Prototype News

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is seeking nominations for TRACS (Transit Advisory Committee for Safety) membership. Qualified individuals, including past members, may apply and self-nominations are accepted. The deadline is Oct. 2, 2025.

TRACS was established in 2009, and its charter was renewed by the U.S. Transportation Secretary on June 9, 2025. Operating in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. ch. 10, the purpose of TRACS is to provide the Secretary and the FTA Administrator with information, advice, and recommendations related to the safety of the nation’s public transportation systems, according to the FTA, which recently published its call for nominations in the Federal Register (download below). Specifically, TRACS will “provide advice and recommendations on improvements and innovations in transit safety, review current challenges and innovations in public transportation, and provide recommendations that FTA can implement in support of safety in the public transportation sector.”

The committee does not exercise program management responsibilities and makes no decisions directly affecting the programs on which it provides advice, according to the FRA. Additionally, the Secretary may accept or reject a TRACS recommendation and is not bound to pursue any TRACS recommendation.

The committee reports to the Secretary through the FTA Administrator and comprises up to 25 members. “Members should be knowledgeable of trends and issues related to rail transit and/or bus transit safety,” the FTA reported. “[A]pplicants will also be evaluated and selected based on factors including leadership and organizational skills, region of the country represented, and the overall balance of industry representation. … The Department is interested in ensuring membership is balanced fairly in terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed by TRACS.”

Members will serve two-year terms but may be reappointed. TRACS meets at least once a year. FTA noted that all meetings will be held virtually or in a hybrid forum that does not require additional use of federal funds, unless otherwise required by law or approved by the Secretary.

The post FTA: Nominations Welcome for TRACS appeared first on Railway Age.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation will be conducting its annual prequalification of professional consultant firms who desire to provide services for the 2026 calendar year. Additional information can be obtained at: https://portal.ct.gov/dot/consultant-selection-info.

Submittals must be hand delivered by 3:00 pm on October 15, 2025 or postmarked by this date and received by October 20, 2025. No submittals will be accepted after these dates.

Connecticut Department of Transportation

An EO/AA/ADA Employ

The post Legal Notice appeared first on Railway Age.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has approved Watco’s acquisition of the Great Lakes Central Railroad.

Based out of Owosso, Mich., Great Lakes Central operates approximately 400 miles of track in central and northern Michigan, including parts of the former Pennsylvania, New York Central, Grand Trunk Western, Pere Marquette, and Ann Arbor. Watco has been an equity investor in Great Lakes Central since 2013.

Watco announced its plans to purchase the railroad outright earlier this year, but the STB wanted more information on how the company would maintain service on the route. Watco also operates the nearby Ann Arbor and there was concerns that the company would divert traffic from GLC.

“The Great Lakes Central Railroad has been a vital part of Michigan’s transportation network and both my father, Louis P. Ferris, Jr., and I have been deeply passionate about its role in connecting industries and communities,” said Jennifer Ferris, President and CEO of the Great Lakes Central Railroad. “Thanks to our tremendous team, GLC has experienced remarkable growth over the years, strengthening our service and expanding our capabilities. With Watco as a long-time partner since 2013, we are confident they will honor the legacy we have built while continuing to serve Michigan’s industries and communities with the same dedication and excellence.”

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

The post STB Approves Watco Acquisition of Great Lakes appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

WATCHING WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER 2024 ISSUE: One’s eyes are wide shut not to acknowledge a polarizing dispute ensnaring railroads and their captive shippers—those lacking effective transportation alternatives—in a muddy morass as to whether railroads are revenue adequate. 

The debate is not inconsequential, as partial economic deregulation in 1980 (Staggers Rail Act) preserved protections—as administered today by the Surface Transportation Board (STB)—for some 20% of traffic considered captive to rail. Whether and what railroads are pronounced by the STB as revenue adequate has significant impact on captive shippers, as when railroads seek to raise rates, a revenue adequacy determination places with railroads a burden of defending that action.

Revenue adequacy, as defined by statute, means earning enough to cover total operating costs, including depreciation and obsolescence, plus a competitive return on invested capital sufficient over the long term to attract more of it to maintain a railroad’s large and costly infrastructure, including locomotives and rolling stock. It’s a mouthful, so no wonder railroads and their customers can’t agree on the determination process.

Congress instructed the STB to make an annual revenue adequacy determination, which it does by comparing each carrier’s return on net investment (ROI) with the rail industry’s after-tax cost of capital. The cost of capital is determined from the interest paid on debt and an estimate of returns shareholders require for their investment risk. If a railroad’s ROI exceeds the industry’s cost of capital, the carrier is considered revenue adequate.

Once a railroad is determined by the STB to be revenue adequate, it must, when seeking a rate increase, demonstrate “with particularity” its need for higher revenue; the harm it would suffer if prevented from collecting it through higher rates; and why a shipper without effective transportation alternatives should pay those higher rates. 

Captive shippers say most, if not all, Class I railroads are—and have been since at least 2015—revenue adequate. Thus, they say, the STB should constrain—which it has not done—future rail rate increases to no more than the revenue adequate carrier’s actual cost increases incurred in handling the freight. The progeny of this debate is an acrimonious rhetorical loop as illustrated in this abridged version: 

SHIPPERS: Railroads absolutely are revenue adequate. Warren Buffett’s legendary Berkshire Hathaway holding company would never have purchased BNSF in 2010 were it not revenue adequate. As far back as 1995, the president of the Association of American Railroads spoke of the industry’s “new golden age.”

RAILROADS: Buffett’s strategy is long-term value investing. He bought BNSF because he considered it undervalued. The STB did not find BNSF revenue adequate at the time of its purchase in 2009 or in 2010. 

SHIPPERS: Then why, since 2010, have railroads paid out more than $270 billion in stock buybacks and dividends? 

RAILROADS: Capital is a coward. During times of uncertainty, investors withdraw and seek return of their capital for use elsewhere. Coal, long the railroads’ mainstay traffic, is down 50% since 2014. Its successor, intermodal (containers and trailers on flat cars), faces significant headwinds. Among them are self-driving trucks; the peril of Congress permitting longer and heavier trucks on federal-aid highways; legislative resistance to reducing the shortfall in heavy-truck user fees assessed for pavement and bridge damage; rail labor’s resistance to smaller crew size, automated safety inspections and cost-reducing operating strategies such as Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR); and activist regulators wanting to micromanage and preserve unproductive jobs. 

SHIPPERS: PSR and crew size reduction are Wall Street-driven strategies to “goose” short-term returns and stock price but are not effective over time at attracting freight from trucks and satisfying shipper wants. Railroads should be investing profits in service improvements. 

RAILROADS: Notions of “build it and they will come” best belong in baseball-themed novels and movie scripts. Opposition to smaller crew size and PSR encourages stagflation—increased operating costs, higher freight rates to recover them, loss of traffic to lower-cost truck competitors and a return to excess capacity that contributed to the railroads’ darkest financial days when service quality was an oxymoron. 

SHIPPERS: STB predecessor Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) ruled in 1985 that a railroad should not use its market power “to consistently earn, over time, an ROI above the cost of capital.” By avoiding a revenue adequate designation, they are doing just that. 

RAILROADS: Investors have expectations that railroads will earn greater than their cost of capital consistently over time, or they will find better investment opportunities. The result of capping returns at the cost of capital will be deferred maintenance and an inability to renew plant and equipment—essential to meet shipper wants. 

SHIPPERS: The STB’s failure to impose rate constraints on revenue adequate railroads is troubling. By STB calculations, Union Pacific has been revenue adequate every year since 2011. CSX has been revenue adequate every year since 2018. No railroad ever said in its annual report it is revenue inadequate. 

RAILROADS: Annual STB revenue adequacy determinations look backward, not forward. They do not incorporate headwinds that are substantial, as mentioned. They are a historical accounting snapshot.

Although the STB opened a proceeding in 2014, inviting comments on how its revenue adequacy determination methodology might be improved; and although railroads in 2020 asked the STB to consider whether railroads require a return greater than their cost of capital to attract adequate investment, the STB discontinued both proceedings in July 2025. It said “the public interest would be better served” by devoting scarce resources to other matters.

Although captive shippers still can file complaints that rail rates are unreasonable, they have ceased doing so, citing millions of dollars in costs to pursue those challenges and “minimal expectation” of victory. 

For the foreseeable future, captive shippers are unlikely to find salvation at the STB or before Congress owing to a political atmosphere discouraging federal agency regulation. That leaves shippers distrusting the STB, and railroads saying results disliked by shippers confirm there is no market power abuse.

Shippers are not alone in criticizing the STB’s superintending of its revenue adequacy responsibility. 

The National Academy of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board concluded in a congressionally funded study that an annual revenue adequacy determination “serves no constructive purpose.” Economist Alfred E. Kahn—acknowledged as the “father of airline deregulation”—said the STB’s annual revenue adequacy determination produces “nonsensical results.” 

An example is STB’s using stock prices as part of determining industry-wide cost of capital. Berkshire Hathaway-owned BNSF, which earns one-third of the Big Four railroads’ total revenue (BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific), has no publicly traded stock, leaving a gaping hole in the STB’s analysis. 

STB staff also is critical. In 2019, an STB internal Rate Reform Task Force said the agency’s methodology can result in a railroad being found revenue adequate in a single year and still not be long-term revenue adequate; or be found revenue inadequate in a single year even though it is long-term revenue adequate. 

If the process is broken, captive shippers have an option to exploit an upcoming window of opportunity presented by the consolidation desire of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern—and, maybe, BNSF and CSX. 

Imagine a contractual transaction that would help railroads demonstrate enhanced competition resulting from merger, as is required of applicants. In exchange for shippers supporting merger, the railroad applicants would agree to link future rate changes to service performance metrics, with penalties for failure to meet minimum standards. The Gordian knot to solve is that service failure penalties will not cause fewer future commitments.

Railroads are enthusiasts of such market-based performance standards, long advocating they replace prescriptive safety regulation. UP may be ready to deal. CEO Jim Vena has already promised, in exchange for labor support, workforce lifetime income protection. 

Resentment and anger between railroads and captive shippers are inevitable so long as each views the relationship as a zero-sum game, where when one “wins” the other “loses.” Crafting a symbiosis through arms’ length bilateral agreements is preferable to third-party determinations, as rotating third parties (new regulators, new lawmakers) can be polar opposites. History is replete with examples.

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

The post Is Shipper Salvation Performance Standards? appeared first on Railway Age.

“BNSF operating teams are generating improved performance and building on the positive momentum going into the holiday weekend,” the Class I railroad told customers in an Aug. 29 online message. Average car velocity increased nearly 2% versus the prior week. Terminal dwell remains steady as compared to the prior week’s average and levels in July. “Our local service compliance measure, which reflects our timeliness in handling carload freight, is above 90% and improved compared to both the previous week and the prior month,” BNSF said.

This summer, BNSF says it has continued to bring customers “competitive, efficient opportunities” across its network and beyond. In July, the Class I announced its new expedited intermodal service from Los Angeles to Houston, as well as its new Salt Lake City intermodal facility. “Both serve growing markets and have ample capacity to grow in the months to come,” BNSF said.

Last week, BNSF announced three new intermodal services, offering “seamless coast-to-coast solutions” with CSX, including:

• Coast-to-coast, direct domestic intermodal services between Southern California and Charlotte, N.C., and Jacksonville, Fla.
• Service between Phoenix, Ariz., and Atlanta, Ga., “aiming to convert over-the-road (OTR) freight to rail through a seamless product.”
• Direct international intermodal services between the Port of New York and New Jersey, and Norfolk, Va., and Kansas City.

“This collaboration between BNSF and CSX is a direct example of delivering immediate value to customers with faster, more reliable service while maintaining the flexibility and optionality needed for your supply chains,” the Class I said.

The number of trains operating on BNSF track is typically lower over the Labor Day holiday due to reduced freight volume. BNSF’s Intermodal holiday operating plan adjusted operations to account for this potential reduction in traffic. As a result, shipments from Monday, Sept. 1, through noon on Wednesday, Sept. 3, may experience delays of approximately 24 hours. Connecting carriers who have reduced operations for the holiday may cause delays on interline traffic. All BNSF Intermodal hubs observed normal working hours during the holiday period.

CN recently announced via a LinkedIn post that it is partnering with Autism Canada on the launch of Empowering Connections, as part of its “commitment to building stronger, more inclusive communities.”

Empowering Connections, a CN-supported National Support Line launching in October 2025, is the first-of-its-kind in Canada. The dedicated service will provide Autistic people, neurodivergents, and their families/caregivers across Canada “with direct access to compassionate, peer-informed connection during moments of isolation, loneliness, or disconnection,” according to Autism Canada.

NS is contributing $50,000 to Rebuilding Together New Orleans to help launch the city’s new Resiliency Center, the Class I recently announced in an X post.

The new space will provide critical home repairs for elderly, disabled, and veteran homeowners, workforce training, and disaster recovery support for the community, according to the Class I.

“Resilience isn’t just history. It’s the future we’re building, together,” NS said.

More information is available here.

The post Class I Briefs: BNSF, CN, NS appeared first on Railway Age.

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE SEPTEMBER 2025 ISSUE: The North American rail media sphere has been dominated by the Union Pacific+Norfolk Southern merger/acquisition and by the inevitable fallout about what will happen next: BNSF+CSX, CPKC+CSX, UP+NS+CN. These events offer rail journalists the opportunity to dance to a new tune (so often relegated are they to discussions as mundane as when and where will rail loadings growth arrive). The entire mix of speculation, the involvement of roguish activist investors and the pure thrill of having something to write about that people outside of the industry may want to consume is extraordinary.

To be honest, the railroad merger dialogue is beginning to make North American rail feel a bit like Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Not the best look.

But the world keeps spinning. Railcar loadings into late August looked better than 2024 (especially King Coal) but not good enough for North American rail to look like it is on a growth trajectory. Rail service across North America has been acceptable and consistent, and for the most part that is good enough.

For a railroad looking to change the world by creating continental dominance and promising post-merger volume growth (never heard that before), the late August news that Union Pacific was ordered by OSHA to pay damages to an employee who was fired over what the railroad claimed was a false work injury claim put an ugly spin on a fairly minor event.

“Financial Edge” has never given UP, and all the other railroads for that matter, a pass on their public relations gaffes. There was Lance Fritz’s attempt to blame intermodal container pillaging on the Los Angeles Police Department (Sgt. Joe Friday would never have tolerated that). There have been senior-executive podium statements confirming that the one thing at which UP excels is bureaucracy. Also, there have been recent statements that UP’s customer-facing technology improvements involved their new and updated website. 

While a transcontinental merger certainly redirects the conversation, it bears remembering that even prior to the recent OSHA ruling, UP has frequently been on the negative side of employment reporting. Several Propublica.org articles highlight tension between UP and employees. Mostly these articles focus on employees being told to prioritize train speed over safety or on whistleblowers trying to highlight unsafe operating conditions. None of these stories end well. The employee is usually fired. The railroad cites cause and the employee says it is retributive. Litigation or arbitration of one form or another ensues. Payoffs are made.

Propublica is far from the top-ten list of unbiased news reporting agencies. Neither is it the most biased news outlet. As noted before in this space, one thing the railroads do not do well is counteracting negative media and negative perception of themselves in the public domain.

OSHA notes that when it comes to soft tissue injuries, concrete physical diagnosis is often hard to obtain. OSHA stops short of passing definitive judgment about the existence of an injury but goes as far as to suggest that the faking of the injury is a possibility. OSHA walks an odd line, and the facts available to the public are limited. Here’s what is easy to find: OSHA’s report identifies UP as a “serial violator” of the whistleblowing rules. In a window between 2001 and 2015, UP had more than 200 reported whistleblower complaints.

Let’s be clear: All U.S.-domiciled Class I railroads have OSHA retaliatory employment action judgements. They span decades; each railroad has recent decisions against it. The volume of these complaints at UP is clearly more significant than at the other Class I railroads.

No surprise that SMART-TD and TWU (Transport Workers Union of America) have come out strongly against the UP+NS merger. Both unions have targeted safety concerns, immediate labor force impacts and the overarching perception that a merger will line executive pockets while offering little for the employees working on the ground. 

Unions have long memories. They all remember the service meltdowns that have followed most railroad mergers. The BLET and BMWED are reserving judgment until they have a sit-down with management. One would guess that the recent NS and UP five-year labor agreements do not include guaranteed employee retention in the event of a transcontinental merger. 

No one likes injury, scandal, or the perception of employee-directed apathy. It does create a sense of wonder about why more effort is not being exerted into making UP, its image and its employee relations more positive—especially as it is about to pursue the most significant U.S. railroad merger since the original transcontinental spike in 1869.

Maybe after the merger?

The post Merger Dialogue: Shades of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ appeared first on Railway Age.

Infrastructure firm FlatironDragados on Aug. 28 reported its selection as Construction Manager/General Contractor for two LACMTA rail projects.

FlatironDragados and joint venture partner Herzog will support the preconstruction services phase of the Southeast Gateway Line project, which will relocate freight rail lines and conflicting utilities. This project will make way for the future phase, bringing 14.5 miles of new light rail to southeast Los Angeles County. The $10.5 million preconstruction contract supports early design coordination and construction planning that is currently under way, according to FlatironDragados.

The overall construction project, it said, is expected to exceed $500 million and include utility relocations, rail installation, one new light rail bridge and one new freight bridge, a pedestrian bridge over the freeway, and a new LACMTA infill station at the I-105 freeway, where riders would transfer between the C Line and the Southeast Gateway Line.

LACMTA on Oct. 30, 2024, broke ground for advanced utility work for the Southeast Gateway Line in Artesia. The new 14.5-mile, nine-station light rail line (see map, top) will run between the A Line’s Slauson Station in Florence-Firestone to Artesia; it will serve the cities and communities of Artesia, Bell, Bellflower, Cerritos, Cudahy, Downey, Florence-Firestone, Huntington Park, Los Angeles, Paramount, South Gate, and Vernon. The project in November 2024 was awarded $231 million by the California State Transportation Agency. The opening is forecasted for 2035.

FlatironDragados also reported being selected for the preconstruction services phase of the Link Union Station project, which it called “a long-awaited modernization of the historic Los Angeles Union Station, Southern California’s busiest multimodal transit hub.” The $7 million preconstruction contract supports current collaboration with LACMTA on project design and construction planning. This phase of the “collaborative delivery project fosters innovation, facilitates ongoing problem solving, and enables greater budget and schedule certainty,” according to the infrastructure firm.

The overall project will create new through tracks on an elevated rail yard to increase Los Angeles Union Station capacity by up to 200%, improve transit connectivity, accommodate Amtrak and Metrolink service, and prepare the corridor for future high-speed rail service, FlatironDragados reported.

The improvements will allow trains to enter and exit from both ends of the station in an aim to ease congestion and improve operations.

“Delivering complex rail infrastructure in one of the country’s busiest urban areas takes ongoing collaboration, technical expertise, and a shared commitment to the communities we serve,” said Dale Nelson, Executive Vice President at FlatironDragados. “We look forward to working alongside Metro [LACMTA] during the design phase—to optimize the project design and phasing to minimize risk—with the ultimate goal of reaching a negotiated construction contract.”

• Fourth of a Series: New Through Tracks Proposed for L.A. Union Station
• Los Angeles Through-Running: ‘Build It and They Will Come’

Trial Operations on Skyline’s Segment 2 are under way with all 26 testing scenarios completed and system performance demonstration continuing through September, HART reported in the Aug. 25 edition of its weekly newsletter. This segment includes 5.2 miles of guideway and four new stations: Makalapa (Pearl Harbor), Lelepaua (Daniel K. Inouye International Airport), Āhua (Lagoon Drive), and Kahauiki (Middle Street). (See map below.)

According to HART, once the required testing and safety documentation is completed, Segment 2 assets will be transferred to the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services (DTS) for passenger service, which is anticipated to begin Oct. 16, 2025.

Segment 1 included the first nine stations and 10.75 miles of guideway. On June 9, 2023, HART transferred the guideway, stations, 43-acre Rail Operations Center, and 12 four-car trains to DTS. The rail system, officially named Skyline, opened to the public June 30, 2023.

Segment 3—including three miles of elevated guideway and six stations at Kalihi, Honolulu Community College-Kapālama, Iwilei, Chinatown, Downtown, and Civic Center—is expected to wrap up in 2030, with the transfer to DTS by 2031. A groundbreaking ceremony took place last month.

• Delivering a Hawaii Transit Megaproject
• Tutor Perini Lands $1.66B Skyline Contract
• Hitachi Rail Sues HART for $325MM
• Watch: Happy Birthday, Skyline!
• HART Takes Delivery of Final Trainset, $125MM in Federal Funding

MBTA on Aug. 29 reported that it will begin installing 40 Commuter Rail fare gates around the South Station concourse in September. Eleven of the gates will be wider for accessibility, allowing sufficient room for wheelchairs, scooters, bicycles, luggage, and strollers. All gates are expected to be operational this winter.

Commuter Rail fare gates were first installed at North Station in 2022. The goal: to “improve fare collection, replace platform ticket checks, and create a more consistent fare-paying experience for passengers across transit modes,” according to MBTA. The design and configuration of South Station gates, it noted, was developed with rider needs in mind, and builds on the lessons learned during gate implementation at North Station, where riders have tapped tickets or passes 14 million times since the gates opened. The design also follows industry standards and global best practices in fare collection, the transit authority said.

MBTA anticipates adding fare gates to Ruggles Station in winter 2025/2026 and to Back Bay Station in early 2026.

“Installing fare gates at South Station, our busiest station, will help ensure fares are appropriately collected,” MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said. “These fares support our operations budget and are important to continuing the delivery of safe, reliable and more frequent rail service. The public has a right to expect us to do our part and to ensure revenue is collected. These gates, including fully accessible ones, are another step towards delivering a best-in-class transportation system that the public deserves.”

• MassDOT Secures $3.5MM to Advance West-East Rail
• MBTA Celebrates Completion of Winchester Center Station Accessibility Project
• Massachusetts Sets FY26 Budget
• Report: U.S. CBP Delaying CRRC MBTA Carshell Deliveries

TriMet and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 29 welcomed back the City of Portland and the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) as a member of the Transit Police Division, whose other members include the Beaverton and Hillsboro police departments.

The City of Portland in 2020 ended a previous agreement with TriMet, which provides bus, MAX light rail, WES commuter rail, and LIFT paratransit services. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office became the law enforcement lead of Transit Police in 2021 and remains in the role. TriMet is now contracting with the City for five PPB officers and one sergeant to serve on Transit Police.

According to TriMet, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office recently added a lieutenant to Transit Police, and the Port of Portland Police Department added three more officers. 

The moves bring the Transit Police Division to 31 active officers. TriMet said it pays the “fully burdened rate” for the law enforcement personnel assigned to Transit Police. 

“As the largest city in TriMet’s service area, renewing our relationship with the City of Portland and the Portland Police Bureau is a benefit for TriMet, our riders, and the region,” TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. said.

“Welcoming the Portland Police Bureau back to Transit Police will increase our collective presence on the transit system, deterring crime, building trust, and reassuring riders,” Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell said. “It will also expand our capacity for high-visibility safety missions focused on areas of public concern or with higher rates of criminal activity.”

“Over the past year, Portland has seen a promising decrease in crime, with both property and violent offenses trending downward,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said. “That improvement is the result of collaboration, community engagement, and tireless work by our law enforcement partners. Bringing the Portland Police Bureau back into the Transit Police Division builds directly on this momentum and helps ensure riders feel safe and supported.”

“The Portland Police Bureau is proud to rejoin Transit Police to help ensure the safety and security of our community on and around the transit system,” PPB Chief Bob Day said. “As our city continues to grow and evolve, a collaborative police presence on public transportation is essential. We look forward to working alongside our partners to support safe and reliable transit for all.”

“The more we’re able to collaborate across agencies, the better we can serve our community, ensure safety, and maintain a consistent presence throughout the TriMet system,” Port of Portland Public Safety and Security Director Beverly Pearman said.

At its height, Transit Police included 65 law enforcement staff from 15 local police agencies, according to TriMet. “The national police officer shortage that intensified after the murder of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic, and hit its peak in 2023, led to hiring challenges for local police and sheriff’s departments,” the transit agency reported. “As they struggled with staffing, fewer officers were available to be assigned to Transit Police.”

TriMet Executive Director of Safety and Security Andrew Wilson, who oversees the Transit Police Division for TriMet, continues to work with Multnomah County Sheriff Morrisey O’Donnell and Transit Police Chief Matt Jordan to engage other local law enforcement agencies to join Transit Police. 

TriMet noted that since 2021 it has diversified and expanded its public safety teams. Contracted Transit Security Officers and Customer Safety Officers patrol the system, “discouraging inappropriate and illegal behavior,” it said. TriMet’s Customer Safety Supervisors enforce the agency’s rules for riding, and its Safety Response Team connects people on and around the transit system with social services such as shelters, mental health resources, and addiction services. Along with Transit Police, it has nearly 500 people dedicated to safety and security. 

Calls for police services, which include both possible crimes and non-criminal incidents such as welfare checks, dropped nearly 50% from 2021 through 2024, TriMet reported.

“TriMet provides about 1.3 million trips a week,” Sam Desue Jr. said. “The vast majority occur without incident due to the dedication of the Transit Police staff, their fellow officers and TriMet’s dedicated safety and security teams.”

• TriMet Installs 700+ Digital Displays Networkwide
• TriMet Announces Service Cuts, Other Reductions
• WES: Commuter Rail Skirting Its Principal City
• TriMet Board Adopts $1.96B FY2026 Budget

The post Transit Briefs: LACMTA, HART, MBTA, TriMet appeared first on Railway Age.

Disruption at the Surface Transportation Board: One of the attributes of the freight transportation sector we’ve always liked has been its low politicization. People in and around the industry care about stuff getting from A to B on time and at a fair price, and there’s nothing political about that.

As we entered the second [POTUS 47] term, our assumption was that the freight railroads would continue to fly under the political radar. Despite being huge entities and one of the backbones of the goods economy, the big U.S. railroads are not household names, and 99% of the population probably couldn’t name all four. (Editor’s Note: It’s six. Though CPKC and CN are “technically” Canadian, each has a massive U.S. presence, which 99% of the population couldn’t name– William C. Vantuono) We also expected the Surface Transportation Board to be left alone to do its work, with a fifth member added in 2026.

Those assumptions went down in flames Aug. 27, when the White House emailed STB member Robert Primus, ostensibly terminating his position. We say ostensibly because Board members can only be terminated for cause, there wasn’t one, and the White House didn’t even bother trying to invent one. Mr. Primus has vowed to fight it, which we think is the right call, and we wish him success in this endeavor. He was a strong voice for shippers, in particular, which would be missed.

This situation is unprecedented at the STB and, of course, everything must be viewed in terms of what it might mean for the agency’s most consequential decision that will likely be made in early 2027: the Union Pacific+Norfolk Southern merger.

In our mind, there are two aspects to what just happened that matter: the direct impact of what has already been done, and the question of why it was done.

“We’ve been trying to come up with plausible scenarios that might explain the motivation of the Administration to terminate Mr. Primus, and all of them are somewhere between inappropriate and awful.”

The direct impact is very simple: the [POTUS 47] Administration just removed a likely “no” vote on the UP+NS merger. Mr. Primus was the only STB member to vote against the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, and the consensus, right or wrong, was that he would vote against UP+NS. Even if Mr. Primus is successful in his challenge, the courts move slowly, and he will likely miss the vote, regardless.

After a few days thinking about this, we’re also troubled by the “why.” If we know the “why,” it at least enables an educated guess as to what comes next. There’s no doubt a backstory here, which we may never know, but we’ve been trying to come up with plausible scenarios that might explain the motivation of the Administration to terminate Mr. Primus, and all of them are somewhere between inappropriate and awful. For example:

The [POTUS 47] Administration truly wants the UP+NS merger and is prepared to fire regulators to get it. This is how the situation appears at first glance, with the Administration putting its finger firmly on the scales in favor of the merger. It also sends a message to the other Board members that’s basically: Approve the deal or be fired as well. Even if that wasn’t the intention, this is the message that may have inadvertently been sent. Has the UP+NS merger just been made a fait accompli? If the Administration nominates an overtly merger-supportive Board member in the near term, it would give credence to this theory.

Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest? Another scenario that could explain the Administration’s motivation is that some person or group that badly wants this merger to go through called in a favor with the Administration to unlawfully remove a “no” vote. We’re not pointing the finger at UP or NS, just highlighting the scenario because it’s one of only a few that has any degree of rationality.

Scattershot firings. Another possible motivation is that the Administration is just working through these agencies, firing mostly Democrats randomly to generate news. While it sounds somewhat silly, it may turn out to be the most likely explanation. In short, last Wednesday was a [POTUS 47] Administration curveball we’re unable to rationalize. It may not be the last.

The post POTUS 47 Turmoil Reaches STB appeared first on Railway Age.

FROM THE EDITOR, RAILWAY AGE SEPTEMBER 2025 ISSUE: As I write this, it’s the late afternoon of Friday, Aug. 29, the end of one of the strangest weeks I’ve ever encountered in my 33-plus years at Railway Age—on top all the crazy things flying out of the White House practically every day since January.

In the space of one week, hedge fund Ancora resurfaced from the swamp and mounted an ugly, nonsensical, fabrication-filled attack on CSX and CEO Joe Hinrichs (our current Railroader of the Year), proclaiming that CSX, only because Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern announced their intended combination, must pursue a merger with either BNSF or CPKC—both of which responded with, “Dumb idea. Get lost.” Then, POTUS 47, once again invoking his The Apprentice reality TV persona, told STB Member Robert Primus, “You’re Fired!”

With Primus ejected from 395 E Street SW in Washington D.C., the odds of UP+NS being approved in roughly two years most likely have increased. The STB has its work cut out, because this transaction falls under merger rules that will be invoked for the first time since they were written in 2001. So, should any other railroads be rushing toward the altar, further complicating what already is an extremely complex undertaking?

No, per l’amor di Dio! Not now. Let’s keep our heads screwed on straight and see how this all plays out. Cool your jets. There are several ways the other four Class I’s can “combine,” in terms of operations and improved services—and they’re doing it.

Now, you might say, “Who does this intelligentone think he is?” But I’m just agreeing with Keith Creel, Warren Buffett and Joe Hinrichs. (Of course, I’m glad they said it first.)

CPKC “is not interested in participating in immediate rail industry consolidation, despite suggestions by some that it take part,” Creel said. “CPKC does not believe that further rail consolidation is necessary for the industry as currently structured.”

Buffett and Greg Abel met with Hinrichs in Omaha alone, without advisors present. They told him they would not make a bid for CSX, adding they “believed they could cooperate more to gain some of the same benefits that would come from combining the two companies.” Hinrichs confirmed this in a session with Jim Cramer, the animated, rapid-fire-dialogue (that’s putting it mildly) host of CNBC’s Mad Money—who called Ancora “some fund I don’t know jack about.”

Jim may not know jack, but he sure knows Joe, as do we. Hinrichs highlighted the importance of “collaboration over consolidation,” stating, “The biggest problem that needs to be solved is interchanges.” He also pointed to CSX’s “robust network, best-in-class margins and high employee engagement … Our focus is on creating value for shareholders and serving customers better so that we can profitably grow the business. That involves people working effectively together.”

Oh, by the way, Cramer prefaced his questioning of Hinrichs with this: “First, just so people know, Railway Age is the most important publication in this industry, and you are the railroad man of the year.”

Thanks for the plug, Jim! But can you talk a little slower? I’m having a hard time understanding you at my advancing age.

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The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has granted authority for Watco Holdings, Inc. to acquire control of the 379.2-mile Class III Great Lakes Central Railroad, Inc., subject to certain conditions. The acquisition will allow Watco, which provides rail, transloading, terminal and port, and logistics services, to expand its control to one Class II and 44 Class IIIs across the United States.

GLC is currently owned by Federated Capital Acquisitions, Inc., a subsidiary of Federated Capital Holdings, LLC. According to Watco, the state of Michigan owns about 350 miles of GLC’s lines and GLC operates over them via “modified certificates of public convenience and necessity,” the STB reported in its Aug. 31 decision (download below). It will join Watco’s Grand Elk and Ann Arbor (AA) railroads in Michigan. Stretching from Ann Arbor (north) to Cadillac (central), Mich., with branches to Thompsonville, Traverse City, and Petoskey, GLC is the largest short line in the state and serves 15 counties. It ships a range of commodities including soybeans, corn, and other agricultural products, fertilizers, plastics, and LPG, and interchanges with CSX, Genesee & Wyoming’s Mid-Michigan Railroad and Huron & Eastern Railway, CN, and AA, which links with Norfolk Southern.

Pittsburg, Kans.-based Watco on March 6 filed a petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502, seeking an exemption from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 11323 to acquire control of GLC by acquiring 100% of GLC’s common stock. On June 20, under the STB’s direction, Watco filed a supplement providing additional information that the Board needed to determine whether the transaction qualified for an exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(a).

The STB on Aug. 31 reported that its decision followed “a thorough review” of the petition and supplement. “In its filings, Watco stated its commitment to implementing service improvements and modernizing GLC’s infrastructure,” the Board said. “Specifically, Watco presented that its acquisition of control of GLC will create streamlined routing efficiencies between GLC and AA, allow GLC to gain access to Watco’s experienced marketing team, and allow Watco to invest approximately $3.7 million in GLC’s network. Watco also represented that the transaction will not reduce competitive options for shippers and committed to keeping open all currently active gateways operated by GLC and the Watco-owned AA, to which GLC connects.” No party opposed the transaction, and the State of Michigan submitted a letter in support of the acquisition, according to the STB.

In its approval decision, the Board said it “finds that the transaction satisfies the applicable statutory criteria and will not result in significant impacts on competition, subject to the imposition of a condition requiring Watco to maintain all currently active gateways on commercially competitive terms.” The decision, it noted, is subject to standard employee protective conditions.

The exemption will become effective Sept. 28, 2025. Petitions for stay must be filed by Sept. 8, 2025. Petitions to reopen must be filed by Sept. 18, 2025. STB Chairman Patrick J. Fuchs and Members Karen J. Hedlund, and Michelle A. Schultz issued the decision.

Further Reading: Did Primus Engineer His Own Ouster?

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On August 21, Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority voted to shift $74 million in discretionary funding from Metra and Pace (the region’s bus system) to the Chicago Transit Authority. While the money move won’t prevent the impending “doomsday” cuts, it will delay them until the middle of 2026. 

The RTA, which oversees the three agencies, is facing a $770 million deficit largely due to the end of federal funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although legislation to reform the RTA and provide funding passed through the state Senate, it failed to reach the House floor before the May 31 deadline. While it’s possible that the legislature could still address the budget shortfall during an upcoming special session, the RTA has begun cutting its budget to the amount it anticipates receiving next year from the state.

If the state does not come through with additional funding, drastic cuts are expected to impact bus, transit and commuter rail services in Chicagoland. Four of the CTA’s eight rail lines could be suspended, resulting in the closure of 50 stations. Metra would need to reduce service by 40 percent, which would eliminate early-morning and late-night trains.

The post Chicago Staves Off Transit Cuts — For Now appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.