Prototype News

Nearly 1.9 billion trips were taken on New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s subway, bus, and paratransit services in 2025—up roughly 7% from 2024—and the subway, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad each broke OTP (On-Time Performance) records last year, MTA reported Jan. 2.

At MTA New York City Transit, the subway’s weekday OTP in 2025 came in at 83.7%, a 2.1 percentage point improvement from 2024, and weekend OTP was 86.6%, 2.4 points better than 2024. The best single month for performance in subway history was August, when weekday OTP reached 85.2%, according to MTA.

“This improvement in subway service was driven through increased focus on data-driven schedule and service management improvements; a drop in delays related to public conduct incidents; and improved schedules helping to mitigate the impacts of scheduled maintenance and capital work,” the transit authority reported. “ \The subway system experienced about 13,000 fewer delays in 2025 compared with the previous year, even with increases in regularly scheduled service. In 2025, the Department of Subways also increased service on several lines, including the A and L in November, and the M in December in conjunction with the F M swap.”

The subway, which operates 24/7, includes 472 stations on 25 routes, spread along 665 miles of track. (Courtesy of MTA)

Subway ridership also grew in 2025, with nearly 1.3 billion total trips representing 85% of pre-pandemic levels. It rose 7% from 2024 and some 30% from 2022. According to MTA, the subway broke its post-pandemic single-day weekday and weekend ridership records on numerous occasions last year, with the most-recent single day high reached on Dec. 11 with 4.65 million riders.

On buses, the MTA added additional service across the city in 2025. “Following the launch of congestion pricing, the MTA and [New York] Gov. Kathy Hochul committed $8 million from the Outer Borough Transportation Account to increase frequencies on 22 high-ridership bus routes, including eight Express Bus routes connecting riders to Manhattan and 14 critical Local Bus routes, reducing wait times for riders,” MTA reported. “In June and September, the MTA phased in the Queens Bus Network Redesign, which included a $35 million annual investment in increased all-day frequency, 11 brand new bus routes and 25 new Rush Routes, which have sped up trips by 7%.” Bus ridership grew by approximately 8% in 2025, with nearly 440 million total trips.

For paratransit, October was the first month in history with more than 1 million riders, according to MTA. Overall ridership is at 161% of pre-pandemic levels.

In November, customer satisfaction was at 67% for subway riders and 62% for bus riders, while paratransit satisfaction has been in the high 70s all year, MTA reported. “This increase in satisfaction was driven primarily by improved customer safety, with 71% of subway customers reporting they felt safe on the system in November, the highest rate since the MTA began monthly surveys in 2022,” the transit authority said.

The LIRR system includes more than 700 miles of track on 11 different branches, stretching from Montauk on the eastern tip of Long Island to Penn Station in Manhattan, approximately 120 miles away. The commuter railroad serves 126 stations in Nassau and Suffolk counties, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. (Courtesy of MTA)

The MTA’s commuter railroads clocked strong performance and ridership results in 2025, according to MTA. LIRR saw the greatest ridership increase of all MTA modes in 2025, with 81 million riders, up 9% from 2024. Also, 183,250 people took LIRR on Saturday, Dec. 13, the highest post-pandemic Saturday, and 152,661 people took LIRR on Sunday, Dec. 21, the highest post-pandemic Sunday, the transit authority reported. On Sept. 24, LIRR carried more than 300,000 riders for the first time since the pandemic. Overall, MTA said, LIRR ridership is at 92% of pre-pandemic levels.

LIRR’s OTP for 2025 exceeded 96%, up one point from 2024 and the best non-pandemic year in at least a decade, according to MTA, which noted that 81% of riders “felt satisfied” with service, an 11-point increase from 2024.

Metro-North serves riders throughout New York and Connecticut on its Harlem, Hudson, New Haven, Port Jervis, and Pascack Valley lines. (Courtesy of MTA)

Metro-North’s OTP for the year reached 97.8%. “This strong performance was matched by improvements to service, including the ahead-of-schedule launch of new ‘Super-Express’ service on the Hudson Line on Oct. 5, slashing travel times between Poughkeepsie and Grand Central to less than 90 minutes,” MTA reported.

Metro-North carried 69 million riders in 2025, up 6% from 2024. The week of Dec. 15 was the highest post-pandemic ridership recovery week for the railroad, with 827,015 total customers, MTA said. Additionally, the weekend of Dec. 20-21 was Metro-North’s “strongest weekend ridership performance of the post-pandemic era,” with 245,638 customers. MTA said the railroad’s ridership is now at 88% of pre-pandemic levels.

According to MTA, additional milestones in 2025 include:

• Highest ridership subway station: 42 St Complex (Times Sq-42 St N, Q, R, S, W, 1, 2, 3, 7/42 St-PABT, A, C, E/Bryant Pk, B, D, F, M/5 Av 7), 58,848,238 total customers.
• Highest ridership subway route: 6 line with an average of 560,000 daily riders.
• Highest ridership bus route: M15-SBS carried 7,004,769 riders.
• Busiest turnstile in the subway: Grand Central – 42 St, Booth R238 Position 16, 1,853,615 total entries.

Further Reading:

• Watch: NY MTA Launches Railcar Acceptance, Testing Facility
• MTA Releases 2026 Operating Budget, Four-Year Financial Plan

The post For NY MTA, ‘Record-Breaking’ 2025 Performance, Ridership appeared first on Railway Age.

Northlander

Ontario’s passenger train service, the Northlander, is making its return with service stops between Toronto’s Union Station and Timmins, with a rail connection to Cochrane.

According to Metroland, the train’s return comes with several enhancements on board and at service station, including comfortable seats, Wi-Fi and charging outlets, storage space above seats, wider aisles and adjustable tray tables, E-readers, and standard and accessible toilets.

According to Ontario Northland’s proposed service schedule, northbound and southbound stops will be made in Timmins, Huntsville, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Washago and Gormley, among several others.

The Northlander is set to travel a total of approximately 740 kilometers (460 miles) between Toronto and Timmins, with 16 stops in between communities that will now be back on a passenger rail corridor.

While the date of the train’s first trip hasn’t been set yet, the passenger rail service’s return is anticipated in 2026, according to Metroland. Northlander passenger rail service will operate four to seven days a week, based on seasonal travel demands.

MARTA

MARTA will welcome a new era of transit in 2026 with a slate of major capital projects and service enhancements scheduled for completion and implementation. These projects, the agency says, “will improve safety and reliability, modernize the customer experience and attract new riders, and ensure MARTA reflects the world-class region it serves.”

“This year is one of the most consequential and exciting in our history,” said MARTA Interim General Manager and CEO Jonathan Hunt. “As we work to go from a good transit system to a great one, we are advancing an unprecedented number of high-impact projects that respond directly to customer feedback. Whether you are a daily commuter, special events rider, or a visitor arriving for the World Cup, you will experience a safer, cleaner, and more reliable MARTA beginning in 2026.”

MARTA is targeting spring/summer 2026 for implementation of the following projects:

• New Railcars: MARTA is transitioning from its legacy fleet to the new CQ400 railcars, the most technologically advanced trains in the country. The new trains provide a safer, smoother ride, have open gangways with front- and center-facing seats, and technological upgrades including charging stations and real-time service information. Four train sets are undergoing testing, and multiple train sets will be in service by the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.
• Better Breeze: A new, contactless fare payment system is currently being installed systemwide. The better Breeze system has a new payment feature that allows customers to tap a bank card or mobile wallet at the faregate or farebox to ride and new faregates that can be monitored and adjusted remotely, reducing incidents of fare evasion, resulting in a more secure transit system. The customer transition period runs from March 28 – May 2, 2026.
• Station Rehabilitation: As part of an ongoing $1 billion systemwide Station Rehabilitation Program, Five Points Station will have safer, cleaner platforms by spring 2026. The renovations, including new lighting, flooring, and ceilings will be completed prior to the World Cup. The street-level Five Points Transformation Project that includes the removal and replacement of the station canopy is ongoing. The station will remain open, safe, and welcoming during the World Cup.
• World Cup Readiness: MARTA has developed a comprehensive plan focused on providing safe, clean, reliable, and sustained operations throughout the month-long period of World Cup matches and events. MARTA is prioritizing visible improvements to cleanliness, lighting, and wayfinding, supported by multilingual messaging and enhanced service to accommodate heightened and diverse ridership. Throughout the tournament, an increased presence of police officers, transit ambassadors, and safety teams will be deployed to ensure a safe and welcoming experience for soccer fans from around the globe.

In addition to these infrastructure and service improvements, MARTA will also begin to overhaul its digital tools in 2026 to make the customer experience more intuitive.

New rider tools designed to streamline trip planning and provide real-time tracking for buses and trains will be incorporated into itsmarta.com. Riders can also look forward to a newly updated mobile app. This unified platform will consolidate features from the current MARTA On the Go and See & Say apps, providing a single, seamless destination for trip tracking and safety reporting.

New River Valley Passenger Rail

Construction is advancing on Christiansburg’s new train station, marking a significant step toward restoring passenger rail service to the New River Valley after a nearly 50-year absence, according to a WSLS report.

(VPRA)

According to the report, VPRA says it expects service to begin in 2027, returning passenger trains to an area that hasn’t seen rail service since the Cambria Yard Station closed in 1979.

“There’s always been excitement about getting the train down to the Blacksburg, Cambria, Christiansburg area because there’s such a great market there with the college students, with the beautiful scenery that you see along the 81 corridor,” said VPRA Executive Director DJ Stadtler. “There was a huge demand for that.”

The project, WSLS reports, comes as Virginia experiences record-breaking rail ridership. According to Stadler, 2025 saw unprecedented passenger numbers, with most months setting new ridership records.

The new station will offer an alternative to driving on Interstate 81, a route notorious for heavy truck traffic and challenging mountain terrain, according to the WSLS report.

“I-81, it’s just a tough road to drive,” Stadtler said. “You’ve got a lot of trucks on that road, and when it goes uphill, everything slows down. This just gives folks another way to get to Southwest Virginia and from Southwest Virginia up to where they want to go.”

Initial plans include daily morning and evening train service, allowing for day trips between Christiansburg and Roanoke.

OKC Streetcar

Officials with EMBARK on Jan. 5 launched a six-month pilot program for free fares on the OKC Streetcar now through July 5. EMBARK plans to use the free fare pilot program to help “boost ridership demand and support local economic activity.”

(OKC Streetcar/EMBARK)

“During our fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2025, OKC Streetcar saw a new record high ridership totaling 288,517 annual riders,” said Jesse Rush, Director of EMBARK. “While this growth is encouraging, peer cities, such as Kansas City, Milwaukee and Cincinnati, have demonstrated that fare-free downtown circulator streetcar service can significantly increase ridership and year over year growth. Oklahoma City is launching this six-month pilot to test whether removing fares further reduces barriers, increases usage, and enhances downtown mobility. The results of this pilot will directly inform whether a permanent fare-free service is the right long-term strategy for the OKC Streetcar.”

Rush added that ridership on the OKC Streetcar increases during periods when the OKC Streetcar is free, most recently during the Downtown in December promotion.

The free fare pilot, EMBARK says, will give Oklahoma City residents and visitors an opportunity to try the OKC Streetcar for free to help them more easily move around downtown for tasks that may include dining out, traveling to downtown events or shopping.

(OKC Streetcar/EMBARK)

“As Oklahoma City adds more housing and attractions within the downtown area, the OKC Streetcar can help ease traffic congestion,” said Kharlie Barnaby, Assistant Director of EMBARK. “Whether someone lives downtown or travels downtown for an event, they can use the OKC Streetcar to complement or replace a pedestrian trip, which is particularly useful during inclement weather or for events held later at night.”

The OKC Streetcar system consists of seven modern streetcars and two loops that consist of 22 stops and operate seven days a week.

The post Transit Briefs: Northlander, MARTA, New River Valley Passenger Rail, OKC Streetcar appeared first on Railway Age.

“Weather disruptions, softening industrial demand, and regulatory pressure converge to create volatile year-end operations,” according to ITS Logistics’ December 2025 Supply Chain Report.

(Courtesy of ITS Logistics)

The December report “reflects a freight market balancing peak-season headwinds with softened demand and volatile capacity,” ITS Logistics, a Nevada-based third-party logistics (3PL) firm, reported Dec. 31. “While regional trucking capacity tightened amid severe winter weather and seasonal demand, softer industrial activity, moderating warehouse utilization, and policy-driven labor uncertainty are shaping a more cautious outlook for the broader supply chain entering 2026.”

Trucking conditions tightened unevenly in November as peak-season demand coincided with severe winter weather across the Midwest, according to ITS Logistics. “Major storms disrupted freight flows and constrained available capacity in several regional markets, pushing rates higher amid typical holiday surges,” the firm noted. “The national seven-day rolling average spot rates across both the reefer and dry van markets also ticked upward moving into early December, per DAT, with reefer rates reaching the third-highest Week 50 rate ever recorded.”

Flatbed rates also rose, but only marginally, “reflecting more restrained consumer demand beneath the pressures of peak season,” according to ITS Logistics. “The flatbed market continues to face headwinds tied to tariffs, elevated borrowing costs, and delayed construction activity. Recent earnings commentary from Home Depot underscored this trend, with the retailer citing consumer hesitation around large projects and renovations.”

Evolving driver regulations also remain “a growing source of uncertainty in the domestic supply chain—extending beyond peak into 2026,” ITS Logistics reported. “A new lawsuit has been filed in response to California’s notice to cancel nearly 20,000 commercial driver’s licenses. The suit alleges a significant portion of the cancellations stem from administrative and clerical errors tied to compliance documentation, with impacted drivers having little recourse to reapply for proper licensing. The case has drawn particular attention to the impact new enforcement actions are having on Sikh drivers, who represent roughly 20% of the total U.S. driver pool, emphasizing concerns that broad regulatory changes could significantly impact capacity in the year ahead.”

At the ports, ITS Logistics said, containerized import volumes declined 5.4% month-over-month to 2,183,048 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units). “With this continued downward trend, year-to-date volumes are now just 0.1% higher than 2024 levels—down from 10% margins at the beginning of 2025,” the firm noted. “Even so, November ranked among the stronger import months on record, underscoring a degree of resilience beneath the slowdown.”

From a macroeconomic standpoint, November data pointed to “a cooling but persistent U.S. economy,” according to ITS Logistics. “Inflation continued to ease, job growth slowed, and consumer confidence weakened, yet overall spending held steady during the early holiday period. The National Retail Federation reported that total retail sales increased marginally month-over-month in November, and full-season holiday sales are projected to surpass $1 trillion for the first time, reflecting a consumer base that remains engaged but increasingly value-conscious as economic uncertainty persists.”

Separately, ITS Logistics recently released its December 2025 US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index, which reported a continued “decline in import and export volumes through the fourth quarter, attributed to tariff-related frontloading and changes in sourcing strategy.”

Further Reading:

• ITS Logistics Publishes November Supply Chain Report
• ITS Logistics Issues November US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
• ITS Logistics Issues October US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
• ITS Logistics Releases September Supply Chain Report
• ITS Logistics Publishes September US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index 
• ITS Logistics Issues August Supply Chain Report
• ITS Logistics Releases August US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index 
• ITS Logistics Publishes July Supply Chain Report
• ITS Logistics Issues July US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index

The post ITS Logistics Issues December Supply Chain Report appeared first on Railway Age.

Northstar service between Minneapolis and Big Lake, Minn., was shuttered Jan. 4, with buses replacing trains along the route, according to local media reports.

The Minnesota Star Tribune and other media outlets reported in February 2025 the potential elimination of the commuter rail service and in early August 2025 that Metropolitan Council meeting documents proposed a January 2026 end date. The Met Council voted on Aug. 27 to end the service, the Tribune reported; “the last Northstar train will run … after the final Vikings regular season home game at U.S. Bank Stadium,” and the Met Council on Jan. 5 will begin running buses to replace rail service.

“This was a challenging decision,” the Tribune reported Deb Barber, Chair of Met Council’s transportation committee, as saying in August. “But we also know that we have to take the time to look at the service we provide to see that they’re efficient and effective.” Northstar’s 2025 operating budget was $18.6 million, the newspaper said, and the “Met Council estimates the bus service will cost $3.5 million in 2026.”

According to the paper, the “Met Council’s plans to ‘preserve key assets’ for future rail between cities and local use are in development, it said in a statement.”

The Tribune reported that Dave Butts, Vice President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, which represents 26 Northstar workers, “has vocally opposed ending Northstar. “They’ve never given Northstar a chance,” he said.

As of Jan. 5, 2026, the Northstar corridor has transitioned from about 40 train trips per week to nearly 400 weekly bus trips (see map below).

(Courtesy of Metro Transit, a service of the Met Council) Background

“MnDOT’s recent Twin Cities – St. Cloud-Fargo/Moorhead Corridor study makes it clear we can provide more cost-effective transit service in the corridor currently being served by Northstar Commuter Rail,” the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the Metropolitan Council said in a Feb. 24, 2025, joint statement, according to FOX 9 KMSP. “As the world and consumer demand changes, we must be willing to be flexible and innovative to offer better service while saving dollars. We have jointly started the process to explore transitioning to bus service in this corridor. That process includes working with our federal partners and our rail partners at BNSF Railway, who we have appreciated as a critical [host freight rail] partner. In the coming months, we will have more information, including timeline information and projected future savings. For Minnesotans who currently utilize this service, we are committed to working with you to ensure you have access to high-quality transportation in this corridor.”

The MnDOT study (download below) “found that transitioning to bus service between Minneapolis and St. Cloud would cost millions less than the status quo,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. “It costs about $12 million annually to operate Northstar, a budget that would shrink to $2 million if buses were used.”

Twin Cities-St. Cloud-Fargo Moorhead Corridor Study-38765459-v1Download

“This is the beginning to finally end Northstar service, with its ridiculously low ridership, its ridiculously huge operating subsidies and its ridiculously expensive maintenance costs,” said Minnesota state Rep. Jon Koznick, a Republican serving District 5A, according to the Tribune.

The Northstar Line offers service between Big Lake and downtown Minneapolis, stopping at stations in Elk River, Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids, and Fridley. It connects with buses (Northstar Link) for service to and from St. Cloud. (Map Courtesy of Metro Transit)

The 40-mile Northstar service in the Northstar corridor opened Nov. 16, 2009, between downtown Minneapolis and the northern city of Big Lake (see map, right); it was originally envisioned to link with St. Cloud, but connects to that city via bus. From 2011 through 2019, it carried between 2,200 and 3,300 weekday riders during the morning and evening peak commute hours; it also featured special event service on evenings and weekends for Minnesota’s Twins, Vikings, and University of Minnesota Gopher sporting events. MotivePower (Wabtec) MP36PH-3Cs power the trains, which comprise Alstom (originally Bombardier) bilevels. 

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a dramatic ridership drop of nearly 98%—just 60 weekday rides in April 2020, according to the Metropolitan Council, which is the regional policy-making body providing transit, wastewater collection and treatment, and affordable housing services in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area, and is charged under state law with establishing regional growth policies and long-range plans for transportation, aviation, water resources, and regional parks. In 2021, daily ridership peaked in October at 346 daily rides or just over 13% of the October 2019 pre-pandemic level. In 2022, Northstar carried around 300 daily rides.

While employees have been returning to in-person work, “Northstar’s recovery has been lackluster, with just over 127,000 riders last year, renewing Republican lawmakers’ chorus to shut it down,” the Tribune reported. The service provides four weekday trains and no weekend service unless there is a special event.

“‘We know travel patterns have changed’ since the pandemic,” Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle said, according to the Tribune. “He said bus service would likely be more frequent to reflect the new paradigm.”

MnDOT was charged with conducting the Twin Cities – St. Cloud-Fargo/Moorhead Corridor study by the state legislature. The purpose: “to conduct an analysis and evaluation of options for development of transit and rail service improvements in the corridor between the Minnesota cities of St. Paul, Minneapolis, Coon Rapids, St. Cloud and Moorhead, and Fargo, N.Dak.” It assessed alternatives for transit service in the corridor and the elimination of Northstar commuter rail in conjunction with those alternatives.

According to the Tribune, the “study laid out different options for Northstar, but didn’t recommend that the service be terminated altogether. It explored the potential cost to extend service to the Fargo/Moorhead area, either by extending Northstar’s route, by expanding Amtrak service or by combining bus and train service.” MnDOT, it noted, is studying expanding Amtrak’s Chicago-to-St. Paul Borealis service to Coon Rapids and St. Cloud.

If the Northstar service were to end, it would involve “unspooling contracts” between MnDOT, Met Council, BNSF, the state of Minnesota, and the Federal Transit Administration, which provided a Full-Funding Grant Agreement for the $320 million project, according to the Tribune. “The federal government and possibly the state would have to be reimbursed if Northstar shut down, athough it’s unclear how much,” the paper said. “Congress would have to approve any waiver of those costs.”

The Tribune added that “[t]he remaining interest in Northstar is about $30 million to $35 million, according to the report, not including property and buildings along the line, which would need to be appraised to determine current market value.”

FEBRUARY 2025 COMMENTARY

“I reviewed the report, and it looks like one of the many studies I have seen that tells the client what the client wants to hear,” commented Railway Age Contributing Editor David Peter Alan in February 2025. “In this case, it’s that the Northstar service is not worth keeping, and that it would be a better deal just to run a bus. While I’m not sufficiently familiar with the subject matter of the study, I rode the Northstar years ago, after getting off Amtrak’s Empire Builder at St. Cloud, spending the day there, and taking the connecting bus and then the Northstar into Minneapolis. The operation was not conducive to encouraging ridership. 

“The service today consists of three peak-hour trains in prevailing direction and one in reverse direction, with no service at any other time. From what I remember and some research I did, all stations are park-and-ride, with the towns some distance away from them. There has never been service to St. Cloud, except taking the train halfway there to Big Lake and a bus the rest of the way. Service outside the commuting peak has also been very limited, even when there was a bit of service on the weekends. There was never any interest, as far as I could ascertain, to run a more-robust level of service or to run trains to St. Cloud, which is a destination worth visiting.

“All in all, it does not appear that the Northstar service was ever designed to carry more than the number of commuters who could fill up the spots in the parking lots, which inherently limited its effectiveness in providing mobility in the region. Now a consultant’s report is calling for its termination, so its days are probably numbered. Maybe it’s just an example of how not to design and build a passenger service.”

Further Reading:

• A Tale of Twin Cities
• Debate heating over future of Northstar commuter rail

The post Minnesota Shutters Northstar Commuter Rail (UPDATED 1/5) appeared first on Railway Age.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) “should reject the efforts of a few parties … to delay and prolong this proceeding by claiming the [recently filed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern] Application [seeking authorization to combine their networks under common ownership and form a U.S. transcontinental] is incomplete,” the two railroads urged in a Jan. 2 filing.

The approximately 6,700-page control application, including verified statements from 19 company witnesses and independent experts, along with more than 142 gigabytes of supporting workpapers, “demonstrates that the proposed transaction presents an unprecedented opportunity to drive growth, enhance competition, and create a more accessible, sustainable, and lower cost supply chain option that will benefit American businesses and consumers,” UP and NS wrote. “The Application contains all the information required by the Board’s merger rules, 49 C.F.R. part 1180, and presents a prima facie case that the proposed transaction is consistent with the public interest. The Board therefore should accept the Application.”

According to UP and NS, the parties claiming that the application is incomplete are “primarily competitors,” who will “experience increased competition as a result of the merger.” They include BNSF, CN, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and CSX, plus the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), representing one of the railroads’ largest customer bases.

UP and NS noted that the STB “should also disregard the improper efforts of these same parties to litigate the merits of the Application at this time, directly contradicting the Board’s explicit instructions to the contrary. See Decision No. 7 at 1 (‘[C]omments should solely address whether the application is complete . . . .’).”

In their Jan. 2 filing (scroll down to download) that replies to the parties’ comments, UP and NS explained that:

• “NGFA’s concerns involve merits not completeness” (see p. 4). NGFA, the railroads said, “advances two principal claims. First, NGFA asserts that the Application is incomplete because the discussion of proposed competitive enhancements does not address all of the potential measures referenced as examples in the Board’s 2001 decision promulgating the current rules for major rail consolidations, including trackage rights, reciprocal switching, eliminating interchange commitments, and establishing shared or joint access areas. Second, NGFA contends that the Application’s Service Assurance Plan is incomplete because it purportedly fails to comply with the merger rules’ requirement for a process to compensate shippers for service failures and provides little information on back-up or contingency plans that would involve other rail carriers. Neither assertion is correct.” The Board’s 2001 decision and rules, UP and NS said, “contemplate that applicants retain discretion to propose a transaction-specific approach (including here the Committed Gateway Pricing program, together with the competitive benefits inherent in the transaction itself) to satisfy the Board’s expectation of a special offering to enhance competition. NGFA may disagree with the sufficiency of Applicants’ offering, but such disagreement concerns the merits of Applicants’ proposals, not whether the Application contains the information required by 49 C.F.R. part 1180. NGFA’s objections to the Service Assurance Plan similarly reflect merits disagreements rather than an absence of required information.”

• “The application includes full system impact analyses required by the Board’s rules” (see p. 6). UP and NS told the STB that their “four principal railroad competitors advance a number of baseless claims that the Application fails to provide the full system impact analyses required by 49 C.F.R. § 1180.7(b). Applicants fully complied with the Board’s requirement that they submit full system impact analyses demonstrating the proposed transaction’s impacts on competition within regions of the United States and this nation as a whole … Applicants devoted hundreds of pages of their Application and multiple verified statements, including verified statements from two expert economists, to addressing the proposed transaction’s competitive impacts.” In reference to CN’s comments, UP and NS said their “Application appropriately addresses 3-to-2 and 2-to-1 points” (see p. 7) and “appropriately addresses 2-to-1 shippers” (see p. 9). In reference to CN’s and BNSF’s separate comments, UP and NS said their “Application appropriately addresses actual and projected market shares” (see p. 10). Lastly, in reference to CPKC’s comments, UP and NS said their “Application appropriately addresses geographic competition” (see p. 12) and “downstream effects” (see p. 12).

• The application “appropriately addresses downstream effects” (see p. 14). According to UP and NS, “CSX asserts that Applicants were required to submit ‘evidence’ on downstream effects without specifying why the Application’s evidence was insufficient or what additional evidence CSX thinks is required. BNSF says that the Application’s discussion of downstream issues ‘cannot be what the Board had in mind,’ but fails to identify what exactly it believes is required. CPKC similarly does not explain what ‘real downstream analysis’ it believes was needed.” These arguments, UP and NS told the STB, “are misguided,” as they “fully complied with the ‘downstream effects’ provisions of the Board’s rules, which simply ask applicants to ‘initiate a commentary’ about the impact of likely future mergers on the structure of the industry … The Board’s rules make clear that Applicants are not required to present ‘alternative merger benefit calculations based on specific alternative possible responses’ or to ‘forecast the precise actions of their competitors in response to a merger application.’”

• UP and NS ‘appropriately enumerated and quantified [the] public benefit the merger would generate” (see p. 16). According to the potential merger partners, “CSX complains that Applicants did not identify ‘which of its claimed benefits are achievable through means “short of merger.”’ However, the Board’s rules do not require Applicants to parse through the benefits calculations to determine whether some fraction of the benefits could be obtained without a merger.” UP and NS said they “abundantly satisfied the Board’s requirement that they address whether the claimed benefits could be achieved short of a merger” through six verified statements.

• The application “describes how the merger would enhance competition” (see p. 18). CSX’s and CN’s separate concerns “go to the Applicant’s merits, not its completeness,” UP and NS told the STB. The application, UP and NS said, “contains abundant evidence that the merger will enhance intramodal and intermodal competition,” including how “Committed Gateway Pricing will enhance competition.”

• UP and NS “appropriately produced the data underlying their evidence” (see p. 21). The potential merger partners noted that “the Board should reject BNSF’s and CPKC’s claims that its merger rules require applicants to provide all data related to their evidentiary submissions at the most disaggregated level possible. The Board’s rules require applicants to provide the data that they used to produce the evidence they submitted—which in this case is the subset of Transearch data and the modified DAT data provided in Applicants’ workpapers.”

• UP and NS “provided a complete impact analysis and operating plan” (see p. 24). The railroads pointed out that the STB’s “rules do not require applicants to use other Class I railroads’ traffic tapes to provide a complete application. To the contrary, the Board’s rules provide that applicants can obtain those traffic tapes only if other Class I railroads first request applicants’ traffic tapes. Even then, applicants are not required to obtain or use those other Class I railroads’ traffic tapes: the Board’s rules state that ‘applicants may require’ railroads to produce their own traffic tapes in exchange for receiving applicants’ tapes” … Here, Applicants used traffic tapes from other Class I railroads that provided them on a timely basis, but they had no obligation to delay the preparation of the Application because other railroads did not promptly produce traffic tapes. Applicants’ use of the Board’s Carload Waybill Sample data for their impact and traffic diversion analyses is fully
  consistent with past practice in merger proceedings.”

• The application “provides the merger agreement” (see p. 25). “Applicants’ competitors are unhappy because, in responding to discovery requests seeking the disclosure schedules accompanying the merger agreement, Applicants produced the voluminous schedules but redacted one of the schedules to protect privileged material,” UP and NS told the STB. “The schedule at issue addresses the allocation of regulatory risk between UPC [UP] and NSC [NS], and the redacted material does not alter the terms of the underlying transaction. More specifically, the schedule identifies the outer limits of conditions to the merger that UPC is obligated to NSC to accept. Commenting parties’ interest in information is obvious: they would have a tremendous benefit in bargaining for concessions if they knew UPC’s bottom line. However, UPC’s bottom line should have no bearing on either the conditions parties request or those the Board determines are appropriate to impose. The schedule at issue is shielded from discovery by recognized privileges. Commenting parties may disagree with Applicants’ privilege assertions, but such issues can and should be adjudicated through the discovery process. A discovery dispute regarding Applicants’ assertion of privilege is not a basis for rejecting the Application as incomplete.”

• The application “appropriately addresses issues regarding applicants’ control of other rail carrier entities” (see p. 27). UP and NS reported, for example, that “CSX contends that the Application is incomplete because it implicitly seeks control of the Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad (‘NPBL’) without filing a separate related control application. As explained more thoroughly in a separate submission on this issue by Norfolk Southern [scroll down to download], CSX is wrong. The Application is forward-looking, seeking authority for Union Pacific to acquire whatever interests Norfolk Southern is legally authorized to hold. The Board has stated that it will issue a decision in Docket No. FD 36836 regarding Norfolk Southern’s application to control NPBL by April 2026. If the Board grants that application, then Norfolk Southern’s control of NPBL will be treated the same as Norfolk Southern’s control of any other carrier subsidiary. If the Board denies the request, then Norfolk Southern will be required to divest sufficient shares so that it does not control NPBL. Either way, no separate related application was required. The two proceedings are unrelated and should proceed separately.”

• “Minor map issues do not make the application incomplete” (see p. 30). “CN notes that Applicants’ non-GIS map submitted as Exhibit 1 does not show UP’s overhead trackage rights on NS between Kansas City, Missouri, and Springfield, Illinois, or NS’s haulage rights on UP between Salem, Illinois, and Sidney, Illinois,” UP and NS told the STB. “Applicants regret the omissions and will be filing a corrected Exhibit 1, but the issue does not render the Application incomplete.”

• “Workpaper complaints do not make the application incomplete” (see p. 31). “Finally, BNSF vaguely asserts there have been ‘issues receiving and accessing Applicants’ work papers,’” UP and NS reported. “Applicants recognize some—but not all—parties have had difficulties addressing the workpapers because of the size of the files. Applicants also recognize that there might be questions about certain workpapers. This is bound to be the case in a filing the size of the Application. Applicants have been working diligently to answer the questions they have received, and they are committed to promptly addressing and resolving any issues related to workpaper access … The existence of a few issues with such a massive production is not a reason to reject the Application as incomplete.”

The STB is expected rule on the UP-NS application’s completeness by Jan. 16 or Jan. 20, starting the formal evaluation process, or sending UP and NS back to the drawing board to make adjustments and resubmit.

For merger resources, visit https://www.stb.gov/resources/major-railroad-mergers/ and https://www.up-nstranscontinental.com/.

Download UP+NS Jan. 2 filing and the NS Jan. 2 filing below: 310637Download 310638Download Further Reading:

• BNSF, CN, CPKC, CSX, NGFA: UP+NS Merger Application ‘Incomplete’
• Former Rail Executive: UP-NS Deal Likely to Get Done & Other Views
• Merging Lines – First Take on UP-NS Application
• How Railroads Can Deliver What Congress Promised: Better Infrastructure
• CPKC: UP+NS Merger ‘Not in the Public Interest’
• UP, NS Deliver 6,700-Page ‘Christmas Present’
• UP, NS Shareholders Greenlight Merger
• UP 3Q25: ‘Continued Improvements in Pursuit of What’s Possible’
• For NS 3Q25, ‘Strong Results’
• ASLRRA to Participate in STB Review of Proposed UP-NS Merger
• Is a UP-NS ‘Fix’ In? Don’t Bet on It!
• Why a Unified Rail Network Makes Sense
• A Rail Merger to Put America Back on Track
• UP’s Jalali: No Hiccups With NS IT Integration
• 64 Industry Organizations to the STB: ‘Proceed With Great Care’
• Ag-State Senators to STB: Be ‘Rigorous’ and ‘Comprehensive’
• BNSF vs. UP, Take Three
• Eliminating Paper Barriers is the Pro-Competitive Move
• Hoeven, Klobuchar to STB: ‘Closely Scrutinize’ UP+NS

The post UP+NS Merger Application ‘Complete’? appeared first on Railway Age.

BLET

Jeff Thurman, a member of BLET Division 172 in Fort Worth, Texas, became the newest member of the BLET Advisory Board when he was sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2026.

Thurman fills a vacancy on the Advisory Board created by the retirement of Vice President Pete Semenek. Immediately prior to his elevation to the Advisory Board, Thurman was serving as General Chairman of the BNSF (former STL-SF) General Committee of Adjustment, a position he has held since June of 2013. Per the GCA’s bylaws, Vice Chairman Kyle King will become the new General Chairman of the BNSF (STL-SF) GCA.

“Jeff Thurman brings a wealth of knowledge to the Advisory Board with more than 12 years of experience as a General Chairman. He is well-respected by the members he represents and will be a strong addition to the BLET Advisory Board,” said BLET National President Mark Wallace.

NYCDOT

Mike Flynn has been appointed as NYCDOT Commissioner following his swearing in during a midnight ceremony in the old City Hall subway station.

The appointment—the very first move made by Zohran Mamdani as Mayor— “underscores the administration’s commitment to delivering an affordability agenda through safer streets, faster buses, and transportation systems that work for working New Yorkers.”

Flynn brings more than two decades of experience across the public and private sectors, “helping cities envision and implement transportation systems that advance economic opportunity, social equity, and environmental sustainability.” His appointment, the Office of the Mayor says, “reflects the Mamdani administration’s focus on pairing bold policy goals, including fast and free buses and safer streets, with deep operational expertise.”

Most recently, Flynn led the New York office of TYLin City Solutions (formerly Sam Schwartz Engineering) where he supported teams of engineers, planners, designers, and community outreach specialists working across disciplines to solve complex transportation, development, and infrastructure challenges throughout the New York City region. As Vice President and Sector Manager for New York and the Northeast, Flynn oversaw major projects at the intersection of mobility, land use, and public space.

Previously, Flynn spent nearly a decade at NYCDOT, where he held senior leadership roles including Director of Capital Planning and Project Initiation. In that role, he guided the planning and delivery of major capital street improvement projects supporting traffic safety, bus priority, and new public spaces citywide. Earlier at DOT, Flynn worked on pedestrian and bicycle programs and transportation planning initiatives that helped reshape how New Yorkers move through the city, including leading the development of the City’s first Street Design Manual.

“High-quality, reliable public transit and safe, well-designed streets allow New Yorkers to get to work without worry, travel on multiple modalities, receive the daily necessities they need, and explore new corners of the five boroughs. Our City deserves a Department of Transportation Commissioner that recognizes the critical role that street infrastructure, road design, and excellent public transportation play in making this city an affordable, safe and dignified home for millions. That is the leadership I see in Mike Flynn, who has spent decades improving the way we walk and ride through our city—and will continue this work in City Hall,” said Mamdani.

“I am honored by the trust Mayor Zohran Mamdani has placed in me to lead the Department of Transportation and work alongside this team to deliver for New Yorkers. Transportation is essential to affordability and quality of life, it determines how people get to work, school, and home safely. I look forward to building a DOT that moves faster, puts safety first, and delivers real wins for working New Yorkers,” said Flynn. 

The post People News: BLET, NYCDOT appeared first on Railway Age.

The backbone of RBMN’s Anthracite business “continues to be the booming domestic market,” which mainly supports American steel production, according to the Class II. This business segment grew nearly 20% in 2025 with most of the shipments going to electric-arc furnace (EAF) steel mills located across the country.

To support this growing market, RBMN purchased additional covered hopper railcars in mid-December with delivery expected in January or February. This equipment will be added to a fleet of nearly 2,000 railcars owned by the railroad. With continued growth expected in the domestic market in 2026, RBMN says it will continue to purchase additional equipment to support the demand.

The post RBMN Anthracite Coal Business Surges in 2025 appeared first on Railway Age.

Minnesota’s Northstar Commuter rail made its last run on January 4, bringing to an end 16 years of commuter rail service in the Twin Cities.

Launched in 2009 to operate between Minneapolis and Big Lake, Minn., the decision to end the service came this past summer as the trains never recovered post-pandemic ridership and expenses outpaced subsidies. A restrictive contract with host BNSF also prevented service expansion. A new express bus route was put in place on January 5. It’s unclear what will happen to the equipment, a fleet of MP36s and double-decker cars. 

—Otto M. Vondrak

The post Northstar Calls it Quits appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Norfolk Southern has completed physical restoration activities at the site of the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Now that the primary cleanup work is over, any further work will likely involve site maintenance, along with water monitoring programs established with various government agencies. Village manager Antonio Diaz-Guy stated to local press that “I think our water is probably cleaner now than it was 100 years ago, given our industrial past, especially mining.”

NS has also submitted a final assessment report regarding two local waterways to the Environmental Protection Agency, which will determine if NS and its contractors have indeed met the required remediation goals. This filing outlines completed cleanup work and results from recent sediment sampling. It notes that crews did not find any derailment-related oily sheens in either creek during the final inspection. Since early 2025, crews have focused cleanup efforts on the removal of contaminated sediment from the streambeds in the village. 

—Scott Lindsey

The post East Palestine Clean Up Completed appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Dec. 27, 2025 saw a slight uptick, the Association of American Railroads reported Dec. 31. Volume totaled 392,295 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.7% compared with the same week last year, with carload gains partially offset by intermodal softness.

Total carloads for the week ending Dec. 27 were 188,673 carloads, up 2.5% compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 203,622 containers and trailers, down 1.0% compared to 2024.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included coal, up 5,037 carloads, to 55,823; motor vehicles and parts, up 1,779 carloads, to 9,910; and grain, up 1,099 carloads, to 20,579. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included chemicals, down 2,166 carloads, to 28,533; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,203 carloads, to 6,258; and forest products, down 452 carloads, to 6,750.

For the first 52 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,509,099 carloads, up 1.5% from the same point last year; and 14,055,601 intermodal units, up 1.5% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 52 weeks of 2025 was 25,564,700 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 1.5% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending Dec. 27, 2025, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 272,344 carloads, down 0.9% compared with the same week last year, and 269,132 intermodal units, up 0.4% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 541,476 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.2%. North American rail volume for the first 52 weeks of 2025 was 35,187,322 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4% compared with 2024.

Canadian railroads reported 74,120 carloads for the week, down 7.0%, and 54,633 intermodal units, up 4.9% compared with the same week in 2024. For the first 52 weeks of 2025, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 8,387,041 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.0%.

Mexican railroads reported 9,551 carloads for the week, down 12.9% compared with the same week last year, and 10,877 intermodal units, up 5.4%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 52 weeks of 2025 was 1,235,581 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.5% from the same point last year.

The post Flat Traffic Figures For Week 52: AAR appeared first on Railway Age.

All four Class I railroads—BNSF, CN, CPKC, CSX—that will remain independent, at least in the short term, if the Surface Transportation Board approves the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, have given the application an “Incomplete” grade. The organization representing one of the railroads’ largest customer base, the National Grain and Feed Association, also marked it incomplete. Following a UP/NS response (deadline is Jan. 2), STB is expected rule on the completeness by Jan. 16 or Jan. 20, starting the formal evaluation process, or sending UP and NS back to the drawing board to make adjustments and resubmit.

The comments are very disparate in size. CN and CPKC, loudest in opposition, submitted 91- and 65-page documents, respectively. Potential future merger partners BNSF and CSX filed brief (7 and 22 pages, respectively) statements. The NFGA also exercised brevity, with 9 pages. Following are excerpts, each with downloadable copies of the full statements.

CN (Through U.S. Subsidiary Grand Trunk Corp.)

“Because the Application fails to meet the requirements of 49 C.F.R. part 1180, [STB] should reject the Application as incomplete and require Applicants to resolve those deficiencies. Applicants seek approval from the Board for a proposed transaction they assert is an ‘unprecedented opportunity for our country’ because it will purportedly ‘create America’s first transcontinental railroad’ and ‘transform the nation’s supply chain.’ Applicants are correct that their Application is unprecedented in at least one respect: They seek the Board’s approval to undertake the first major transaction under the Board’s new rules, which require Applicants to show that the proposed transaction would not only preserve, but enhance competition. Yet they fail to provide the Board, or interested parties, the information that is required … and necessary to evaluate the profound impacts the proposed transaction would have on U.S. shippers. Applicants’ failure to provide this required information is not a simple mistake. Rather, they have concealed the overlapping nature of the UP and NS networks in order to incorrectly portray the proposed transaction as ‘end-to-end.’ At the same time, Applicants omit the information most essential to the Board’s evaluation of the proposed transaction and its competitive effects, as well as for analyses by interested parties. In addition to failing to adequately disclose the competitive harms of the proposed transaction, Applicants fail to propose the required competition-enhancing conditions. These are not comments on the merits: The regulations require this information.”

CN Comments Completeness of ApplicationDownload BNSF

“Although BNSF believes the Application cannot be approved on the merits, BNSF defers to the Board’s judgment on ‘whether the Application contains the information required in 49 C.F.R. part 1180’—with the understanding that the merits will be addressed by the parties and considered by the Board at a later time. As submitted, the Application fails to establish that the proposed merger transaction meets the public interest standard on the merits and cannot be approved by the Board.

“BNSF does, however, offer three overarching points in this submission for the Board’s consideration of the Application at this stage and selection of an appropriate schedule for this proceeding. First, although BNSF takes no position on whether the Application provides the minimum procedural information in order to proceed, the Application was UP and NS’s case-in-chief, yet it only superficially grapples with the serious issues the proposed merger creates for shippers, American businesses, the rail industry and the American economy. BNSF identifies certain merits issues now because they impact the schedule and information exchange that is needed to address the Application. Second, based on the lack of meaningful detail in the Application, BNSF is concerned that UP and NS may attempt to supplement their submission to address the many deficiencies in it at a later date—without sufficient time for other parties to provide comments and for the Board to fully consider the supplements and comments thereto. Accordingly, BNSF reemphasizes that a longer schedule—consistent with the one sought by BNSF and others—is necessary to address the issues this Application raises. Third, UP and NS have failed to provide requested discovery and data necessary to fully consider and address the Application. The Board should require production in a timely manner …

“Any serious discussion of a proposed Class I merger—as a matter of law and common sense—must include a rigorous analysis of its impacts on competition, including product and geographic competition. (requiring ‘‘full system’ impact analyses’ on competitive issues). Understanding geographic and product markets is essential to understanding whether a merger will cut off shippers’ access to other railroads, give the merged company more price leverage through greater control over certain industries, and/or affect long-term investment decisions that matter to local communities. But here, UP and NS all but ignore the merger’s effects on geographic and product competition, instead repeating that this is an ‘end-to-end’ merger. For example, the Application does not try to model or measure any shifts of traffic flows, even though the new rules require ‘an analysis of traffic flows indicating patterns of geographic competition or product competition.’ UP and NS made no attempt to show where freight flows would shift from current origin-destination routes as a result of the transaction, where those shifts would occur, and how those changes would affect various communities … UP and NS’s surface-level presentation of their case-in-chief is exacerbated by their approach to data-sharing and discovery. UP and NS have not provided the source data that underlies their modal share and truck diversion analysis—the core of their purported benefits analysis. Nor have UP and NS provided the data that underlies their market share calculations in the report of their economist, Dr. Bailey. The failure to provide this data impairs other stakeholders from beginning their assessments and rebuttals …”

BNSF Comments Completeness of ApplicationDownload Canadian Pacific Kansas City

“CPKC addresses four reasons why the Board should reject the Application as incomplete.

“First, Applicants have not supplied the Board or interested parties with the data that allegedly support the core set of claims upon which the entire Application is predicated: that the merger ‘will convert more than 2 million truckloads of traffic from long-haul trucking to rail.’ Applicants’ truck diversion analysis started with Transearch county-to-county truck flow data that Applicants have not provided with their workpapers, and it relied on truck rate data that Applicants obtained from DAT Freight & Analytics, which Applicants also have not provided with their workpapers. The Board’s rules and its Decision No. 3 (served Aug. 28, 2025) required that data to be made available with the Application so that the Board and interested parties can appropriately test the merits of Applicants’ analysis.

“Second, Applicants have not submitted a complete copy of their Merger Agreement, brazenly withholding from disclosure two key pages delineating UP’s promises to NS about conditions UP is obligated to offer or accept to secure regulatory approval for their proposed merger. The withheld Schedule defines the nature of the conditions that NS can sue to require UP to accept and also those that would allow UP to walk away from the merger, and thus likely reflects the best glimpse that the Board and interested parties will get of Applicants’ own assessment of the scope of the anticompetitive harms their proposed merger would cause and the kinds of conditions that may be sought—but resisted by UP—to address those harms.

“Third, Applicants incorrectly disclaim an obligation to provide any serious analysis of the downstream effects of their proposed merger. As UP contended in 2000: ‘The important public policy questions in the next major Class I merger proceeding will focus on whether a North American railroad duopoly is in the public interest. The Board will choose between a future in which two huge transcontinental systems develop single-line services in isolation from each other and a future in which all remaining railroads strive to develop more efficient services over remaining interline routes. This is an important choice that can be made only once, because mergers are likely to be permanent.’ The Board’s rules require Applicants to address that ‘overriding public policy question’ at the outset, yet Applicants have failed to do so.

“Fourth, although Applicants have provided some economic analysis of the proposed merger’s effects on competition, Applicants have—by their own admission—chosen not to provide the full assessment of horizontal competition that the Board has relied upon in far smaller mergers. That lack of rigor falls short of the robust analysis required by the Board’s rules.

“The Board should require Applicants to submit a revised application that corrects these deficiencies. If the Board chooses instead to accept the Application, it should require its immediate supplementation with the omitted information and data, and it should establish a schedule that takes account of Applicants’ apparent aim to augment the Application’s bare-bones analyses on rebuttal, after which other parties would have no meaningful opportunity to respond under Applicants’ proposed schedule. The Board should take advantage of the full amount of time provided by Congress’s one-year evidentiary period and provide non-applicants with a ‘surreply’ opportunity to respond to new argument and evidence submitted by Applicants in their replies to Comments and Requests for Conditions.

“Applicants make extraordinary claims. They claim that their proposed merger creates public benefits that will exceed $3 billion dollars ‘in a normal year.’ In large part, those claimed benefits flow from Applicants’ assertion that the proposed merger would ‘convert more than 2 million truckloads of traffic from long-haul trucking to rail.’ But Applicants failed to provide to the public the data underlying those claims. Applicants’ traffic projections are ‘based on the Joint Verified Statement of David Hunt and Matthew Schabas of Oliver Wyman.’ Messrs. Hunt and Schabas relied on S&P Global Markets ‘Transearch’ data on county-to-county truck flows and DAT Freight & Analytics data on average truck freight spot and contract rates. In direct violation of their obligations under the rules and the Board’s decisions in this very case, Applicants have failed to make that information available to the public.

“That is not the only significant omission. Relying on a baseless assertion of privilege, Applicants have withheld from the public the promises that UP made to NS about commitments UP would offer or accept to remedy the proposed merger’s anticompetitive harms. It is a bad start to this process—and a worrisome precursor to the merits of Applicants’ future privilege claims—that Applicants are seeking to hide what were likely among the most heavily negotiated commercial terms of their agreement.

“Each omission is enough to reject the Application and require Applicants to re-file and re-start the clock to give the public sufficient time to prepare responsive comments.

CPKC Comments Completeness of ApplicationDownload CSX

“Based on CSXT’s review, the Application lacks certain important elements required by the Board’s statute, consolidation procedures, and rules. The Application’s deficiencies fall into two categories. The first consists of discrete but important omissions, including in the application for control of other railroads and the failure to include the complete merger agreement, which are addressed in Part I. In addition, the Application fails to meaningfully engage with fundamental requirements of the new rules adopted by the Board in 2001. Major Rail Consolidation Procs., 5 S.T.B. 539 (2001) (‘New Rules’). These deficiencies— namely, the Application’s failure to identify and analyze the downstream effects of its proposed merger, to fully calculate the merger’s net public benefits, and to provide evidence supporting its purported measures to enhance competition—are addressed in Part II.

Each of these deficiencies renders the Application incomplete as originally filed. 49 U.S.C. § 11325(a). CSXT is mindful that the Board will not engage with the merits of the Application at this threshold stage. Applicants’ failure to include the information needed to satisfy all of the informational requirements of 49 C.F.R. § 1180 for a major transaction in their Application, however, makes it unfairly burdensome for non-applicants like CSXT to assess and respond to the impacts of the proposed UP/NS merger and, because of the lack of required information, unfairly complicates the evidentiary record-making process necessary for the Board to determine whether the merger would be in the public interest. These issues are compounded by Applicants’ proposed procedural schedule, which combined with the Application’s deficiencies, would effectively leave non-applicants no opportunity to respond to what should be Applicants’ prima facie case. These deficiencies render the Application incomplete and, as required by 49 U.S.C. § 11325(a), ‘the Board shall reject it.’ The Board should direct the Applicants to supplement their filing before accepting the Application as complete.”

CSX Comments Completeness of ApplicationDownload National Grain and Feed Association

“The Major Rail Consolidation Procedures promulgated by the Board in 2001 in Ex Parte No. 582 (Sub-No. 1) (‘2001 Rules’) codified several new merger policies that the Board would require future merger applicants to specifically address in their merger application to avoid further reductions to intermodal and intramodal competition, and to prevent the re-occurrence of the significant service failures that had occurred in the major railroad mergers that immediately preceded the 2001 Rules. The Application falls short of the letter and spirit of the 2001 Rules on these two critical subjects.”

NFGA Comments Completeness of ApplicationDownload

The post BNSF, CN, CPKC, CSX, NGFA: UP+NS Merger Application ‘Incomplete’ appeared first on Railway Age.

NYMTA

Both MTA Metro-North Railroad and MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) have broken post-pandemic ridership records in December, according to MTA. The week of Dec. 15 was the highest post-pandemic ridership recovery week for Metro-North, with 827,015 total riders representing a record 88% of an average pre-pandemic week in December 2019, the agency reported. The weekend of Dec. 20-21 was said to be Metro-North’s strongest weekend ridership performance of the post-pandemic era, with 245,638 riders. Average midweek ridership of 244,809 on Tuesday-Thursday, Dec. 16-18, stood at 88% of December 2019 midweek ridership, a new post-pandemic record, the agency noted.

At LIRR, 183,250 people rode the train on Saturday, Dec. 13, and 152,661 people rode on Sunday, Dec. 21—the highest post-pandemic Saturday and Sunday ridership.

According to MTA, on-time performance for both commuter railroads in 2025 has consistently been at or near 97%. Customer satisfaction levels are also high, with LIRR at 81% and Metro-North at 85%, according to MTA’s latest “Customers Count” survey.

“We’re thrilled to see record ridership on Metro-North,” Metro-North President Justin Vonashek said. “From Super Express trains to delighting customers with our holiday lights trains, we’re always finding new ways to enhance the rider experience.”

“We continue to shatter ridership records because we are providing plenty of service to meet demand and remain focused on improving the customer experience,” LIRR President Rob Free added. “The LIRR is the best way to travel not just during the holiday season but throughout the year and we look forward to breaking more records in 2026.” 

Further Reading:

• Watch: NYMTA Launches Railcar Acceptance, Testing Facility
• MTA Releases 2026 Operating Budget, Four-Year Financial Plan

SMART (Photograph Courtesy of SMART)

SMART on Dec. 26 reported that 2025 was its “strongest year yet,” with record use of the nearly 50-mile regional/commuter rail system (1,123,686 rider trips), SMART Connect shuttles (17,097 riders), bikes onboard (146,898 bikes carried on trains), and the SMART Pathway (1,029,421 walking and bicycling trips). The system logged more than 1.1 million passenger trips in Fiscal Year 2025, up 32% from Fiscal Year 2024, and 23.4 million-plus passenger miles were traveled by train instead of by car.

(Map Courtesy of SMART)

In 2025, SMART opened new stations in Windsor and Petaluma and began work to extend passenger rail service to Healdsburg, with the Healdsburg station projected to open in 2028. SMART reported that it is advancing long-range planning that has the Cloverdale extension “included in regional and statewide planning frameworks.”

Looking ahead to 2026, SMART said that rail service levels will increase by 19% as a result of the MASCOTS regional transit coordination initiative, which is slated for implementation in mid-April 2026. “Based on current trends, SMART is currently projecting 1.4 million train riders and 1.2 million pathway users in FY26,” it said.

HART (Photograph Courtesy of Hitachi Rail)

Hawaii’s HART recently reported “the successful completion” of an annual audit of its financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. The audit was performed by N&K CPAs, Inc., an independent accounting firm based in downtown Honolulu. “This marks the fourth consecutive year an independent auditor issued an unmodified opinion, indicating no internal controls weakness and HART’S financial statements are fairly presented and free of material misstatements,” according to the public transit authority responsible for the planning and construction of Skyline, a fully automated, driverless urban light metro system.

“The positive result of the FY25 financial audit is a clear reflection of the hard work, integrity, and accountability of our entire HART Ohana,” HART Executive Director and CEO Lori Kahikina said. “This result reassures taxpayers funding the project that we are fully committed to managing every dollar responsibly while delivering a rail system they can be proud of.”

“We have audited the financial statements of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART), a component unit of the City and County of Honolulu, as of and for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, and the related notes the financial statements, which collectively comprise HART’s basic financial statements as listed in the table of contents,” N&K CPAs’ report states, according to HART. “In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material aspects, the financial position of HART, as of June 30, 2025, and the changes in financial position and its cash flows for the fiscal year then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”

Skyline Map (Courtesy of HART)

Skyline’s first segment opened in June 2023. It included nine stations and 10.75 miles of guideway. Segment 2 opened in October 2025. Segment 3 is expected to wrap up in 2030.

CTA RPB-TOD_Plan_Sum_ReportDownload

CTA has issued three Requests for Proposals, each to redevelop a parcel of land in the Lakeview neighborhood that it acquired to build new track structures and stage construction during the Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) project. Now that construction work in this area is substantially complete, CTA said it wants to redevelop the land as part of its TOD Plan, which was created in 2018 to “promote cultural, generational, economic, and family composition diversity; seek commercial, retail, and civic uses that encourage vitality; capitalize on transit proximity; focus on the quality and scale of future neighborhood development; pursue environmentally sustainable and economically viable development; improve the public realm; and seek to provide affordable housing options.”

The RFPs are for the following parcels:

• Southeast corner of W. Newport Ave. & N. Clark St.; officially portions of 3401-3427 N. Clark St. and 947-949 W. Newport Ave. This parcel includes the historic Vautravers Building, which was moved 30 feet west to allow the CTA to completely reconstruct and straighten century-old Red and Purple Line track structures.
• Southwest corner of W. Roscoe St. & N. Clark St.; officially portions of 3366-3368 N. Clark St. and 947-955 W. Roscoe St.
• Frontage along N. Clark St.; officially portions of 3330-3348 N. Clark St.

Proposals are due by Feb. 25, 2026.

CTA in 2018 published a separate TOD Plan for parcels in the RPM Project’s Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization area in the Uptown and Edgewater communities (download below). CTA said it expects to issue RFPs for those parcels in 2026. 

LBMM-TOD_Plan_Sum_ReportDownload

CTA is completing Phase One of the multi-phase RPM Program, which is rebuilding the 9.6-mile stretch of Red and Purple line track structure and stations on the North Side that were a century old. RPM is replacing aging infrastructure and will help CTA boost train service as needed.

Further Reading:

• RTA Board Approves 2026 Regional Operating Budget and Capital Program
• Gov. Pritzker Signs NITA Act Into Law
• Chicagoland Transit Gets Reprieve

VTA

Two major projects in VTA’s TOD portfolio are moving forward with funding from California’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program. Earlier this month, the transit agency reported that the Capitol Station TOD in San José and the 87 E Evelyn Phase I TOD in Mountain View were each awarded $49 million to help increase ridership, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and expand access to essential services.

Capitol Station TOD, San José (Rendering Courtesy of VTA)

The Capitol Station TOD is located on a portion of the 10-acre VTA Park & Ride lot at Capitol Expressway and Narvaez Avenue in San José. In March 2022, VTA selected MidPen Housing as the project developer.

Of the $49 million awarded by AHSC, $35 million will be used for housing development. MidPen, in partnership with VTA and the Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing, will build 201 affordable rental homes for households earning 30%-60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), including 51 Permanent Supportive Housing units for formerly homeless individuals.

Approximately $14 million will fund transportation improvements, including:

• A VTA Light Rail Blue Line crossover, allowing trains to turn around mid-line.
• 10 new VTA bus shelters.
• A new upgraded transit plaza.
• 2.3 miles of Class IV protected bikeways.
• More than 3,000 feet of public walkway upgrades.

“These upgrades will create safe, seamless access to transit, schools, parks, and essential services,” VTA said.

The Capitol Station TOD project will also provide one SmartPass per unit for at least two years, as well as anti-displacement and workforce development programs, totaling more than $500,000, according to VTA.

87 E Evelyn Phase I, Mountain View (Rendering Courtesy of VTA)

The two-acre Evelyn site, located along Evelyn Avenue and Pioneer Way in Mountain View, is a former VTA Park & Ride lot. The station closed in 2015 for Orange Line double-tracking and the property was sold to the City of Mountain View in 2023, according to VTA.

The city selected Affirmed Housing to develop 268 affordable units and a daycare center over two phases. Of these units, 42 will be reserved for Santa Clara County’s Rapid Rehousing Program for Extremely Low-Income households and 15 for Permanent Supportive Housing for unhoused households.

Of the $49 million in AHSC funding, $35 million will be used for housing development. In Phase I, Affirmed Housing will deliver 161 affordable homes for households earning 30%-60% AMI, according to VTA.

Approximately $15 million will fund transportation improvements, including:

• Two new electric Caltrain trains.
• 10 new bus shelters, including VTA shelters.
• 2.7 miles of Class IV protected bikeways.
• 5,000 feet of public walkway upgrades.

The project will also contribute approximately $400,000 for VTA SmartPasses for all units, as well as anti-displacement and workforce development programs, according to VTA.

“These projects show how affordable housing and transit infrastructure can work together to create vibrant, sustainable communities, helping people live, work, and travel without requiring a car,” VTA said.

Separately, VTA in July landed $100 million in California state funding for the BART Silicon Valley Phase II project.

The post Transit Briefs: NYMTA, SMART, HART, CTA, Santa Clara VTA appeared first on Railway Age.

The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) announced Dec. 30 that members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have ratified a national collective bargaining agreement covering more than 12,000 freight rail employees.

With this ratification, approximately 95% of the union-represented freight rail employees at railroads participating in national handling are now covered by 12 ratified collective bargaining agreements that follow the industry-wide pattern.

The ratified agreement provides:

• “Wage increases of 18.8% over five years. Based on current inflation projections, this increase will translate to real wage growth for covered railroaders, along with pay certainty for the life of the contract. Under these agreements, average annual wages will rise to about $135,000 and average total compensation will increase to about $190,000 by the end of the contract in 2029.
• “Enhancements to world-class health and welfare benefits with no increase to the employee contribution rate. Employees’ 2025 health care premiums have decreased to about $277/month, well below the national average of more than $500/month for employer-provided family coverage.
• “Access to more paid vacation time for employees earlier in their careers.”

“We congratulate BLET members on their ratification vote,” said Jeff Rodgers, Chairman of the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC) and the NCCC. “With 11 unions and nearly all freight rail employees covered by a ratified agreement through 2029, employees have resoundingly endorsed this pattern agreement with 18.8% wage increases and enhanced benefits.”

BLET members join employees represented by ATDA, BMWED, BRC, IAM, IBB, IBEW, NCFO, SMART-MD, SMART-TD, and TCU in approving a total of 12 national collective bargaining agreements covering the period through Dec 31, 2029. These national agreements are in addition to dozens of local agreements reached and ratified this round.

Since the exchange of Section 6 notices on Nov. 1, 2024, the 2025 bargaining round has seen “historic collaboration” between freight rail carriers and unions that has led to nearly all rail union employees having ratified agreements just more than one year later, NRLC noted. “Early local agreements set the stage for this momentum, establishing a clear pattern that addresses employee needs while strengthening the freight rail industry’s ability to provide safe, reliable service.”

The 18.8% wage increase in these pattern agreements builds on the historic 24% wage increase from the 2022 bargaining round. Taken together, these wage increases represent a nearly 50% (compounded) wage increase for covered employees between 2020 and 2029.

Further Reading:

• NCCC Reaches National Agreements With TCU, BRC
• NCCC, ATDA Ratify National Agreement
• NCCC, BMWED Vote to Ratify National Agreement
• IAM Ratifies National Agreement With NCCC
• NCCC, IBB Ratify National Agreement
• NCCC, IBEW Vote to Ratify National Agreement
• NCCC, NCFO Ratify National Agreement
• SMART-MD Votes to Ratify National Agreement With NCCC
• NCCC Reaches Tentative Agreements With SMART-TD, Yardmasters
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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NS

“This year, we made meaningful investments across our network to improve our railroad, our industry, and the communities we serve,” NS reported Dec. 29. Among the highlights:

Safety 

• NS invested in its employees, “building the skills and capabilities of generational railroaders” through Safety Camps, two-day, intensive leadership development programs. The railroad in 2025 achieved what it said was its “lowest injury and accident rates in more than a decade.”
• NS trained 5,800 first responders through its Operation Awareness and Response (OAR) program.
• Railroaders companywide—from senior leaders to frontline employees—“joined forces to raise awareness, protect communities, and help save lives during Operation Lifesaver’s See Tracks? Think Train!® Week.”
• NS installed three new Digital Train Inspection (DTI) portals, bringing the total number in networkwide operation to 10.
• NS deployed its “first-ever” Wheel Integrity System (WIS) “that uses AI and ultra‑high‑resolution imaging to spot cracked wheels at track speed, preventing potential derailments before they happen.”

Operations

• NS last spring restored AS Line service around Asheville, N.C., after working for six months to repair track that was damaged by Hurricane Helene. The line connects Eastern Tennessee to Western North Carolina.
• NS established “specialized cross-functional War Rooms focused on critical areas such as wayside operations, locomotive reliability, and car maintenance.” According to the railroad, they “monitor real-time performance, reduce delays, and engineer long-term solutions.”
• NS’s Bellevue Yard achieved a milestone: processing nearly 2,600 cars in a single day, including more than 1,100 in one shift—“all without a single safety incident.”

Infrastructure

• NS committed more than $1 billion in infrastructure upgrades across its 22-state network “to enhance safety, productivity, and fluidity.” Key achievements included replacing more than 480 track miles of rail, installing 1.9 million new crossties, adding 375 highway/rail grade crossing protection systems, and delivering 84 bridge replacement and rehabilitation projects, along with seven terminal upgrade projects “to support capacity, efficiency, and customer demand.”
• In partnership with the Georgia Ports Authority, NS completed work on the Blue Ridge Connector inland port, which will open next year in Gainesville, Ga. The railroad said it led track construction and signal installation for the project, which is designed to boost capacity and cut carbon emissions by up to 90%.
• NS modernized and expanded Alabama’s 3B Corridor, which connects markets in northern and central Alabama with the Port of Mobile. Upgrades included new sidings and yard expansions to support the automotive, agriculture, and manufacturing industries.

Community Impact

• NS distributed $18.3 million to communities across its network through Safety First and Thriving Communities grants and other programs.

Sustainability  

• NS introduced RailGreen, described as “a first-of-its-kind solution enabling customers to reduce emissions from their freight rail shipments via verified certificates for supply chain emissions reduction.”
• Josh Raglin, NS Chief Sustainability Officer, was named Sustainable Business Leader of the Year by Environmental Finance.
• NS’s “living shoreline” in Lamberts Point, Va., won Best Sustainability Program from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
• NS’s Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona, Pa., completed the railroad’s 1,000th DC-to-AC locomotive conversion, extending each locomotive’s life by at least 20 years and leading to “lower costs, reduced emissions and greater reliability” of the equipment.

Enterprise

• In 2025, NS reported achieving “a world-class response rate of 42% to our customer survey.” The survey results, it said, “show that we made meaningful investments in our customer relationships, service reliability, and proactive communication to boost customer value.”
• NS held its second-annual Labor Summit, building upon its “strong relationships with labor partners to listen, learn, and find more ways to improve together.”
• NS held “Safety Walkabouts,” accelerating what it called a “culture transformation” bringing together railroaders across crafts, roles, and responsibilities.

Customer Successes 

• “From the AI economy to renewable energy, NS is helping customers build critical power infrastructure, such as transformers, generators and wind farm components,” it said. “By leveraging our rail network for efficient, reliable transport, NS ensures customers can scale quickly and sustainably for tomorrow’s needs.”
• NS also supported customer goals. “When SA Recycling sought to increase its daily carloads from 14 to 25 and eliminate mainline switching conflicts, we worked with them on a solution, ultimately connecting our Doraville Yard directly to their facility,” the railroad reported. “The result is a smoother service and improved operational efficiency.”
• NS expanded its Short Line Performance Project from an initial pilot to all 260-plus short line connections across its network. The program, it said, “improves interchange performance through shared data, daily visibility, and stronger two-way communication with short line partners.”
• NS’s Great Lakes Reload facility in Chicago has experienced a 62% increase in volume since the railroad acquired it in 2024, NS said. The facility includes a 386,000-square-foot climate-controlled warehouse, 13 overhead cranes, and 18 indoor rail spots to support efficient freight transfer and storage, according to the railroad. It serves the steel, cement, and lumber industries, and handles other bulk commodities.

Innovation

• NS’s new Automated Track Geometry Measurement System (ATGMS) “captures changes that could indicate potential defects without disrupting operations.” By continuously collecting data, “ATGMS helps our craft colleagues enhance safety and performance throughout the network,” according to the railroad.
• NS was recognized with a Fast Company 2025 Innovation by Design Award for its DTI portals, which it noted “spotlight how NS is applying AI and human expertise to make inspections smarter and operations safer.” 

Railway Age in November named NS Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Orr 2026 Railroader of the Year. Orr will be presented with the award on March 10, 2026, following the Railway Age Next-Gen Freight Rail 2026 conference in Chicago.

CSX

CSX helped deliver the first rail shipment of construction stone from Benson Mines to Astro Aggregates’ Long Island facility, connecting upstate resources to NYC projects. Proud to support growth and sustainability in our communities. Learn more: https://t.co/msWWbgu18f pic.twitter.com/UDKjPFbMyv

— CSX (@CSX) December 22, 2025

Astro Aggregates, LLC, earlier this month reported that its Hicksville, Long Island, loading facility received the first rail delivery of construction stone from upstate New York’s Benson Mines. The roughly 350-mile journey was serviced by Genesee Valley Transportation, CSX, and Anacostia Rail Holdings’s New York & Atlantic Railway.

Astro Aggregates, a provider of construction stone and other aggregates to the New York City, Long Island and New Jersey markets, and Benson Mines signed a multi-year partnership for rail moves in December 2024.

“We are excited to see this partnership with Benson Mines reach this milestone,” said Marc Furman, President of Astro Aggregates. “We see the relationship benefiting our asphalt and ready-mix customers in the boroughs of New York City and Long Island. As we continue to grow our market presence in the Long Island market and adjacent states, we will continue to market the NYSDOT certifications of the Benson stone and pursue additional state certifications. This material will be used to build the skyscrapers of New York City and pave the roads of all of Long Island. We see the volume of stone being shipped increasing from this initial load [of 500 tons] to using 500 cars per year and then steadily increasing thereafter.”

Astro Aggregates reported that it plans to bring to the Benson Mines site a mobile crushing unit “to efficiently work through the existing stockpiles [of quarried waste rock] and then develop a static plant that can produce higher volumes and load railcars directly from the conveyor.”

Separately, Eco Material Technologies earlier this year opened the Blissville Rail Terminal in Queens, N.Y., to distribute its fly ash and sustainable cementitious materials to the metro area construction market. The terminal is served by New York & Atlantic Railway and operated by Precision Terminal Logistics, LLC in partnership with Eco Material.

BNSF (Courtesy of BNSF)

For the past four years in San Bernardino, Calif., BNSF and J.B. Hunt Transport Services have taken part in the National Wreaths Across America event, placing wreaths on U.S. veterans’ graves. Volunteers from the Patriot Guard earlier this month escorted wreaths, transported free of charge by BNSF and J.B. Hunt, to the Riverside National Cemetery, the railroad reported via social media on Dec. 27 (see photograph above).

“Each year, the teams come together to honor those who served, even in the midst of our busiest season,” BNSF Assistant Terminal Superintendent Tom Batts said. “We demonstrate the value of coming together for a special purpose, while maintaining seamless operations.”

The 2025 Wreaths Across America event took place Dec. 13 at 5,598 locations; more than 3.1 million sponsored veterans’ wreaths were placed in remembrance of “our nation’s heroes,” according to Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit.

Separately, BNSF in November marked its 11th consecutive month of “record-breaking” terminal dwell.

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

“Ray has been an exceptional leader whose steady hand and deep industry knowledge have strengthened our short line operations and elevated our service standards. We are grateful for his dedication and wish him the very best in retirement,” said R.J. Corman Railroad Group President and CEO Justin Broyles.

Before joining R. J. Corman Railroad Company, Goss built a “distinguished reputation” in the rail industry holding various leadership and operational roles at major railroads such as Genesee & Wyoming Inc., Amtrak Corporation, and Canadian Pacific Railway, where he developed expertise in engineering, transportation management, safety initiatives, and customer relations. “His broad experience and commitment to excellence positioned him as a respected figure in the field, ultimately leading to his appointment as President of R. J. Corman Railroad Company’s operations,” the company noted.

Under Goss’s leadership, R. J. Corman Railroad Company achieved “remarkable growth and modernization.” Since 2019, the company expanded its network through strategic acquisitions and new operations, adding the Childersburg Line, Raleigh & Fayetteville Railroad, Knoxville & Cumberland Gap Railroad, as well as the Owego & Harford Railway, Lehigh Railway, and Luzerne & Susquehanna Railway. These additions, the company says, “strengthened R. J. Corman’s presence across key regions and enhanced its ability to serve diverse markets.”

Goss also championed transformative infrastructure improvements, securing federal TIGER and CRISI grants to rehabilitate hundreds of miles of track, upgrade bridges, and modernize grade crossings. These investments, R.J. Corman says, “improved safety, efficiency, and reliability for customers while supporting regional economic development.” Under his tenure, the company consistently earned top safety honors, with all short lines receiving Jake Awards in recent years and several earning the prestigious President’s Award for exemplary safety performance. These accomplishments, the company adds, “reflect Goss’s unwavering commitment to operational excellence and customer service, leaving a lasting legacy of growth and innovation.”

“It has been an honor to lead R. J. Corman’s railroads and work alongside such a talented team,” said Goss. “Together, we’ve advanced safety, improved efficiency, and strengthened relationships with our customers. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, and I’m confident that they will continue to be leaders in the industry and take the company to new heights.”

The post Goss to Retire as R.J. Corman President appeared first on Railway Age.

“We’re pleased to be moving to the next step in the procurement process for the light-rail vehicles the City needs to maintain and expand its transit service,” said Bruce Ferguson, Branch Manager, LRT Expansion and Renewal. “We look forward to working with Hyundai Rotem Company to deliver this crucial infrastructure to support Edmonton’s growth to a city of two million people.”

Design and manufacturing of 40 high-floor light-rail vehicles is anticipated to begin in 2026, with vehicles arriving in 2029 and 2030.

In February, the City of Edmonton’s Evaluation Committee shortlisted the following three bidders to participate in the Request for Proposals (RFPs) for the design and manufacturing of up to 53 new high-floor LRVs.

• Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A. (CAF)
• Hyundai Rotem Company (Hyundai Rotem)
• Siemens Mobility Limited (Siemens)

The City followed a “rigorous, fair and competitive” international procurement process. Two of the three bidders shortlisted by the City submitted proposals to supply the vehicles. Hyundai Rotem Company received the highest combined technical and financial score.

In 2024, the Request for Qualifications (RFQS) received strong interest from industry. A total of six submissions were received from international bidding teams.

High-floor LRVs are necessary to replace the 37 aging U2 models that have been operating on Capital Line and Metro Line for more than 45 years, according to the City of Edmonton. Up to 16 LRVs are being procured to accommodate service growth for the Capital Line South Extension and Metro Line Northwest Extension.

“LRT is a key part of Edmonton’s mass transit network and a solution to move people quickly, efficiently and sustainably along transportation corridors,” said Ferguson. “Investing in new light-rail vehicles is necessary to keep transit service operating efficiently and reliably as Edmonton continues to grow.”

The City is aiming to award the contract in early 2026.

More information is available here.

The post Edmonton Selects Preferred LRV Procurement Bidder (UPDATED, 12/30) appeared first on Railway Age.

The agency joins several other railroads, including Wheeling & Lake Erie (W&LE), East Penn Railroad (ESPN), Genesee & Wyoming (G&W), Reading & Northern (R&N), Pennsylvania & Southern (P&S), Nevada Northern Railway Museum (NNRY), and North Shore Railroad (NSHR), in painting a locomotive a in red, white, and blue scheme as part of a tradition started during America’s Bicentennial in 1976.

The post NJ Transit Introduces New Patriotic Paint Scheme appeared first on Railway Age.

“The train’s annual journey embodies the spirit of the holidays, bringing families and neighbors together while helping those in need in our communities,” the Class I said.

“Year after year, the CPKC Holiday Train proves that generosity and community spirit know no bounds,” said CPKC President and CEO Keith Creel. “Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who came out to see a show, donated to this great cause, and made the season a true celebration of giving. The incredible support we receive reminds us of what is possible when we come together with kindness and purpose.”

Holiday Train Highlights:

• Since 1999, the CPKC Holiday Train has raised more than $28.3 million and collected more than 5.6 million pounds of food for local food banks in Canada and the U.S.
• The 2025 Holiday Train hosted 194 live music shows in six provinces and 13 states featuring performances by artists such as Barenaked Ladies, Tyler Shaw and American Authors.

Additionally, the spirit of the holidays stretched into Mexico where CPKC operated the Tren Navideño, a dazzlingly decorated train that visited communities across Mexico, continuing a tradition that began in 2010.

The post 2025 CPKC Holiday Train Raises Record $2MM appeared first on Railway Age.

Total carloads for the week came in at 206,674, a 10.5% drop-off, and intermodal volume was 280,464 containers and trailers, a 4.3% decrease compared with 2024, according to the AAR.

For the week ending Dec. 20, 2025, two of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They were grain, up 1,294 carloads, to 23,272; and motor vehicles and parts, up 177 carloads, to 16,024. Commodity groups that posted declines included coal, down 9,571 carloads, to 51,534; miscellaneous carloads, down 8,235 carloads, to 1,044; and chemicals, down 3,662 carloads, to 31,508.

For the first 51 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,320,426 carloads, up 1.5% from the same point last year; and 13,851,979 intermodal units, up 1.6% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 51 weeks of this year came in at 25,172,405 carloads and intermodal units, rising 1.5% from the same period in 2024.

North American rail volume for the week ending Dec. 20, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 310,557 carloads, down 8.7% from the same week in 2024, and 361,679 intermodal units, down 3.9% from prior-year period. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 672,236 carloads and intermodal units, a 6.1% decrease. North American rail volume for the first 51 weeks of this year was 34,645,846 carloads and intermodal units, rising 1.4% from 2024.

Canadian railroads for the week ending Dec. 20, 2025, reported 89,678 carloads, dipping 3.5%, and 66,363 intermodal units, falling 3.9% from the same point last year. For the first 51 weeks of 2025, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 8,258,288 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.1%.

For the week ending Dec. 20, 2025, Mexican railroads reported 14,205 carloads, declining 12.5% from the same week last year, and 14,852 intermodal units, gaining 5.5%. Their cumulative volume for the first 51 weeks of this year came in at 1,215,153 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.5% from the year-ago period.

The post AAR: U.S. Carloads, Intermodal Down for Week 51 appeared first on Railway Age.

A Denver, Rio Grande & Western SW1200 recently arrived in Utah after being acquired by the Promontory Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. 

Rio Grande 133 was built in 1965 and spent years working in Utah before heading east to South Dakota, where it operated at various grain elevators. It eventually ended up in Iowa. In early 2024, it was announced that the locomotive had been donated to the NRHS chapter by the Southeast Farmers Coop. The engine remained in Iowa until late 2025, when it moved west to Utah, where it will be put on display at the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden, pending a cosmetic and operational restoration.

The group is currently raising $15,000 to acquire a new set of batteries, preserve and improve its original Rio Grande paint, and address some rust issues. Donations can be made through GoFundMe.

—Justin Franz 

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