Prototype News

UP reported via social media that its Livonia, La., locomotive team recently reached one-year of injury-free service, due to “a culture of mentorship, open communication and a commitment to the why behind each safety protocol.”

“Safety is what’s expected and that mindset is contagious,” UP quoted Manager-Mechanical Operations Daniel Sherlin as saying, “Our crew won’t accept anything that’s unsafe.”

Separately, the Class I’s Engineering team in Las Vegas (pictured above) has celebrated 25 years of injury-free work.

BNSF Locomotive Engineer Dane Sargent and Conductor Kolic Edwards on Dec. 31 delivered the first load to its new intermodal ramp in Oklahoma City (pictured above). Included was freight from customer Hobby Lobby.

The new 42-acre facility, announced in September, was a result of BNSF’s partnership with the retailer. Hobby Lobby, the railroad said via social media, “was looking for more efficient movement of its loaded containers from the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach to the network of Hobby Lobby distribution centers in OKC.”

Other business, such as Oklahoma farmers, will also be able to use the facility for export to the West Coast, according to BNSF.

“Expanding into this new rail market is a great example of us listening to our customers’ needs and looking for ways to provide solutions that will spur shared growth opportunities across the region,” BNSF Group Vice President of Consumer Products Jon Gabriel said in September. “We are excited to offer this unique solution to Hobby Lobby, which creates a much more effective supply chain and at full potential could eliminate up to 40,000 truck moves off the highway each year.”

“This is an exciting opportunity for Hobby Lobby to partner with the BNSF,” Hobby Lobby Chief Financial Officer Jon Cargill commented in September. “As we grow our business, more efficient movement of product will allow us to continue to offer the great value our customers have come to expect.”

BNSF also has an automotive facility in Oklahoma City.

• Hillwood, BNSF, and Fort Worth Launch Alliance Logistics District
• Cicero Intermodal Expansion Delivers Capacity, Sustainability and Customer Value
• BNSF, CSX Offering More, ‘Faster’ Coast-to-Coast Service
• BNSF Opens Logistics Center in North Houston

“For survivors of human trafficking, economic stability is a key pillar to recovery,” NS wrote Jan. 7 on the Story Yard section of its website. The railroad recently supported that pillar through a $10,000 Thriving Communities grant to Wellspring Living, an Atlanta-based nonprofit serving human trafficking survivors and those at risk. The grant benefited Wellspring Living’s 2025 Women’s Academy, which offers career readiness training, according to NS.

The funding provided six Women’s Academy participants with stipends to help cover transportation and other essential needs, which NS said were “practical barriers that often prevent consistent participation in workforce training.” Through this support, all six women completed the training, “gaining confidence, stability, and momentum as they work toward sustainable employment,” according to the railroad.

“Survivors and those at risk deserve pathways to economic stability that eliminate barriers to opportunity,” said Andrea Hipwell, Senior Director of Adult Services, Wellspring Living Women’s Academy Career Development Manager. “With Norfolk Southern’s financial support, Wellspring Living helps ensure that the people we serve can prioritize education and workforce development without the stress of unmet basic needs.”

“Wellspring Living understands that healing happens when women have practical tools and meaningful opportunity, not just short-term support,” added Kristin Wong, Director of Norfolk Southern Foundation & Community Impact. “We’re proud to walk alongside an organization that’s investing in people as they rebuild their lives.”

NS in 2023 donated $400,000 to Wellspring Living’s “Welcome Home Campaign,” which expanded residential and community care for women and children affected by or who are at risk of sexual exploitation.

Separately, NS’s SD70IAC 1230 and 1231 (the Birmingham and the Atlanta) made their official debut in November, pulling business cars for an event for Hope Atlanta, an NS-supported organization that works to serve people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

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

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on Jan. 8 reported that total originated U.S. rail traffic was 404,293 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, down 4.0%, from the comparable year-earlier week, which in this case is Week 1 of 2025.

Total U.S. carloads for the week ending January 3, 2026, were 192,665 carloads, down 2.8% from the comparison week, while U.S. intermodal volume for the week was 211,628 containers and trailers, down 5.1% from the comparison week.

For U.S. railroads for the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, two of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the comparison week. These two were chemicals, up 734 carloads to 32,493; and grain, up 195 carloads to 21,022. Commodity groups that posted decreases from the comparison week included nonmetallic minerals, down 1,393 carloads to 21,565; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,238 carloads to 5,734; and farm products excluding grain, and food, down 769 carloads to 15,694.

For all of 2025 (defined as weeks 1-52), U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,508,797 carloads, up 1.5% over 2024; and 14,055,633 intermodal units, also up 1.5% over 2024. Total combined U.S. traffic for 2025 was 25,564,430 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.5% over 2024.

North American rail volume for the week ending January 3, 2026, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 279,924 carloads, down 2.9% from the comparison week, and 277,628 intermodal units, down 4.9%. Total combined rail traffic in North America for the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, was 557,552 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.9%. North American rail volume for weeks 1-52 of 2025 was 35,187,052 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4% over 2024.

Canadian railroads for the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, reported 78,588 carloads, down 2.3% from the comparison week, and 55,805 intermodal units, down 9.7%. For all of 2025, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 8,387,041 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.0% over 2024.

For the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, Mexican railroads reported 8,671 carloads, down 10.7% from the comparison week, and 10,195 intermodal units, up 43.1%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for 2025 was 1,235,581 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.5% from 2024.

Editor’s Note: For rail traffic purposes, a week that bridges two different years is assigned to the year in which most of the days of that week fall. The week ending Jan. 3, 2026, had most of its days in 2025, so it is assigned to 2025. Because of the way the calendar fell in 2025, the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, was week 53 of 2025. A year having 53 weeks happens every few years. Rail traffic comparisons are always made to the corresponding period 52 weeks earlier. This means the comparison week for a week 53 is Week 1 of the same year. To ensure comparability across years, Week 53 is ignored when computing annual totals. Instead, annual totals are always weeks 1-52.

The post AAR: U.S. Rail Traffic Down 4% for Week Ending Jan. 3 appeared first on Railway Age.

Mario Péloquin, president of VIA Rail Canada since 2023, will retire on January 15 after more than four decades in rail and transportation. 

Péloquin began his career as a train dispatcher for Canadian National in the 1980s before moving to Transport Canada. He later worked on Ottawa’s light rail system and at Siemens. In 2020, he briefly served as chief operating officer for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 

“It has been a privilege to serve as President and CEO of VIA Rail Canada and to work alongside dedicated colleagues across the country,” Péloquin said. “Together, we advanced important initiatives, from modernizing key systems to progressing fleet renewal projects that will support passenger rail in Canada for decades.”

A search for his replacement is presently underway. 

—Justin Franz 

The post VIA Rail President to Retire appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

2024 and 2023 were also record-breaking years.

RBMN—Railway Age’s four-time Regional of the Year—operates freight and steam- and diesel-powered passenger excursions over 400 miles of track, owns almost 2,000 freight cars, and employs more than 400 people. It has 80 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill, and Wyoming).

“Nationally freight traffic was basically flat [in 2025] as freight customers dealt with the twin impacts of tariffs and overseas economic slowdown,” RBMN reported. “Despite these trends, RBMN was able to achieve modest growth in freight carloads, which led RBMN to its highest revenue level in history. Anthracite coal remains a bright spot … RBMN exceeded one million tons of anthracite shipped over our lines for the third straight year.” That growth, it noted, is led by anthracite shipments to the domestic steel industry, and was supported by the purchase of additional covered hopper cars in December.

According to the railroad, Marcellus Shale drilling activity remained soft in 2025, but RBMN, in partnership with terminal operator Texas Sands, was able to increase business to 2,000 carloads. “Most of that growth was in the fourth quarter and RBMN expects 2026 to be our best year ever at our Tunhannock transload facility,” it noted.

RBMN also said it experienced “carload and revenue success” moving plastic resins, various forest products, metals, and food and ag commodities.

Based on preliminary forecasts, the railroad expects to increase both carloads and revenues “significantly” in 2026. Specifically, it projects 40,000 carloads, which it said will remove more than 220,000 trucks from the highway.

On the passenger side, RBMN eclipsed 410,000 riders in 2025—the first time ever. The department last year also celebrated its 40th anniversary.

In 2025, RBMN reported investing in equipment, track and people. It spent more than $8 million purchasing 117 freight cars, numerous vehicles and track equipment, and track and signal materials, and it continued to grow by hiring new employees.

In 2026, RBMN said it hopes to finalize its acquisition of the Luzerne County railroad operations. “Under public ownership, rail freight traffic has fallen,” the railroad reported. “RBMN has pledged to rebuild the freight franchise. And RBMN has committed to bringing its award-winning passenger service to Wilkes Barre. To that end, RBMN has already purchased centrally located property for its passenger station. And RBMN made an aggressive offer in September 2025 to purchase the properties for $10 million.” 

“Thanks to our customer-focused staff, RBMN continues to enjoy growth year after year,” said RBMN Owner and CEO Andy Muller Jr., who was selected by Railway Age readers as a 2023 Influential Leader. “We continue to invest in our railroad to make sure we bring first-class service to our freight customers and our passenger riders. RBMN will continue to thrive and work with our communities and neighbors to expand our offerings.”

• RBMN Anthracite Coal Business Surges in 2025
• RBMN Unveils ‘Semiquincentennial’ Locomotive
• Raffa Promoted to RBMN EVP Marketing & Sales
• RBMN Iron Horse Rambles Resuming in 2025

The post RBMN: Another Record-Breaking Year appeared first on Railway Age.

Effective immediately, Nolan will oversee legal, compliance, governance, and risk functions, ARH reported Jan. 7. She served most recently as General Counsel for Zoro Tools, Inc., a subsidiary of W.W. Grainger, Inc. Previously, she spent more than 25 years at W.W. Grainger, Inc., including as Vice President and Associate General Counsel, advising on tech and ecommerce matters, data protection and security, crisis management, global sourcing, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, procurement, regulatory compliance, and risk management. Nolan earned a JD from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a BA in international relations and French from Michigan State University. She also completed executive leadership training at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

With more than 30 years’ experience advising short line and regional railroads, Sidman joined ARH on Jan. 1, 2013. He “has been a trusted advisor and integral member of the corporate leadership team, helping guide the company through sustained growth and reinforcing a strong foundation of governance and integrity,” according to Chicago-based ARH, whose six railroads combined handle two million-plus carloads annually in the U.S.

“Mark’s steady leadership and counsel have helped shape who we are today, and we are deeply grateful for his many contributions,” ARH CEO Peter Gilbertson said. “As we look ahead, Aimee brings the strategic mindset, operational discipline, and experience needed to help ARH scale responsibly and advance our mission in the years to come.”

ARH in 2025 appointed Mark Nuchurch as Manager of Safety and Compliance, a new role and title at the short line holding company; Michael Naatz as Chief Operating Officer; and Todd Nuelle as Chief Commercial Officer.

The post ARH Taps Aimee Nolan as CLO appeared first on Railway Age.

The order, Wabtec said, “is a major step in the Authority’s Capital Plan to revitalize the city’s transit network infrastructure and improve the capabilities and safety of its maintenance crews.”

In 2020, MTA awarded Wabtec the original $233 million contract for 25 R255s. For use on MTA New York City Transit work trains, they would replace a fleet of diesel-only locomotives built in the 1960s and 1970s. The option for 45 additional units, now exercised, had been expected to be funded through the 2020-2024 Capital Plan. They are now included in the 2025-2029 Capital Plan, in which MTA noted that approximately 44% of the NYCT work train fleet “is beyond its useful life and is due for replacement.”

MTA’s follow-on order covers the R255s, which continue to include Cummins engines (QSX15 Tier 4 Final) and Wabtec-developed battery packs, and spare parts. The locomotives (watch video below) will be built at Wabtec’s design and development center in Erie, Pa. They, too, will replace aging equipment, “offering enhanced reliability and operational efficiency while contributing to improved air quality across the network,” according to the supplier.

The R255 is said to benefit the MTA’s maintenance crews “by improving the working conditions, especially in the tunnels. It can eliminate emissions by utilizing battery power during subway construction, maintenance, and repairs, especially during extended periods at a work site.” The approximately 500-kWh locomotive can work in “battery-only” mode within confined work zones for up to eight hours and can move work trains when the third-rail power is deenergized, according to Wabtec. The locomotive also features cameras and video recorders to capture images of the track, lineside assets, and signaling equipment across the network, plus “onboard diagnostics to support smart maintenance practices.”

Wabtec delivered the initial R255s in May and June 2024; they underwent a series of comprehensive acceptance tests on NYCT that focused on safety, performance, interoperability, and reliability, including a capstone performance test of two R255s operating with a full train of m/w cars over the Manhattan Bridge. MTA certified their use in early 2025.

“The success of the R255 hybrid locomotive is a tribute to the strong working relationship between Wabtec and the MTA,” Wabtec Vice President for Engineering Alan Hamilton said. “Our collaboration positioned this locomotive as the ideal solution to maintain the subway system efficiently and reliably.”

• Wabtec Acquires Frauscher
• Wabtec 3Q25: ‘Continued Growth in Backlog, Sales, Margin and Earnings’
• Wabtec, Vale Partner to Test Ethanol Use in Locomotives
• MTA 2025–2029 Capital Plan Gets Greenlight
• NY Governor Signs FY26 State Budget Into Law
• Kawasaki to Supply 378 More ‘B’ Division Cars to NYCT

The post Watch: NY MTA Exercises Option for More Wabtec R255s appeared first on Railway Age.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) announced Jan. 7 a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM)—Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Competition: Review of Part 1144, Docket Ex Parte No. 788—which, if finalized following public comment, will repeal a 40-year-old controversial rule imposed by STB predecessor Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) that was intended to protect captive shippers from railroad market power abuse.

The rule to be repealed has proven for captive shippers a remedy impossible to satisfy yet promised them by Congress when it partially deregulated railroads 45 years ago in 1980 (the Staggers Rail Act). In announcing the NPRM, the STB said it “has never issued a prescription under Part 1144.”

All 3 current members of the 5-member STB—Republican Chairperson Patrick J. Fuchs, Republican Michelle A. Schultz and Democrat Karen J. Hedlund—voted in favor of the NPRM. Fuchs said of the NPRM, “This proposal would embrace market forces, enable meaningful choice for American businesses as provided under the statutes, and eliminate regulatory barriers unnecessarily stifling rail competition. By proposing to remove these regulations, the Board would return to the text of statutes that advance excellence, entrepreneurship, and innovation to support economic growth and supply chain resilience.”

Presidents Barack Obama (2016), Joe Biden (2021) and POTUS 47 (2025) each have urged federal agencies to reduce competitive barriers. The STB said the Jan. 7 NPRM “follows the March 2025 launch of the Justice Department’s Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force in response to [POTUS 47’s] Executive Order 14192, which declares a policy that federal agencies “alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people.”

The rule to be repealed was born of honest intentions, but its implementation was flawed, which a brief history will explain.

When freight railroads were partially deregulated in 1980, they were mired in spreading bankruptcy, deferred maintenance and poor economic prospects owing to decades of biased public policy treating them as transportation monopolies while bestowing substantial rights-of-way subsidies on barge and motor carrier rivals that faced far less economic regulation. Although some railroads remained financially strong, railroading is a network industry where the strongest links are largely dependent on the weakest, of which there were many. Shippers able to shift modes did so.

What remained was a dysfunctional marriage between a financially teetering rail industry and victimized shippers unable to relocate or choose new markets.

A bargain was struck. Congress would loosen the economic regulatory reins on railroads, giving them greater freedom to right-size through mergers and line abandonments, and to adjust prices and practices based on market forces to win back customers. Shippers lacking effective transportation alternatives to rail (captives) would have a cop on the beat to ensure effective competition and, failing that, protections from unreasonable carrier actions.

All stakeholders agreed that competition ensures greater innovation, improved productivity and superior service quality.

Unquestionably, partial economic deregulation restored railroads to financial health—especially beneficial being redundancy-eliminating mergers that reduced the number of major (Class I) railroads from scores to just 6 today, causing the number of captive shippers to grow substantially. Not all shippers, however, found the cop on the beat as effective as promised even though the 1980 Staggers Act (49 USC 11102(c) and 49 USC 10705) authorized the ICC (now STB) to prescribe remedies where it finds them “practicable and in the public interest [or] necessary to provide competitive rail service.” And shippers saw little relief from a different competitive access statute (49 USC 10705).

This means that if a captive shipper can demonstrate a need for competitive access, the STB may prescribe a more competitive freight rate; or allow a second railroad to serve the shipper over the incumbent’s tracks; or order the incumbent railroad to interchange the shipper’s traffic to a second railroad at a convenient junction point.

As stakeholders struggled to implement the Staggers Rail Act, the National Industrial Transportation League (the nation’s largest shipper organization) and Association of American Railroads collaborated on recommendations adopted by the ICC to give specificity to the law, which the ICC did in 1985 (49 CFR 1144).

The implementation wasn’t as shippers expected. In one of the ICC’s most controversial decisions, known as the Midtec Paper, the ICC ruled in 1985 that to gain the promised remedy, a captive shipper must prove affirmatively that its railroad is engaged in, or is likely to engage in, market power abuse or anticompetitive conduct. Meeting the burden proved unobtainable; shippers won not a single case.

Years of shipper lobbying encouraged the STB to revisit its Part 1144 rule and relax the standard of proof. In 2016, the STB opened a new rulemaking (Ex Parte No. 711, Sub-No. 1) in which the STB proposed a rule that set two new regulatory standards, on a case-by-case approach but not having to demonstrate market power abuse or anticompetitive conduct.

In a dissent, Republican member Ann D. Begeman said, “How can the Board provide fair and consistent switching judgments on a case-by-case basis without creating complexity and cost impacts on the one hand, and not introducing more unpredictability to the rail network on the other?”

Notwithstanding that the STB already employed a case-by-case approach for other authorities, progress stalled as Begeman became chairperson in 2017. From 2023-2025, a renewed effort to craft an improved rule met railroad resistance and was remanded by a federal appellate court. Since, the effort has lain fallow.

Unlike prior efforts, today’s decision does not establish new regulatory standards but instead returns to the text of the Staggers Rail Act and continues the STB’s tradition of a case-by-case approach to often highly fact-specific situations.

The STB said its Jan. 7 NPRM would “restore the Board’s discretion to consider—on a case-by-case basis—the merits of each case brought before the agency under the statutory standards set by Congress. The statutes recognize that competitive access issues do not have a one-size-fits-all solution and allow the Board to consider these cases in the full context of a carrier’s operations, competitive situation, and other considerations.”

The late E. Hunter Harrison, who led four railroads—Illinois Central, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific and CSX—embraced increased shipper options such as through reciprocal switching (known as “interswitching” in Canada).

In an interview with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono in 2015, when Harrison was named Railway Age’s Railroader of the Year, Harrison said: “A lot of railroaders have been scared of the term ‘open access,’ and I don’t know why. [I]f an individual carrier … provides the right type of service for the customer, at an appropriate fair price, we have nothing to worry about. If we do not provide the service, we should not be resistant to someone [else] coming and providing that service.”

Robert G. Szabo, now retired and who served as executive director and legal counsel for Consumers United for Rail Equity (CURE)—a captive shipper organization that nearly succeeded in placing railroads more under the antitrust laws—told Railway Age, “If the STB abandons its unachievable competitive access test, this will be a great day for captive rail customers. A few competitive access cases may need to be brought to prove relief is achievable, but the real benefit will be more-robust negotiations as shippers and railroads strive to work out their transportation arrangements in the normal business marketplace.”

A currently practicing captive shipper attorney, asking not to be named, told Railway Age, “The NPRM places captive shippers and railroads more on a level playing field. However, captive shippers have been burned on this issue for so long that they are wary of the outcome.”

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

The post Midtec’s Demise; Competition’s Rise appeared first on Railway Age.

Smith, who joined the company in 2009 and took the throttle as CEO in 2018, has assumed the additional responsibilities of Executive Chairman of the Board at Watco, which provides transportation, material handling and warehousing, logistics, and railcar repair and maintenance for customers throughout North America and Australia.

Baden, who previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is now Executive Vice President and Vice Chairman of the Watco Board. He has been with Watco since 2004.

Nielsen, formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, has transitioned to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, overseeing finance, treasury, capital allocation, and investor relations functions. He joined the company in 2015.

Rachael Peterson remains Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer, leading Watco’s operations, safety, marketing and communications, and people services. Nick Coomes also continues as Executive Vice President and Chief Solutions Officer, leading sales and customer solutions, project design and engineering, real estate and industrial development, and information technology. Peterson joined Watco in 2006, and Coomes in 2014.

The changes, effective Jan. 1, were “designed to further strengthen the company’s management team and support its commitment to safe customer service and long-term growth,” according to Watco, which celebrated 40 years of service in 2023.

“I’m honored to continue to build on Watco’s strong foundation,” Smith said. “The culture here is truly special. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside this team and to help position Watco for its next chapter of success.”

Rick Webb, former longtime Executive Chair of the Watco Board, noted that he was “excited about our continued success, with Dan and his leadership team at the helm.”

“Our Watco Team continues to perform at a high level, delivering historic value creation for our customers, team members, and stakeholders,” said Webb, who was selected by Railway Age readers as an Influential Leader in 2021 and by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association as a Short Line Hall of Fame inductee in 2024. “These leadership changes confirm my belief that we have the best team we have ever had and the best team in the industry.”

• Intramotev, Watco Forge TugVolt Commercial Agreement
• Watco Logistics Acquires Colossal Transport Solutions
• Watco Adding GLC to Small-Road Portfolio
• Developing Our Leaders

The post For Watco, Changes at the Top appeared first on Railway Age.

Dear Customers: As I shared, Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) filed their merger application with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, as we headed into the holiday. We have now reviewed the details, and what we found confirms that this merger poses serious risks to competition, service and your supply chain.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Unrealistic Growth Promises: The combined volumes of UP and NS have declined by 13% over the past decade. Yet UP now promises 12% volume growth in just three years, almost entirely from converting truck shippers to rail shippers. STB statistics show that UP already gets more of its revenue from high rates than any other Class I railroad. When this truck conversion growth doesn’t materialize, you will pay their merger premiums with higher rates.
• Gateway Commitments That Don’t Deliver: UP’s proposed protections are a Trojan Horse designed to get their application approved. BNSF’s customers have learned firsthand that CPKC gateway conditions are not effective. And the Committed Gateway Pricing concept proposed by the UP excludes almost all shippers—only 0.4% of all rail freight would be eligible. Plus, it expires within a few short years, leaving you vulnerable to monopoly pricing.
• Integration Risks: Every major rail merger has caused service disruptions. UP and NS’s “trust us” approach offers no fundamental safeguards against severe supply chain disruptions on a much larger scale. The last time UP led a merger integration in 2008, the STB had to extend its oversight period twice due to the congestion issues it caused in Chicago.

The UP-NS merger application cites over 2,000 letters of support, including about 500 from shippers—but those shippers represent less than 6% of all rail traffic on the U.S. rail network. By contrast, the Rail Customer Coalition—representing shippers responsible for more than half of all rail volume—has stated that the merger would create near-monopoly power, raising costs for manufacturers, farmers, energy producers, and ultimately consumers. Similarly, the Teamsters Rail Conference and the Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen, which collectively represent over half of rail workers, warn that the merger would reduce competitiveness and increase safety risks.

These numbers matter. The voices opposing the merger represent the vast majority of rail customers and workers who interact with UP and NS on a daily basis. As more stakeholders review the application, opposition is growing. The UP-NS application is so light on substance that several key stakeholders have already asked the STB to reject it as incomplete. Whenever the STB ultimately accepts the application as complete, it will release a timeline that includes a short comment period. This will be your chance to speak up and protect your interests.

Thank you for your continued collaboration as we work to preserve a competitive rail network. For further information and analysis on the UP-NS merger application, visit here, and we will continue to share key information as it becomes available.

Sincerely,
Tom G. Williams
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, BNSF

The UP-NS merger, among other key industry topics, will be discussed in detail at Railway Age’s Next-Gen Freight Rail Conference, to be held March 10, 2026, at the Union League Club of Chicago. Williams will be among the featured speakers.

• UP+NS Merger Application ‘Complete’?
• BNSF, CN, CPKC, CSX, NGFA: UP+NS Merger Application ‘Incomplete’
• BNSF to STB: First Cure UP’s ‘Old Harms’
• BNSF vs. UP, Take Three
• BNSF: UP+NS ‘Costly, Unnecessary, Anti-Competitive, Bad for the U.S. Economy’

The post UP-NS Merger Application Filed: What it Means for BNSF Customers appeared first on Railway Age.

Northeast Rail Heritage, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to preserving equipment in the northeast that previously saved an Amtrak AEM-7, announced in January that it has acquired the only remaining Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Silverliner III car.

St. Louis Car Company built 20 Silverliner III cars for the Pennsylvania Railroad, which entered service in 1967. These cars later operated for Penn Central, Conrail, and finally SEPTA. The Silverliner IIIs served for 45 years and were synonymous with daily commuter operations around Philadelphia. The last one was retired from service in 2012. Car 238 was set aside for preservation, but it sat forgotten for more than a decade. In 2023, it was moved to Morrisville, Pa., for scrapping. However, logistical challenges prevented its immediate destruction, giving Northeast Rail Heritage the chance to save it. In July 2025, Sullivan’s Scrap Metals donated the car to NRH, which plans to restore it to its 1990s “Yellowbird” appearance. That livery helped promote SEPTA’s Airport Line service. 

“This car represents an era of railroading that millions of Philadelphia-area riders experienced firsthand,” said Mike Huhn, NRH President. “Preserving 238 ensures that an important chapter of Philadelphia-area transportation history is not lost. Our goal is to stabilize, cosmetically restore, and interpret the car for public education and potential display.”

In December, 238 was moved from the yard in Morrisville, where it had been stored, to an SMS Rail-owned facility. SMS has agreed to store both the Silverliner and the AEM-7 until NRH can acquire its own property (as of this writing, the AEM-7 has not yet been moved to SMS). 

For more information and to learn how you can help, visit northeastrailheritage.org. 

—Justin Franz 

The post Northeast Rail Heritage Saves Silverliner III Car appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The acquisition of Wells Fargo’s rail operating lease portfolio by a joint venture of GATX and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. and its institutional partners (collectively, Brookfield Infrastructure) closed Jan. 1, 2026, according to GATX. The portfolio comprised some 101,000 railcars, and the purchase price was approximately $4.2 billion, reflecting the fleet count at closing. GATX said it anticipates the transaction will be “modestly accretive to earnings per share in the first full year after closing, with more substantial contributions expected in subsequent years.”

In May 2025, the joint venture partners entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the portfolio, and on Dec. 23, they announced receipt of all required regulatory clearances to complete the transaction.

“This marks an important milestone for GATX,” said Robert C. Lyons, President and CEO of GATX. “With this acquisition, we not only expand our North American platform and enhance our ability to serve customers with a more diversified fleet, but we also maintain the financial flexibility to continue pursuing investment opportunities across our global businesses. I believe the acquisition positions GATX for continued growth and value creation for our shareholders. I want to thank our partner and employees for their tireless efforts and support throughout the process. We are well positioned to ensure a seamless transition while delivering the high level of service our customers expect.”

Separately, Brookfield Infrastructure completed the acquisition of Wells Fargo’s rail finance lease portfolio, which includes approximately 22,000 railcars and about 400 locomotives, according to GATX. GATX will serve as manager of the railcars in the joint venture, as well as the finance lease railcars and locomotives directly owned by Brookfield Infrastructure.

Additional transaction details and full-year 2026 guidance will be shared during GATX’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call, the date for which will be announced later this month.

BofA Securities acted as the sole financial advisor to GATX and Brookfield Infrastructure. Mayer Brown is serving as legal counsel to GATX, while Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as legal counsel to Brookfield Infrastructure.

• GATX: ‘Rail North America’s Fleet Utilization Remains Strong’
• Organic Growth or Doing More With Less?
• GATX’s Lyons: 2Q25 ‘Solid Operating Performance,’ Full-Year Earnings Estimate Up
• Rail Equipment Call: Decision Paralysis Continues

Philadelphia, Pa.-based Enviri on Jan. 5 reported the retirement of Chief Financial Officer Tom Vadaketh and the planned appointment of Pete Minan as CFO of New Enviri concurrently with New Enviri’s planned spinoff into a standalone publicly traded company. Minan will serve as a consultant to Enviri as New Enviri prepares for the spin-off.

Harsco Corporation in June 2023 reported changing its name to Enviri, which reflected its transformation into an “environmental solutions company that provides services to manage, recycle, and beneficially reduce waste and byproducts across many industries.” The company began trading under the NYSE ticker “NVRI” and has operated out of more than 150 locations in 30-plus countries.

Enviri’s three divisions—Harsco Rail, a global supplier for track maintenance and construction management; Harsco Environmental, an environmental services and solutions provider for the steel industry; and Clean Earth, an environmental and regulated waste management services provider—continued to operate under their existing names.

The spinoff of New Enviri will be effected in connection with the Enviri’s sale of Clean Earth to Veolia Environnement SA. According to Enviri, the Clean Earth sale “remains on track” for completion in mid-2026, and Tom Vadaketh will remain CFO of Enviri until the transactions are completed.

“We are grateful for Tom’s impact on the organization and the strength he has brought to our finance function, especially throughout our successful strategic alternatives initiative,” Enviri Chairman and CEO Nick Grasberger said. “Tom is guiding the company through a time of significant change, providing steady leadership, technical expertise, and disciplined financial stewardship, and leaving a legacy of financial discipline, increased engagement, and professional development for our finance team. He has positioned the company well for its next chapter, and we wish him well in his retirement.”

“I am pleased to welcome Pete back as the CFO of New Enviri as we position Harsco Environmental and Rail for success and build a company that creates value for shareholders and customers,” said Russell Hochman, Enviri President and Chief Operating Officer and CEO designate of New Enviri. “Pete’s financial acumen, deep understanding of our businesses, and strategic mindset make him the ideal financial leader for New Enviri.”

“Harsco Environmental and Rail are market-leading providers of innovative solutions for the steel and rail industries, and they have a significant opportunity to drive enhanced financial performance and sustainable growth under their new company structure,” said Pete Minan, who joined Harsco Corporation as CFO in October 2014 and served in the role for seven years until his retirement in October 2021; he returned to Enviri on an interim basis as CFO in August 2022 and served through October 2023. “I am eager to hit the ground running and look forward to partnering with Russell and the leadership team to ensure a successful and seamless separation and to create value for our New Enviri shareholders.”

Additional members of New Enviri’s leadership team, as well as its Board of Directors, will be announced at a later date, according to Enviri, which noted that it “expects to file a Form 10 registration statement for New Enviri with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the New Enviri spinoff, which remains subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions.”

TX Rail Products, an Ashland, Ky.-based supplier of rail and rail products to the U.S. coal mining industry, short lines and tunneling contractors, has issued shares of its no par value common stock in a private placement transaction.

“Under the terms of the placement, the company issued 6,000,000 shares of no par value common stock at $0.30 per share to a single institutional investor for gross proceeds of $1.8 million,” TX Rail Products reported Jan. 5. “As part of the transaction, the investor also has the right to purchase 4,000,000 shares of the no par common stock at a price of $0.50 per share for a period of 36 months. Both the initial investment and the warrant exercise price represent a premium to the current market price of $0.2450 per share as of the close of trading on Dec. 23, 2025.”

TX Rail Products said it plans to use the proceeds for working capital purposes.

“This additional capital strengthens our balance sheet and positions us to secure the inventory needed to meet growing customer demand,” TX Rail Products Chairman and CEO William “Buck” Shrewsbury said. “With clear visibility into our order pipeline, we can strategically build inventory and take advantage of current market opportunities. Furthermore, this transaction reflects investor confidence in our growth trajectory and long-term value creation.”

The post Supply Side: GATX, Enviri/New Enviri, TX Rail Products appeared first on Railway Age.