BNSF
“BNSF operating teams are focused on maintaining positive performance momentum across the network,” the Class I wrote in an online customer notification, dated Jan. 16 (see chart, top). “Average car velocity is steady week-over-week and is more than 2% higher than the average for December. Terminal dwell improved by 7% compared to the prior week, and approximately 4% from the previous month. Our local service compliance measure, which reflects our timeliness in handling carload freight, exceeds 91% and has also improved week-over-week and versus the prior month.” (This follows the railroad’s recent report that 2025 marked the safest year in its history.)
BNSF also told customers that the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern (UP-NS) merger “continues to face growing scrutiny and opposition from a wide range of stakeholders across the freight transportation industry, including ports, labor groups and elected officials at all levels of government.” It provided a website address for them “to read about BNSF’s position on the merger and preserving rail competition, and how and where to lend your voice to the issue.”
According to a Dec. 31 Railway Age report, BNSF, CN, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CSX, and the National Grain and Feed Association told the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in separate filings that the UP-NS merger application was incomplete. On Jan. 16, the Board rejected, “without prejudice,” the application as incomplete “because it does not contain certain information required by the Board’s regulations,” according to Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. The joint UP-NS merger website on Jan. 16, he reported, had a brief statement saying the application would be refiled with the STB, but as of Jan. 19, there was no information (press release, brief statement, etc.) on either website about the rejection or what could happen next and when. According to Vantuono, UP is required to submit a letter of refiling intent to the STB by no later than Feb. 17.
NS
“At Norfolk Southern we’re transforming how we view the lifecycles of our assets,” NS Chief Sustainability Officer Josh Raglin said in a recent LinkedIn post. “Led by our Asset Disposition team, we’re turning unused materials and machines, like a backhoe in Williamson, W.Va. [pictured above], into fresh revenue streams.”
The railroad is reporting a record $78.6 million in scrap metal revenue in 2025—$18 million more than in 2024. The company also said it diverted 88% of operational waste from landfills in 2024, another record. (2025 waste diversion figures, it noted, will come in later this year.)
Previously, because field teams relied on manual processes, word-of-mouth, and inconsistent data entry, valuable materials sat idle or were scrapped without capturing value, according to NS. Now, it said, “by leveraging technology, collaboration and an increased sustainability mindset, NS is maximizing recovery, reducing waste, and improving operational efficiency.”
NS recently launched The Thoroughbred Trading Post, which is described as a mobile app “to streamline asset disposition.” Employees now photograph assets, upload details, and initiate disposition requests instantly, eliminating multiple steps, emails, and office visits, according to the railroad. “This automation ensures faster response times and consistent data, making the process more accessible and efficient. Through one click, NS sells larger assets to auction houses, which will increase revenue.”
“Think of it like an online marketplace,” NS Agile Business Solutions Senior Manager Jonathan Anthony said. “You don’t have to jump through all the hoops you had to before.”
The railroad pointed out that selling railcars outright, for example, instead of scrapping them, often achieves two to three times higher returns. Also, through more Engineering, Mechanical, Transportation, Safety, Environmental, and Sustainability team partnerships, “assets are reused, resold, or recycled more than ever,” and “better workflows and tracking have allowed NS to support heritage projects by donating retired assets for museums and educational initiatives.”
Separately, NS surpassed its locomotive “Fly Rate” goal and its charitable giving in 2025.
Further Reading:
- Video: Norfolk Southern’s John Orr, Railway Age 2026 Railroader of the Year
- 13 Companies Earn NS Thoroughbred Sustainability Partner Awards
CN
“1,000+ days injury-free doesn’t happen by luck. It happens by design!” CN reported recently via social media. “Behind that incredible milestone, CN’s Material Planning team leads with a simple but powerful formula: when a good idea works, it doesn’t stay local—it becomes a shared standard across the system, so everyone benefits. Add in speaking up about hazards, following best practices and looking out for one another, and you get a team that keeps each other safe every day. Here’s to the next 1,000 days and aiming even higher!”
Separately, CN recently sent a “Supply Chain Salute” to the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columba, which it serves exclusively and which handled 26.3 million tons of cargo in 2025, up 14% from 2024, and reported its December and November grain movements.
