CN
February 2026 was the best February on record for grain movement at CN, the Class I reported March 5. Shipping more than 2.67 million metric tons (MMT) of grain from Western Canada, CN said it “continued to demonstrate its ability to meet heightened seasonal demand during peak grain shipping periods.”
As grain volumes typically accelerate through the winter months following harvest, CN said is “position[ing] resources and work[ing] with its grain customers and supply chain partners to support farmers in efficiently getting Canadian grain to domestic and global markets.”
The railroad recently reported that January 2026 was its “second-best” January on record for grain movement. It shipped more than 2.72 MMT of grain from Western Canada, down slightly from the 2.85 MMT “all-time record” set in January 2020.
CN said it continues to execute its winter operations plan.
Separately, CPKC on March 3 reported moving 2.232 MMT of Canadian grain and grain products in February, beating its previous February tonnage record set in 2021. Last month’s 23,088 carloads also set a new February monthly record, surpassing the previous high also set in February 2021, it noted.
Meanwhile, following the November 2024 release of its first Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan (IRAP) 2025-2027, CN on March 4 shared an update on the progress it has achieved and the priorities ahead around five pillars:
- Cultural Awareness and Employee Engagement.
- People and Employment.
- Economic Reconciliation.
- Community Engagement and Relationships.
- Environmental Stewardship, Safety and Sustainability.
“At CN, we respectfully acknowledge that our railway was built and continues to be operated on many traditional territories and treaty areas of Indigenous Peoples,” the railroad noted on the “Strengthening Our Ties With Indigenous Communities” section of its website. “CN’s network spans nearly 20,000 miles across Turtle Island (North America). We operate within or adjacent to more than 220 reserve lands of nearly 130 First Nations and Métis communities in Canada and seven tribal reservations in the United States. We are grateful for the privilege of working and residing on these lands. We recognize and honor the original people who continue to serve as the traditional stewards of the land.”
CN in its new 2025 IRAP Annual Report (see, top) confirms the delivery of 20 of the 24 actions scheduled for completion. Among them: completing the curriculum for new national cultural awareness training; developing land acknowledgements for all CN locations and making them accessible to employees; finalizing a multi-year, companywide indigenous employment strategy; and communicating Indigenous procurement goals and expectations to Tier 1 suppliers. According to CN, two actions were rescheduled for 2026 and two targets were “recalibrated based on lessons learned and economic conditions.” The railroad also reported completing ahead of schedule two actions originally planned for 2026 and 2027.
“Our progress reflects our commitment to listen, learn, and act with transparency and humility,” CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson said. “Several milestones marked this year’s success, demonstrating that reconciliation is not a destination but a journey that requires engagement and accountability. While we are proud of the progress we have made, we remain determined to continue to challenge ourselves and remain focused on building stronger relationships with Indigenous communities.”
Beyond the formal IRAP commitments, CN said that it continued to build relationships and deepen engagement by:
- Holding more than 500 meetings and consultations with Indigenous partners, including eight formal consultation processes.
- Participating in more than 240 Indigenous community events.
- Delivering of more than 15 in-person rail safety and emergency response training sessions.
- Supporting more than 170 Indigenous communities and organizations through different sponsorships and donations.
Separately, CN has launched two commemorative locomotives—moving tributes marking the 250th anniversary of the United States signing of the Declaration of Independence. Both units are expected to operate across the railroad’s U.S. network throughout 2026, “offering employees, customers and rail enthusiasts an opportunity to participate in the celebration.”
CSX
The Class I, which connects with more than 240 small roads, highlighted “operational excellence, commercial strategy and collaboration” at the event. CSX President and CEO Steve Angel opened the conference with a keynote address, followed by a leadership panel focused on service improvement and operational innovation. Additional sessions covered market outlook, legal and government affairs updates, industrial development, and a short line success story, culminating in the annual CSX Short Line Awards.
“The awards celebrate short line partners who demonstrate strong operational performance, a shared focus on safety and service, and a commitment to supporting customer growth across the CSX network,” CSX reported March 4. “Winners were selected based on net carload growth, percentage carload growth, and switch road growth.”
The following short lines were recognized:
- Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road (a Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary)
- Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (a Watco subsidiary)
- Effingham Railroad (a Regional Rail LLC subsidiary)
- Falls Road Railroad (a Genesee Valley Transportation Co. subsidiary)
- MG Rail (a Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. subsidiary)
- Newburgh & South Shore Railroad (an OmniTRAX affiliate)
- Savannah & Old Fort Railroad (a Watco subsidiary)
- Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway (a Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary)
- West Virginia Central Railroad (owned and overseen by the West Virginia Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities Rail Section)
“This year’s award recipients exemplify what it means to be a strong CSX partner,” noted Ryan Higgins, Vice President of Sales and Marketing-Industrial Products at CSX. “Their dedication to safety, service, and collaboration helps drive shared success for our customers and communities.”
Watch a video showcasing all the award presentation photographs below:
In other CSX news, the railroad recently reported cutting cargo theft by more than 80% in Memphis and modernizing its data platform with Infosys and Microsoft.
Separately, Railway Age late last month named it 2026 Short Line and Regional Railroads of the Year.
UP
Evergreen Shipping Agency has named UP as its 2025 Rail Vendor of the Year, the Class I reported March 4 via social media. “We are proud to deliver award-winning, reliable intermodal service our customers can count on,” UP noted.
Evergreen Shipping Agency (America) Corp. is the North America general agent for ocean carrier Evergreen Line, providing customer service, sales, marketing, logistics and administrative support.
Separately, UP and Heartland Co-op recently celebrated the first train loading at the new Millerton, Iowa, facility. Also, UP announced last month that it signed a $1.2 billion agreement with Wabtec to modernize UP AC4400 locomotives and that its Big Boy No. 4014 will make 27 whistle-stops during the western leg of its coast-to-coast tour.
