentle soul Charlie charges forward, aims his foot dead-center on the ball, and wham! falls flat on his back. She’s fooled him again! Good grief!

This Jan. 27 X-posting by Union Pacific took me a while to figure out. First, “This isn’t your grandmother’s railroad!” What exactly is that supposed to mean? UP (or virtually any railroad) is your grandmother’s, grandfather’s, father’s, mother’s, uncle’s, grand-uncle’s great-grandfather’s, great-great-grandfather’s railroad, etc. It’s 157 years old! Almost as old as Railway Age (170).

What’s a “store” got to do with the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger? Is it a café car? Nah! Harvey House? Nah! (Besides, that chain was on the Santa Fe.) See the two containers marked “UP” and “NS”? Perhaps they contain half-and-half? Adding them together equals one? That doesn’t work, either, because you still end up with half-and-half, eh?

Here’s what I think it means: The gray-suited guy holding the “Coffee Concessions” folder represents a railroad seeking merger conditions from the STB, like trackage rights, line sales, reciprocal switching, whatever. He wants to set up shop in, or at least have access to, UP territory. The guy behind the counter in the yellow shirt  represents UP. He looks a bit non-plussed, though so far that hasn’t represented Jim Vena’s publicly stated views on concessions. 

Can we try to make the obvious less obscure? Onward and sideways, in Notch 8! 

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GPA in 2025 handled nearly 5.7 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) of cargo, up 2.6% or 146,000 TEUs from 2024. This was the second busiest year ever after 2022, when approximately 5.9 million TEUs crossed the CSX- and Norfolk Southern (NS)-served Port of Savannah docks, GPA reported late last month.

“Georgia Ports leads the industry in speed to rail and closed out the year with containers moving from vessel to train in only 22 hours, improving from 28 hours at the start of the year,” GPA said.

The Appalachian Regional Port in Chatsworth, Ga., a joint effort of the State of Georgia, Murray County, GPA, and CSX, delivered 45,700 containers in 2025, a record 19% increase from the year before.

In 2025, the Port of Savannah handled a record 545,214 containers by rail—the fifth straight year over half a million, GPA reported.

The Port of Savannah also handled 14,000-16,000 truck moves daily, Monday through Friday. In 2025, dual moves—in which a driver delivers an export and picks up an import—took an average of 50 minutes on terminal, GPA said; single moves averaged 32 minutes.

GPA said it served 1,669 container ships in 2025, moving an average of 1,878 containers on and off each vessel.

The Port of Savannah ended the year with December container volumes of 439,630 TEUs, down 0.6% or 2,510 TEUs compared with the prior-year period.

In Roll-on/Roll-off cargo, the Port of Brunswick handled 74,344 units of autos and heavy equipment in December, up 5,659 RoRo units or 8.2%, according to GPA. Heavy equipment accounted for 2,715 units of the total volume.

For calendar-year 2025, Brunswick handled 832,194 units of autos and heavy equipment, down 7.5% or approximately 68,200 units from the previous year. Heavy equipment accounted for 51,677 units of the total volume in 2025.

“The global trade in autos and heavy equipment faced several headwinds last year,” GPA said. “Manufacturers reduced production and shipment of some vehicles to the U.S., while evaluating global manufacturing location changes and target markets. During the summer, auto manufacturers paused shipments from factories temporarily closed in Mexico, Europe and Asia. Luxury vehicle exports to China decreased, in part because auto manufacturers faced stiff competition from domestic Chinese producers.”

GPA also highlighted the following projects currently under way:

• The $134 million Blue Ridge Connector. This new Inland Terminal in Gainesville, Ga., is now 95% complete and will open mid-2026. Direct rail service via NS between Northeast Georgia and Savannah will provide a new option to a long-haul truck move of around 600 miles roundtrip, “reducing highway congestion, cutting emissions and avoiding costly empty container moves to or from the coast.”

• A “self-financed,” $4.5 billion port and inland infrastructure plan. Five new container berths will be added in Savannah, the most new berths of any U.S. port, GPA said, and one new RoRo berth will be added in Brunswick.

“I would like to thank our customers, GPA team, gateway terminals, ILA and our trucking and rail partners that all play a central role in making the Savannah experience successful every day,” GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch said. “We are well positioned to help our customers navigate the challenging market conditions ahead.” 

Separately, the Port of Long Beach, Calif., set a cargo record in 2025 and expects 2026 to be “another busy year shaped by changes in trade policies, tariff normalization and shifts in manufacturing sourcing.” Also, South Carolina Ports’ Inland Port Dillon posted record rail moves in 2025.

• GPA: Blue Ridge Connector 95% Complete
• Appalachian Regional Port Logs Busiest November on Record (part of Intermodal Briefs)

Construction progresses on the $100 million, 272-acre Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), which is designed to reduce congestion at the Port of Mobile and provide an alternate shipping option for existing Port customers in central Alabama (see fact sheet, below). Leaders from APA, Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce, and CSX recently toured it, one year after groundbreaking. Site grading and subsurface utility installations are complete, and work is under way on a new three-mile-long CSX siding and a CSX main line bridge to support the facility’s rail operations, according to APA.

Slated to open in early 2027, this terminal will not only include the CSX siding, but also three operational process tracks, and two Kone rubber tire gantry (RTG) cranes to move containers from rail to trucks. Each RTG crane will span two process tracks, a truck lane, and a four-container-wide operational stacking area. The initial development includes 120 acres of operational yard, supporting an estimated annual throughput capacity of 60,000 lifts, according to APA. The project, it noted, is funded largely through federal appropriations.

More than $4 billion of private investments have been announced within five miles of the terminal since the project’s initial public announcement in 2022, APA reported. With access to two interstate highways plus warehouse space, the logistics hub is positioned for continued expansion, it noted.

“The Montgomery ICTF is a critical investment in Alabama’s supply chain infrastructure,” APA Director and CEO Doug Otto said. “Seeing the progress firsthand reinforces the importance of this facility in strengthening statewide freight mobility and supporting long-term economic growth.”

“The ICTF will enable seamless rail‑to‑truck connectivity and expand freight access to global markets through the Port of Mobile,” CSX reported via social media. “We’re proud to support a project that strengthens Alabama’s supply chain and fuels long-term economic growth.”

“We have already seen major investment in Montgomery and the River Region as a result of the Inland Port,” added Anna Buckalew, President and CEO of the Montgomery Regional Chamber. “Touring the ICTF as it prepares for full operations in 2027 gives us an even more vivid view of the opportunities on the horizon. We are grateful for the Alabama Port Authority’s leadership, CSX, and the state, federal, and local partners who leaned into this project with their full support every step of the way. More and more, you will see Montgomery and the Capital City Region connecting to assets around our state, to drive growth throughout Alabama and right here at home.”

• Alabama Port Authority, CSX to Launch Decatur Rail Facility

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WATCHING WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 2026 ISSUE: Call them the “menses horribiles.” They’ve not been kind to the desired wedlock of Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS), and worse for UP CEO Jim Vena, whose results-driven assertiveness collided with his official-Washington naiveite. 

Vena is under the glare because it isn’t NS CEO Mark George who boldly predicted a “99.999%” probability of merger approval; used crude language to disparage those adversely critiquing the merger application; or engaged in personal lobbying of the POTUS, widely interpreted as attempted intimidation of presidentially nominated and Senate confirmed rail regulators. 

Checkbook in hand, Vena journeyed to the White House in September to pursue favor from a POTUS infamous for humiliating those kneeling before him—Intel having been fleeced of a 10% equity stake and U.S. Steel affording the POTUS a right to veto major corporate decisions. Perhaps corporate heritage fogged Vena’s vision. Vena predecessor Drew Lewis was Ronald Reagan’s Transportation Secretary. Once serving on UP’s board were George W. Bush’s Transportation Secretary Andrew Card and Vice President Dick Cheney. UP ran a “funeral train” to transport the body of President George H.W. Bush from Houston to College Station, Tex., for burial. 

POTUS 47 couldn’t grant Vena’s merger approval wish, as the law since 1920 allows only the independent Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and its successor Surface Transportation Board (STB) to rule on rail merger applications. Equally instructive, Vice President J.D. Vance, with cognitive ability superior to POTUS 47’s, has openly criticized “concentration in the corporate sector.” The POTUS, of course, pocketed Vena’s check (amount not disclosed). Vena denies an attempted quid pro quo, identifying the check as to help finance construction of a gilded White House ballroom.

Next came the January smackdown—STB broadcasting its decisional independence in rejecting as incomplete (without prejudice to refiling) the some-7,000-page UP-NS application. Deficiencies include failure to reveal full details of break-up fee commitments; how a merged UP-NS, which will hold controlling financial interest of St. Louis-area rail switching facilities, will act with neutrality toward other railroads; and how applicants arrived at projected post-merger traffic growth. 

So, who flubbed the dub? The attorneys responsible for the rejected application didn’t recently tumble off a turnip wagon with mail-order law degrees. More probable is that their UP and NS handlers—intoxicated with a sense of corporate dominance and inclined not to reveal much that might be useful to merger opponents—restricted the attorneys’ ability to prepare an application fully responsive to STB merger rule requirements. 

Consider: 

• Although STB’s so-called “new” rules for major railroad mergers have yet to be used since their 2001 publication, they are not puzzling to the outside legal counsel responsible for the merger application. 

• The rules were developed by former ICC and then STB Chairperson Linda J. Morgan. At her STB term expiration, Morgan joined UP’s Washington law firm, Covington & Burling, which successfully superintended UP mergers with Chicago & North Western in 1995 and Southern Pacific in 1996—both winning then-regulator Morgan’s support.

• Covington & Burling’s lead attorneys for those mergers were the late Arvid Roach and now retired J. Michael Hemmer—the latter subsequently becoming UP’s senior vice president for law. Tutored in merger application preparation by the two was young Covington & Burling attorney Michael L. Rosenthal, now heading the firm’s Transportation Practice Group still representing UP. 

• Representing NS are attorneys Ray Atkins and William A. Mullins. Atkins is a former Covington & Burling attorney, formerly STB general counsel, also a Ph.D. economist and now with the law firm Sidley & Austin. Mullins was an ICC chief of staff and later represented Kansas City Southern.

• While Rosenthal, Atkins and Mullins are unrivaled in background and experience to write an exceptional merger application, they are dependent on client authority to disclose fully accurate data, some of which those in the C-suite claim to be privileged. Such disclosure is essential to avoid STB from again stamping their work “incomplete.” (Attorneys do not tattle on clients, so there may be other explanations, but we are doubtful fault lies with Rosenthal, Atkins and Mullins.)

Among what the STB seeks in a revised application are, for example, evidence-based explanations of how the applicants intend to grow intermodal units by some 12% (1.4 million diverted from motor carriers; 450,000 from competing railroads). Notable is that intermodal’s compound annual growth rate has been flat for 10 years, and rail analyst Rick Paterson predicts another “lost decade of volume growth.” And should BNSF and CSX seek marriage if UP and NS merge, they also will be pressed to project a boost in intermodal volume. 

The revised application requires greater transparency as to what headwinds applicants face and how they intend to overcome them to achieve the merger benefits they claim. Headwinds to intermodal growth include battery improvements allowing EV trucks to compete with rail on long-haul routes; increased use of driverless tractor trailers already operating on a 600-mile route between Ft. Worth and El Paso; Congress’ decades-long unwillingness to increase highway user charges to levels that recover fully the costs of bridge and pavement damage caused by big trucks; lawmaker liberalization of truck size and weight limits; and willingness of intermodal marketing companies to invest billions in facilities expansion. Trade tensions, diminished hiring and weaker consumer spending also lurk. 

To be considered on the rail side are what transportation consultant Michael Weinman (PTSI Transportation) terms “friction factors” (minor annoyances driving customers elsewhere). They include problems navigating rail websites; the pain of negotiating volume rates; difficulty tracking loads; first- and last-mile delays; cargo theft and damage; and shortages of container chassis. 

As for St. Louis switching, history adds context. In 1912, the Justice Department invoked the Sherman (Antitrust) Act against Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA), which held financial control of Mississippi River rail crossings and lighterage service. Rather than order divestiture, the SCOTUS ruled TRRA must act with neutrality in its pricing and service, finding large size and monopoly not necessarily evil.

Another issue deserving of greater transparency in a resubmitted application is whether merger benefits outweigh the costs, and whether projected service improvements and traffic growth can alternatively be achieved through partnerships. Merger proponents say single-line service streamlines high-volume interchange and significantly reduces ton-mile costs; that partnerships can dissolve; that incentives are never aligned; and when two separate railroads interchange freight cars, it can take hours or days. 

Proponents of partnerships say pre-blocking can reduce physical transfers to just one hour; that if partnerships fray, they can be improved; and mergers may enlarge a firm to where it cannot be managed efficiently—the bureaucracy becoming too large and communications breaking down.

History, again, can be a guide. A precursor to Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) occurred in 1931 when six small railroads—Central of New Jersey, Reading, Western Maryland, Pittsburgh & West Virgina, Wheeling & Lake Erie and New York, Chicago & St. Louis (Nickel Plate)—partnered to challenge successfully the single-line service of railroads New York Central, Pennsylvania and Baltimore & Ohio between origin points of New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, and destination points of Chicago and St. Louis. Known as the Alphabet Route for the waybill acronyms (CNJ, RDG, WM, P&WV, W&E and NKP), trains eastbound and westbound were built incrementally through precision scheduled physical transfers.

Decades ago, on the eve of a previous “largest rail merger in history,” the SCOTUS observed, “If not handled properly, [Penn Central] could seriously disrupt and irreparably injure the entire railroad system.” The same applies today, with the independent STB disregarding calls to rubber stamp a merger on the basis of high-level political connections and heeding six-decade-old SCOTUS advice to be methodical. 

That Vena, a respected and competent railroader, is not Washington savvy is not atypical of CEOs. Solace may be found in the words of 16th century Scottish sea captain Sir Andrew Barton:

I am not hurt,
I am not slain;
I’ll lay me down and bleed a-while,
and then I’ll rise and fight again.

Railway Age Capitol Hill Contributing Editor Frank N. Wilner is author of ”Railroads & Economic Regulation,” available from Simmons-Boardman Books, 800-228-9670.  

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The Gateway Development Commission is seeking release of federal funding withheld since October for the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP), centerpiece of the Gateway Program to increase Amtrak intercity and NJ Transit regional/commuter rail service capacity between New York and New Jersey.

GDC, which is overseeing the HTP, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) seeking release of contractually obligated grant and loan funds for the project. GDC is seeking $205 million in disbursements previously withheld, along with damages that will be incurred because of any suspension of the project or cancellation of existing contracts. GDC said if additional funding does not become available by Feb. 6, 2026, HTP construction will be forced to pause, resulting in the loss of nearly 1,000 jobs.

USDOT began withholding federal funding payments for the HTP and Phase 2 of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Second Avenue Subway projects in October, stating that the requests for payment could not be processed during a review of the projects that it had ordered. USDOT stated that the review would investigate whether “any unconstitutional practices” are occurring within the projects after thew agency ruled that “race and sex-based presumptions of social and economic disadvantage that violate the U.S. Constitution” should be removed from the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, which is intended to favor small businesses when awarding contracts for federally funded projects.

The lawsuit filed by GDC argues that USDOT and GDC are legally bound by the terms of Capital Investment Grants (CIG), Federal-State Partnership (FSP) Grant and RAISE Grant agreements, as well as Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Financing (RRIF) loans, since full HTP funding was secured in July 2024.

The White House has falsely accused Democratic politicians of failing to negotiate with the POTUS 47 Administration to secure a deal for the future of the project.

GDC says it has drawn on available funding and credit to progress the project as planned while the federal disbursements are paused. However, it was confirmed during a Jan. 27 board meeting that all funding would be exhausted by Feb. 6, forcing HTP construction shutdown. In addition to the 1,000 immediate job losses, GDC noted that an extended pause would put approximately 11,000 jobs at risk as well as the 95,000 jobs and $19 billion in economic activity that HTP construction is anticipated to generate overall. It said that project delays will increase the risk that the 116-year-old North River Tunnels—already a major cause of delays to passenger rail services between New Jersey and New York—would shut down.

“For months, GDC has worked cooperatively with its federal partners to meet their requirements for restoring funding,” GDC said in a statement. “GDC responded thoroughly and promptly to each request for information about the project’s federally mandated Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program and provided documentation that the project is in compliance with the administration’s latest regulations.”

“Our goal has always been to work with our federal partners and get funding flowing again,” said Tom Prendergast, GDC CEO. “At the same time, we must hold the federal government to its contractual obligations so that construction is not halted.”

Editor’s Commentary: Holding GDC funds hostage is nothing more than the latest in a series of USDOT political shenanigans to kill congestion pricing in New York City. So far, all attempts by POTUS 47 and his Administration sycophants to squash congestion pricing have failed miserably. Congestion pricing has been an unequivocal success in providing capital project revenue for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority while reducing traffic congestion and air pollution, and increasing ridership on Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North, NJ Transit and PATH trains as well as on local/regional bus services. The Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bail Circus, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” may be coming to the New York City area in March, but “The Most Sickening Political Circus on Earth” has been playing 24/7 since Jan. 20, 2025. “Race and sex-based presumptions of social and economic disadvantage that violate the U.S. Constitution”? What a raccolta di stronzate! – William C. Vantuono

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CPKC in January moved 2.395 million metric tons (MMT) of Canadian grain and grain projects, beating its previous January tonnage record set in 2023, the railroad reported Feb. 2. January 2026’s 24,688 carloads also set a new monthly record, it said, surpassing the previous high set in January 2023.

“By working closely with our grain customers and working efficiently with our supply chain collaborators, our railroaders have delivered record amounts of grain and grain products across Western Canada to start the year,” CPKC Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing Jonathan Wahba said. “This performance and record volumes have been made possible through significant investment in the grain supply chain made by CPKC and our customers in new and upgraded grain-handling capacity and high-capacity hopper cars.”

Through the first 26 weeks of the 2025-26 crop year, CPKC shipped more than 15.1 MMT of grain and grain products. These are the largest totals since the record-setting 2020-21 crop year, according to the Class I.

“The noteworthy volumes of grain and grain products moving on our railway exceed the average supply chain capacity targets outlined in our annual grain service plan,” the railroad reported (download below). “It is critical that all supply chain participants, including customer loading facilities and terminal operators loading grain into vessels at ports, operate at full capacity to sustain this strong momentum.”

Separately, CN recently reported setting a new monthly record for grain movement in December, marking its fourth consecutive record month. CN moved more than 2.82 MMT of grain from Western Canada, surpassing its previous December record set in 2020 by more than 80,000 metric tons.

• CPKC: ‘Exceptional Execution in Challenging Market’
• CTA Releases Annual Maximum Grain Revenue Entitlements for CN, CPKC (part of Class I Briefs)
• CN, CPKC: Ready for 2025-26 Grain Service
• CTA Sets CN, CPKC 2025-2026 VRCPIs

#CPKC is proud to announce @StolleryKids (Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation) as the charity partner for the 2026 @cpkcwomensopen with a goal to raise over $3.9 million to support children’s heart health in Alberta. https://t.co/8C5xMtLFbJ #CPKCHasHeart pic.twitter.com/AUn5zElCVa

Meanwhile, also on Feb. 2, CPKC announced that Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation has been selected as the primary charity partner for the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open, to be held at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, Alberta from Aug. 19-23, 2026.

CPKC’s goal in 2026 is to raise more than C$3.9 million in support of the Foundation, which it said will be used for ultrasound echocardiography machines, neuromonitoring systems and other equipment for the pediatric cardiac program; research through the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute; and specialized staff training and family outreach initiatives.

The railroad since 2014 has helped raise more than C$27 million for children’s heart health as the title sponsor of the Women’s Open. Canadian Pacific sponsored the event prior to its merger with Kansas City Southern in 2023 to form CPKC, the first single-line, transnational railway connecting Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

“Together with the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, we are focused on raising funds at the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open to advance cardiac care for children and families throughout our home province of Alberta,” CPKC CEO Keith Creel said. “Support for children’s heart health is a central pillar of our community investment initiative, CPKC Has Heart. This summer, as we welcome some of the world’s most talented golfers to Edmonton, we look forward to leaving a legacy that makes a difference in the lives of children who need it most.”

“We are incredibly grateful to CPKC for choosing Edmonton and for their generous support of cardiac care at the Stollery Children’s Hospital,” commented Karen Faulkner, President and CEO of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. “Their commitment will make a real difference in the lives of children and families facing heart conditions which helps us expand critical services, invest in leading-edge technology, and give every child the best chance to live a long and healthy life.”

“CPKC Has Heart has made an extraordinary impact in every community that has hosted our National Women’s Open Championship, and we are thrilled to welcome the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation as the charitable beneficiary of the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open,” Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum added. “The return of the CPKC Women’s Open to Royal Mayfair Golf Club and the City of Champions this August is going to be electric. Fans will experience the world’s best players in action while helping drive the incredible, life-changing work of the Stollery Children’s Hospital.”

The CPKC Women’s Open community charity partner will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the railroad.

In 2025, CPKC raised C$4.5 million for cardiac healthcare at the CPKC Women’s Open; it presented the funds to MacKids, the arm of Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation dedicated to fundraising for McMaster Children’s Hospital (C$4 million), and to Trillium Health Partners (C$502,000).

CSX is advancing its multi-year Pole Line Elimination Program, a systemwide effort led by the Communications & Signals team to retire outdated aerial signal and communication lines and transition to “modern, resilient technologies”(watch video, above). It has removed more than 7,000 miles of pole lines across multiple subdivisions, the railroad reported Feb. 2.

“For decades, pole‑based systems formed the backbone of railroad communications,” CSX said. “Today, however, these aging structures pose challenges: they are vulnerable to severe weather, difficult to maintain along the right-of-way and can affect service reliability. By replacing this legacy infrastructure, CSX is reducing risk, strengthening safety, and creating a cleaner, more efficient operating environment.”

The modernization initiative, it said, focuses on installing microprocessor‑based signal systems that use the rail itself for train detection and track integrity verification. These systems “enhance performance and support advanced safety technologies,” including Positive Train Control (PTC), which integrates GPS, sensors and software to help prevent collisions, derailments, and other incidents, according to the railroad.

• CSX 4Q, Full-Year ’25: ‘Challenging Year’
• CSX Wraps Up Hump Lead Extension Project (part of Class I Briefs)
• CSX, SCS-02 Launch Rail-Served Warehouse in Ky.

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“Negotiated in close coordination with the affected transit agencies—which together face a projected deficit of more than $800 million in the next fiscal year—the new agreement will sustain operations used by hundreds of thousands of daily transit riders across the region,” said MTC, the transportation planning, financing, and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

The Jan. 30 agreement authorizes the loan to be funded no later than July 1, 2026, using money awarded but not yet allocated for Bay Area projects by the California Transportation Commission through the state Transit Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), according to MTC. “Because many transit capital projects have long construction timelines and the TIRCP is continuously replenished, the loan is structured to uphold the state’s commitments to awarded projects while minimizing risk to project schedules,” it said.

Consistent with state Senate Bill 105 enacted last fall, MTC said the loan agreement includes “a clearly defined repayment structure, a guaranteed revenue source to secure the loan and an agreed-upon interest rate:

• “12-year repayment term, with interest-only payments during the first two years.
• “Repayment secured by the ‘revenue-based’ portion of State Transit Assistance (STA) that goes directly to the transit agencies.
• “Variable interest rate tied to the state’s Surplus Money Investment Fund, ensuring the state is fully repaid at the same rate it would have earned had the funds remained in state accounts.”

This state loan provides what MTC called a “fiscal bridge” until sales tax dollars could potentially be available. A regional funding measure authorized by the state legislature last year via state Senate Bill 63 may appear on the November 2026 ballot in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, according to MTC. If the measure qualifies for the ballot and is approved by voters, it would establish a temporary 14-year sales tax to support transit operations, it said. But these funds would not begin flowing until around July 1, 2027.

“California is following through in our support for Bay Area transit and the riders who rely on it every day,” Gov. Newsom said. “This agreement between my Administration and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission provides essential short-term financing to support Bay Area transit operations while the region works together on long-term funding solutions. Public transit is essential to our economy and to communities across California, and through continued partnership with regional and local agencies, we are delivering a more stable and reliable system—now and for the future.”

“MTC greatly appreciates the time and energy the Department of Finance and the Governor’s office put into this loan negotiation,” said MTC Chair Sue Noack, who also serves as Mayor of Pleasant Hill. “It was critical to reach agreement on funding that would avert major service cuts this year while also protecting the Bay Area’s priority capital projects and this agreement does just that.”

BART General Manager Bob Powers noted that his agency, “is currently developing detailed budget plans for two funding scenarios to close our projected $376 million operating deficit for Fiscal Year 2027 through either new revenue and efficiencies or through service reductions, station closures, fare increases, layoffs, and across-the-board internal cuts. A state loan gives us reassurance money will be available to continue to deliver the best service possible for the Bay Area. We are thankful to Governor Newsom and the Department of Finance for finding a path to fund transit operations during such an unprecedented scenario brought on by the pandemic and remote work. We also thank the Bay Area Legislative Caucus for their supportive efforts and look forward to working with the Legislature on early action to include the loan within the state budget.”

“This bridge loan will help us maintain Muni service for one crucial year for everyone who depends on transit to get where they need to go,” SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum said. “We thank the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for its leadership and the Governor and the Department of Finance for their collaboration. We are deeply appreciative of the tireless efforts of Mayor Daniel Lurie, State Senator Scott Wiener, State Senator Jesse Arreguín, the Bay Area Legislative Caucus, the Board of Supervisors and the transit advocates who kept this loan alive last year. With this key agreement completed, securing the additional funding we need to address our ongoing deficit is the critical priority.”

“We are so grateful to the Governor, our delegation members, and our state and regional partners for stepping in and supporting public transit in the Bay Area at this critical time,” Caltrain https://www.caltrain.com/ Executive Director Michelle Bouchard commented. “This loan will allow us to preserve the service that made Caltrain the fastest growing transit agency in the U.S.”

“For 65 years, AC Transit’s north star has been delivering safe, reliable, and affordable bus service to the East Bay,” added Salvador Llamas, AC Transit General Manager and CEO. “That legacy was put at risk by unprecedented pandemic-related budget shortfalls. This state loan safeguards existing service levels and brings immediate relief to the more than 3 million riders each month who were at risk of losing some of the service they rely upon for the essentials of life. We thank Gov. Newsom and our local and state partners for making this possible, and while long-term funding challenges remain, today we celebrate a critical win for our riders and communities.”

This story demonstrates how difficult it is to report on the future of rail transit in the United States (that also goes for bus-service providers, but they are generally outside our purview, although AC Transit is a bus-only agency). Ridership on transit has not recovered to pre-COVID levels, while costs keep rising. In the meantime, the COVID relief money that the feds provided for transit during the height of the pandemic has run out, or will run out soon, at every transit agency.

To add to the difficulty of reporting these stories, every one of them is local, with each provider facing different fiscal challenges and potential solutions, all of which depend on local politics, and sometimes on the fickle whim of the voters. 

New York’s MTA has money from new levies and some capital assistance from Congestion Pricing in Manhattan. New Jersey has a surcharge on the largest corporations in the State, which has 35 months left to run. Chicago enacted some new revenue-raising measures and regionalized the governance of transit in Chicagoland. Pennsylvania got a two-year reprieve by taking money from the capital side and allowing it to be used for operations; a risky solution, but the Legislature did not come through, and Pittsburghers and folks in the Philadelphia area still have their transit.

When the COVID-19 virus struck nearly six years ago, transit in the Bay Area was hit hard. Service was slashed everywhere. For a while, there were only 17 bus routes operating in San Francisco, and the rule was that everybody had a bus stop within one mile of home. Some of those bus routes substituted for rail lines that had lost service completely.

Since then, service in the area has recovered substantially, but not to pre-COVID levels. There have also been capital improvements, like the recent electrification of the Caltrain line, which has brought shorter running times and a strong increase in ridership. 

A bridge loan is still a loan, though, and the transit agencies are required to pay it back. In nine months, the voters will have their say. If they go along, San Franciscans and people who live in neighboring towns and across the Bay will be able to breathe easier about their transit until 2041. In California, voters must approve new taxes by 2/3 and not merely a majority. These supermajority votes allowed Los Angeles to expand its rail transit, but will the voters in San Francisco and the outlying counties give their transit a similar vote of support?

Voters kept Caltrain going when it was in trouble a few years ago, and plenty of San Francisco residents (as well as tourists) depend on Muni transit there. The issue is whether or not enough motorists in the other counties will agree to come up with the money to keep their transit going at or near present levels. As with all of these unique and risky solutions to transit’s post-COVID financial woes, time will tell.

• No Clear Track Ahead
• California Investing $97MM in Rail Transit Projects
• Caltrain: ‘Cuts to Come’ Without External Funding
• MARTA, BART Budgets Approved for FY26
• BART: ‘Getting Our Budget in Order’
• A Varied, Growing Network

The post For Bay Area Transit, a $590MM ‘Fiscal Bridge’ (UPDATED 2/3 With Commentary) appeared first on Railway Age.

The Port of Pend Oreille in Washington State has secured a $1 million grant in an effort to revive excursion service on the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad. 

POVA owns and operates on former Milwaukee Road and Great Northern trackage between Metaline Falls, Wash., and Sandpoint, Idaho, where it interchanges with BNSF Railway. It began operations in 1979, when the Port of Pend Oreille purchased the former MILW line between Metaline Falls and Newport, and expanded to include the GN line to Sandpoint in 1998. The line to Metaline Falls is particularly scenic but also lacks any freight business. For years, the railroad operated scenic excursions over it in partnership with the local Lions Club. But since 2016, that part of the railroad has been out of service. 

The $1 million grant will fund the first phase of a project to repair approximately 5 miles of track between Usk and Cusick. The Port is partnering with the Kalispel Tribe of Indians to develop passenger service and anticipates hiring 6 to 10 people once excursions begin. Officials are hopeful that service could start sometime in 2028. 

—Justin Franz 

The post Pacific Northwest Short Line Looks to Restart Tourist Train appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.