Railway Age 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).

(RBMN Photograph)

“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.

(William C. Vantuono Photograph)

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

(RBMN Photograph)

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.” 

Andy Muller Jr. (RBMN Photograph)

“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.”

Further Reading:

• 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.

Mark Sidman (Courtesy of ARH)

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.

(Courtesy of Wabtec)

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.”

Further Reading:

• 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

(Courtesy of Wabtec)

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.

Rick Webb (Courtesy of Watco)

“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.”

Further Reading:

• 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

This commentary first appeared on the BNSF Customer Notification webpage.

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.

Further Reading:

• 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.

GATX

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.

Further Reading:

• 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

Enviri /New Enviri (Courtesy of Enviri)

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 TX-Rail-Investor-Presentation-2025DecemberDownload

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.

BNSF

BNSF has delivered the first load to its new intermodal ramp in Oklahoma City, carrying freight for customer Hobby Lobby, the Class I announced via a social media post. Locomotive Engineer Dane Sargent and Conductor Kolic Edwards brought it home on Dec. 31.

(BNSF via X)

The new 42-acre facility is a result of BNSF’s partnership with the retailer, which 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.

(BNSF via X)

Other business will also be able to use the facility for export to the West Coast.

UP

UP recently announced that GPS tracking, developed by supply chain technology partner Blume Global, is now embedded in the Class I’s 53-foot EMP and UMAX domestic containers, which are owned in partnership with other Class I railroads.

Together, the combined fleets represent the largest GPS-enabled, rail-owned container fleet in North America, according to UP. Central to the upgrade is Blume’s enhanced GPS intermodal platform, providing customers with real-time, smarter visibility into their shipments.

Key benefits for customers:

• “Real-time notifications for critical deliveries.
• “Instantaneous alerts for load/empty and location status, reducing street dwell time (the time period a container is outside of the ramp in the customer’s possession, either loaded or empty).
• “Customized geofencing, technology that creates virtual boundaries around real-world locations to enhance street visibility for optimal asset utilization.
• “Streamlined communication, resulting in fewer phone calls and manual updates.
• “Application Programming Interface (API) connectivity for full data integration.”

These tools, UP says, “help customers resolve issues faster, plan more effectively and reduce manual follow-ups, leading to an enhanced and reliable shipping experience.”

“This is another meaningful step as we deliver the best customer experience possible,” said Kenny Rocker, Executive Vice President-Marketing and Sales, Union Pacific Railroad. “By combining GPS-enabled containers with real-time data and smarter visibility tools, we’re providing the transparency and reliability our customers depend on.”

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

Metro Transit (Courtesy of Metro Transit)

Metro Transit last month reported that its 55 new Siemens Mobility S200s are in the design phase, with the first deliveries arriving in 2027 from Siemens Mobility’s Sacramento, Calif., plant. The new vehicles—ordered in 2023 under a $390.4 million contract—will replace the current MetroLink fleet, also supplied by Siemens.

The 46-mile MetroLink light rail system includes 38 stations in Missouri and Illinois. Trains operate daily from before 5 a.m. to about 1 a.m. (Courtesy of Metro Transit)

“These cutting-edge LRVs will bring major upgrades in technology, safety, comfort, and rider experience, setting a new standard for transit in our region,” Metro Transit said. “From advanced operator systems to modern amenities, this fleet renewal is a milestone moment for Metro Transit and for the riders who rely on MetroLink every day.”

(Rendering Courtesy of Siemens Mobility)

Metro Transit in 2023 was awarded a $196.2 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to help fund the replacement of its 75 aging LRVs, which have been in operation since the 1990s.

Click here for more on the LRVs via a KTVI Fox 2 interview with Taulby Roach, President and CEO of Bi-State Development, which oversees Metro Transit, Gateway Arch Riverfront, St. Louis Downtown Airport, and St. Louis International Freightway.

Further Reading:

• St. Louis Metro Transit 3-D Parts Printing Saves Big Bucks
• St. Louis Metro Transit Debuts MetroLink Security Gates

PATH  (Courtesy of PANY/NJ)

PATH on Jan. 5 reported setting a new single-day post-pandemic ridership record: 246,594 passengers on Nov. 20. The previous record of 243,848 riders was set two months prior. Also, in November 2025 the rapid transit system carried approximately 5 million riders. That was up 3.1% from November 2024 and represented 76.2% of the pre-pandemic November 2019 level.

Average weekday ridership in November was 210,325 passengers, the fourth highest for any month since the pandemic, according to PATH. That was 6.5% higher than average weekday ridership in November 2024, it said. November 2025’s average Saturday ridership of 117,658 was up 9.6% from November 2019, and average Sunday ridership of 84,149 was up 9.2% from November 2019.

PATH carried 55.6 million riders in the first 11 months of 2025. That total surpassed the prior-year period by 6.1%.

PATH reached 75% of pre-pandemic ridership in October.

Further Reading:

• PATH: $2.6B Capital Plan for 2026-2035
• Garcia Tapped to Lead PANY/NJ

MBTA  MBTA provides subway, bus, Commuter Rail, ferry, and paratransit service to eastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island. (Courtesy of MBTA)

MBTA on Jan. 5 reported setting milestones in leadership, infrastructure upgrades, accessibility improvements, and technology and data enhancements in 2025. Among them:

• In October, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey named MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng as Interim Transportation Secretary.

• “After 19 years of steady improvements to the accessibility of its system, the MBTA has fulfilled a substantial amount of its obligations under the 2006 Joanne Daniels-Finegold, et al. v. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Settlement Agreement,” the transit agency said. As a result in December, court-appointed independent monitor Judge Patrick King concluded his oversight role.

• Wellesley Square Station opened in February as Wellesley’s first accessible Commuter Rail station.

• West Medford, Franklin, and Walpole stations reopened with accessible upgrades in March.  

• The new and fully accessible North Wilmington Station opened in June.

• Renovations and accessibility upgrades were completed at Winchester station, which reopened over the summer.

• Accessibility upgrades were completed in August at Natick Center Station through the use of freestanding mini-high platforms.

• Haverhill Station fully reopened in June for regular train service following the complete replacement the South Elm Street Bridge.  

• Design and/or construction activities continue to advance that include accessibility upgrades at more than 35 stations across both the MBTA’s subway and Commuter Rail network.

• MBTA work crews installed a temporary platform as part of the Foxboro Station Improvements project to allow the permanent upgraded platform construction to begin in advance of operating train service to and from the FIFA World Cup games. MBTA also began preparing to welcome fans from all over the world with an online World Cup Guide available at MBTA.com/WorldCup.

• MBTA’s Bridge and Structures team upgraded a number of bridges. Work included a $145 million project to complete the High Line Bridge, which carries the Lowell Line over an access road, High Line, and the railroad yard in Somerville between North Station and West Medford; substantially completing the replacement of the 100-year-old-plus South Elm Bridge that carries the Haverhill Line over South Elm Street between Bradford and Haverhill stations with a modern structure as part of the $22.5 million project; completing the replacement of the 100-year-old-plus East Street Bridge in Dedham with a modern, taller structure as part of the $23.3 million project; and completing final work toward the $40 million project to replace the Dorchester Avenue Bridge.

• MBTA installed 133 new digital screens in subway stations and busways. 

• MBTA overhauled its service quality reporting pipeline across bus and rail transit, which it said “empowered internal teams to identify opportunities for improvements, drove public reporting dashboards, and gave external developers and partners more reliable open data about historical service performance.”

• “Open real-time data was improved this year to best inform riders about more types of service changes and disruptions more quickly,” MBTA reported. The transit agency now identifies and publishes Green and Mattapan line trains not able to accept riders, and publishes Commuter Rail cancellations across all apps, including MBTA Go. MBTA also invested in internal tools that allow updates to MBTA.com and other trip planners more quickly during planned service changes.

Outbound MBTA New Bedford Line train #2021 (left), and Fall River shuttle train #1971 (right, providing a timed connection to #2021), at East Taunton station. Wikimedia Commons/4300streetcar

• South Coast Rail (SCR) service began March 24. The more than $1 billion project brought passenger service to the communities of Taunton, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleboro, and Fall River for the first time in 65 years on the Fall River/New Bedford Commuter Rail Line. Free weekend SCR service and parking were also provided through March and April.

• Beginning with fall service changes, all subway lines and eight frequent bus routes offer extended service on Fridays and Saturdays with five of the MBTA’s most frequent bus routes with the highest number of later riders offering extended service every day of the week. Trip end times for these lines and routes are about one hour later compared with past service end times. To encourage riders to take advantage of the extended service, all subway lines, bus routes, ferries, Commuter Rail lines, and the RIDE trips were free on Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 9 p.m. through the end of service during five weekends in September and October.  

• MBTA increased scheduled weekday trips across all subway lines. For the Orange Line, there was an 18% increase in the number of scheduled weekday trips from 360 last winter (2024-2025) to this winter (2025-2026), which reduced the time between AM and PM peak trains from 5.9 minutes to 4.8 minutes. For the Red Line, there was a 10% increase in the number of scheduled weekday trips from 406 last winter (2024-2025) to 448 this winter (2025-2026). For the Blue Line, there was a 5% increase in the number of scheduled weekday trips from 400 last winter (2024-2025) to 418 this winter (2025-2026).

• In March, Red Line Braintree Branch speeds were restored to 50 mph for the first time in 20 years, following work by MBTA’s Maintenance of Way Department.  

• In August, Orange Line trains began traveling at its maximum speed of 55 mph (up from 40 mph) between Oak Grove and Assembly Station for the first time ever, following the restoration of track in this area.  

• MBTA improved Orange Line train bunching at each end of the line with schedule changes throughout the year and new drop-back procedure changes (Monday through Friday during AM and PM peak periods) starting in December.

• MBTA’s Office of Quality, Compliance & Oversight closed eight Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) covering content across nine Findings as well as one of the eight Special Directives from the Federal Transit Authority’s (FTA) Safety Management Inspection (SMI). This brings MBTA’s SMI completion percentage to 74% of the Findings closed overall (up 27% from 2024). According to MBTA, notable closures include: The special directive on Lapsed Certifications, in which MBTA “completely overhauled its approach to and monitoring of key professional certification milestones and ensuring employees are properly trained to perform their jobs”; MBTA’s Safety Management System implementation, “including significant work to better collect, validate, and use safety data, and a program to better track and mitigate safety risk collaboratively across the organization”; and the Workforce Recruitment and Hiring Plan, “which built on the workforce assessment, formalized the MBTA’s commitment to the workforce, and ensured the MBTA has the right people and skills in place to set up the workforce for success.”

• In June, MBTA awarded the Green Line Train Protection System (GLTPS) contract to Piper Networks following its successful completion of demonstration phase testing. Since that time and throughout the rest of the year, MBTA said that crews installed GLTPS equipment along Green Line tracks and onboard vehicles, with Phase 1 of the project on track to be operational in summer 2026.  

• In October, MBTA announced that it would bring vehicle overhaul work in-house, which would “save tens of millions of dollars, increase the internal workforce, and improve quality and oversight.” For years, MBTA outsourced bus and train overhauls to contractors out of state. MBTA said it is currently preparing facilities and its workforce to tackle major vehicle work on premise and to stimulate the local economy. In winter 2025-2026, MBTA said it is anticipating the full production of its first in-house bus overhaul, which will include 175 vehicles at their mid-life point. A bus overhaul program of this size executed in-house is anticipated to save $73 million, according to MBTA.

• In December, MBTA received its 152nd new Orange Line car, the final car of the new and expanded Orange Line fleet. The transit agency said it also conditionally accepted 28 new Red Line cars, bringing the total to 52 (of 252). An additional six Red Line cars are scheduled to be put into passenger service following conditional acceptance, MBTA said. 

(Courtesy of MBTA)

• Pilot vehicle carshells for the new Type 10 Green Line fleet were on track to be completed by the end of 2025 in Elmira, N.Y., with Pilot 1 in final assembly and on track to be completed December 2025. MBTA said the pilot cars are expected to be delivered next year with the full Type 10 fleet delivery expected in 2031.

• The last of 83 Hyundai Rotem bi-level coaches for Commuter Rail service were conditionally accepted and entered passenger service in February. Production is currently under way for an additional 80 Hyundai Rotem bi-levels, the first of which are anticipated for delivery in fall 2026.  

• In September, fare engagement representatives began issuing formal warnings and citations to riders who have not tapped at a fare gate or farebox at downtown stations and onboard vehicles. Beginning this winter, these representatives will expand to cover more stations, focusing on those with high ridership and transfer points, according to MBTA.

• Commuter Rail fare gates at South Station went into operation at the end of December. “The gates improve fare collection, replace platform ticket checks, and create a more consistent fare-paying experience for passengers across transit modes,” MBTA said.

• In May, MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services launched an alternative fuel pilot utilizing renewable diesel for some locomotives. “The pilot includes all locomotives that lay over at the Newburyport Commuter Rail facility, which are now being fueled with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO),” MBTA said. “HVO is a more sustainable alternative as it’s made from vegetable oil and animal fats and emits less carbon than fossil diesel.”

• Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is supporting projects in planning and construction that include more than 14,900 housing units in 240-plus projects across the MBTA system. The 700-foot Hines tower over the South Station Commuter Rail terminal was completed in September, providing a new covered concourse for the Commuter Rail/Amtrak terminal. Above the terminal, the new Bus Terminal Expansion project reached substantial completion in October. The new bus concourse adds 12 new intercity bus berths to the existing terminal. South Station fare gates were installed and operational in December. Back Bay Station concourse improvements kicked off in 2025 and will continue until 2027, MBTA reported. The $37 million in improvements are funded through a lease agreement with a private development partner, Boston Properties.

• MBTA developed a new full-day accessibility training for Operations Control Center dispatchers; delivered multiple large-scale training courses outside of the traditional training scope, including for Advance Mobile Flagging (AMF), Bus Network Redesign (BNR), External Dispatchers, and the Operations Testing and Inspection Program (OTIP); created and delivered a Hi-Rail Training course for contractors to support diversion work; implemented a Power Line Repairer training and Apprenticeship program, in collaboration with Local 104; and created and delivered a new three-day Switching class to Engineering & Maintenance employees. 

“I’m proud of the MBTA workforce for their efforts that have enabled the MBTA to continue to deliver improved and more reliable service across all modes, giving our riders more frequent service and time back in their day with shorter travel times,” Phillip Eng said. “I want the public to know that we will continue to carry that same focus, discipline, and urgency into 2026. Under the leadership of Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, and their Administration, we are following through on our commitment to provide a safe mass transportation system that the public and businesses can rely on. With the support of the Legislature, partners across all levels of government, public transit advocates, community leaders, and most of all, the riding public, we are committed to continuous improvement, delivering meaningful projects and service in the most cost effective and efficient manner. I’m honored to work side by side with our dedicated workforce of over 8,000 employees and our industry partners as we head into 2026 and beyond.”

Further Reading:

• MBTA Shortlists Three Commuter Rail Operator Teams
• MBTA: $850MM to Enhance Safety, Reliability

The post Transit Briefs: Metro Transit, PATH, MBTA appeared first on Railway Age.

Marmon Rail on Jan. 5 introduced Transco Rail Services, a unified repair identiy within the company’s family that brings together UTLX Field Services, Procor Field Services, and Transco Fixed Repair Shops under one name. Effective Jan. 1, the company began using Transco Rail Services on all communications and customers can expect to see the new logo for the organization phased in on employee uniforms and facilities.

The result, Transco says, gives railcar owners and shippers a single, clearly branded partner for shop repairs, on-site repair programs, mobile railcar repair, and mobile tank car cleaning—delivered with the same safety, compliance, and quality standards customers already rely on.

“Customers have asked for a simpler way to engage our network,” said Bob Nelson, Group President, Transco Rail Services. “Transco Rail Services answers that with one identity, one standard, and clear accountability—so it’s easier to schedule work, reduces handoffs, and keep fleets in service.”

The new identify, Transco says, “reinforces an integrated approach already in place across North America: customers can configure the right mix of on-site support and fixed-shop capacity to fit their unique fleet needs—now under a single name that makes doing business easier.”

“As we launch this new name, what doesn’t change are the people and practices behind it,” said Craig Rioux, President, Transco Shop Services “Our safety programs and disciplined quality procedures remain the foundation of every job we do—no exceptions.”

UTLX and Procor remain Marmon Rail’s brands of record for manufacturing, full-service leasing, and leased fleet repair. Transco Rail Services will continue to deliver on-site and mobile repair services for the UTLX PROX fleet, “streamlining engagement while maintaining the same rigorous standards for safety, compliance, and performance.”

“This is about clarity, not disruption,” said Jay McGill, President, On-Site and Mobile Services. “Transco Rail establishes a single, accountable repair identity for our on-site and mobile operations. We will continue to provide repair services for UTLX and Procor fleets while also supporting the broader railcar owner community—delivered with even greater simplicity.”

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Dallas, Tex.-based Trinity Industries, Inc. (Trinity) on Jan. 6 reported completing a “strategic restructuring” of its railcar investment partnerships with Napier Park, which is described as “an alternative credit platform.” As a result of these transactions delivering an anticipated 2025 EPS impact of $1.50, Trinity said it is raising its full-year EPS guidance to a range of $3.05 to $3.20.

According to Trinity, before the restructuring was completed on Dec. 30, 2025, it held a 43% stake in TRIP Rail Holdings LLC, which owned more than 17,000 railcars through its subsidiaries Tribute Rail LLC (Tribute) and Triumph Rail LLC (Triumph). Trinity also owned 31% of RIV 2013 Rail Holdings LLC (RIV 2013), which owns more than 6,200 railcars via its subsidiary TRP 2021 LLC (TRP 2021).

“Through this transaction, Napier Park acquired 99.8% ownership of Triumph’s immediate parent company, Triumph Rail Holdings LLC (Triumph Holdings), and Trinity acquired sole ownership of RIV 2013 and TRP 2021,” reported Trinity, which provides railcar leasing and management services, railcar manufacturing, railcar maintenance and modifications, and other railcar logistics products and services. “TRP 2021 and Triumph hold similarly diversified railcar fleets with attractive, below-market interest rates on their debt with anticipated repayment dates in 2027.”

(Courtesy of Trinity)

Trinity said that it now wholly owns RIV 2013 and 0.2% of Triumph Holdings, while Napier Park owns 99.8% of Triumph Holdings. Tribute, it noted, remains a subsidiary of TRIP Holdings under the current joint venture ownership structure, with Napier Park owning 57% and Trinity owning 43% of TRIP Holdings.

In the fourth quarter, Trinity said it “preliminarily expects to recognize a non-cash pre-tax gain of approximately $190 million from the sale of its equity stake in Triumph Holdings, which highlights the intrinsic market value of Trinity’s lease fleet above book value and the long-term appreciation of rail assets.”

“This transaction demonstrates the strength of our investor partnerships and that railcars are ideal investable assets for private capita,” Trinity Chief Financial Office Eric Marchetto said. “Napier Park began investing with Trinity in 2013 and is our longest-standing RIV partner. During this time, it has contributed $850 million in equity and have grown its invested fleet to 33,000 railcars. We look forward to expanding our partnership with Napier Park and leveraging new opportunities for long-term growth.”

“I want to congratulate the team on this successful restructuring,” Trinity President and CEO Jean Savage commented. “This partnership proves the value creation that comes from railcar management and the strength of the Trinity platform.”

Further Reading

• Trinity Refinances Outstanding Debt, Renames Subsidiaries
• Trinity’s Savage: 3Q25 Results Highlight ‘Agility and Strength’
• Trinity’s Savage: 2Q25 Results Highlight ‘Robust Performance’
• For Trinity, 1Q25 Reflects ‘Strength, Resiliency’
• Modal Conversion, One Load at a Time
• For Trinity, ‘2025 Performance Will Demonstrate the Strength of Our Platform,’ Savage Says

The post Trinity Completes Railcar Partnership Restructuring, Raises EPS Guidance appeared first on Railway Age.

Igoe, whose appointment follows last week’s announcement that Ray Goss will retire as President, will assume responsibility for transportation, mechanical, engineering, and day-to-day network performance across R.J. Corman’s short lines. He previously served as Executive Vice President of Operations at BNSF Railway, a position he has held since January 2021.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Matt to our executive team. His proven track record in the railroad industry is unparalleled, and we are confident that his vision and expertise will accelerate our growth and enhance our service offerings across the board. This is a game-changing moment for our company and for our customers,” said R.J. Corman Railroad Group President and CEO Justin Broyles.

Before joining BNSF in 1998 as a management trainee, Igoe served as an officer in the U.S. Army. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Canisius College and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. 

Igoe’s career, “marked by rapid progression through key operational and strategic roles at BNSF, combined with his military leadership experience, uniquely positions him to drive excellence in safety, operational performance, and employee engagement across our organizations,” R.J. Corman said.

“I’m excited to join R. J. Corman and lead a team that is passionate about safety, service, and innovation. My focus will be on delivering operational excellence, supporting our employees, and partnering with customers to create value. This is an incredible opportunity to build on R. J. Corman’s excellent reputation as a valued partner and help shape the future of short line railroading,” said Igoe.

The post Igoe Appointed R.J. Corman President and COO appeared first on Railway Age.

Federal and state rail safety inspectors have several enforcement tools at their disposal. Civil penalties, which are reserved for “severe instances of noncompliance warranting the deterrent effect of monetary penalties,” are assessed based on specific guidelines outlined in the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Code of Federal Regulations.

The FRA, which is authorized to settle such claims based on a wide variety of mitigating factors, encouraging railroads to provide responsive information, says its process “enables the efficient exchange of information about safety improvements and the collection of claims without requiring protracted litigation.”

In a Jan. 6 press release, the FRA announced that its brand-new “streamlined” settlement negotiation process collected a record $15.4 million in civil penalties issued to Class I railroads.

The streamlined process, FRA says, “centers on meaningful discussions in the most significant cases while continuing to collect critical data to improve railroad safety.” Under this framework, Class I railroads—Amtrak, BNSF, CN, CPKC, CSX, NS, and UP—may receive a civil penalty when inspectors identify issues such as defective wheels, with potential reductions when repairs are made and discussed with mechanical craft employees to prevent recurrence. Overall, the process, FRA adds, “reinforces safety as the top priority by driving timely corrections, improved practices, and stronger risk mitigation.”

“Our new civil penalty process is already delivering results—forcing Class I railroads to step up, improve safety, and address immediately noncompliance. I am grateful to our dedicated safety inspectors who are right there with the railroad workforce in the field,” said FRA Administrator David Fink.

“FRA’s settlement conferences provide valuable opportunities for regulators and railroads to work together and resolve key safety concerns. These discussions are focused on achieving real safety improvements that support railroad employees and help protect the traveling American public,” the Administration stated in the release.

The post FRA Unveils New Settlement Negotiation Process appeared first on Railway Age.

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.