RailState: Winter Storm Fern Impacts Network Across Three States

Ohio: ‘Steep Declines in Both Volume and Train Length’

On RailState’s Ohio network, the storm produced the sharpest adjustments.

In the baseline period (Nov. 26, 2025, through Jan. 23, 2026), RailState observed 35.2 trains per day across sensor locations on Norfolk Southern (NS). During the storm window (January 24–26), that fell to 27.3 trains per day—a 22.5% drop.

Train lengths on RailState’s Ohio network also fell sharply. The median train shrank from 6,473 feet to 5,580 feet—a 13.8% reduction, “the steepest length change across all three states RailState monitors.”

By direction on RailState’s Ohio sites:

• Eastbound median: 6,225 → 5,663 feet (–9.0%)
• Westbound median: 6,929 → 5,497 feet (–20.7%)

Westbound trains on RailState’s Ohio network became more than a fifth shorter during the storm.

Among major train types on RailState’s Ohio sites:

• Intermodal median: 7,098 → 5,619 feet (–20.8%)
• Manifest median: 6,637 → 5,327 feet (–19.7%)

On its Ohio network, “both volume and length declined significantly, with westbound and time-sensitive freight types showing the largest shifts,” according to RailState.

Pennsylvania: ‘Larger Volume Drop, Moderate Length Changes’

On RailState’s Pennsylvania network, “train volumes fell more sharply than in Ohio, but train lengths held closer to baseline.”

Baseline average on RailState’s Pennsylvania sites: 50.5 trains per day. Storm window average: 36.7 trains per day (–27.4%).

Median train length on RailState’s Pennsylvania network: 5,965 → 5,670 feet (–5.0%).

The directional split on RailState’s Pennsylvania sites shows different patterns:

• Eastbound median: 5,930 → 5,308 feet (–10.5%)
• Westbound median: 5,988 → 6,116 feet (+2.1%)

“Eastbound trains on RailState’s Pennsylvania network got noticeably shorter. Westbound trains on those same sites actually lengthened slightly,” according to the network visibility provider.

Among major train types on RailState’s Pennsylvania sites:

• Intermodal median: 6,040 → 5,414 feet (–10.4%)
• Manifest median: 6,136 → 5,670 feet (–7.6%)

On its Pennsylvania network, “volumes contracted more than in Ohio, but the trains that ran maintained most of their typical configurations,” according to RailState.

Indiana: ‘Minimal Length Changes Despite Volume Drop’

On RailState’s Indiana network—the busiest of the three states by train count—”train volumes declined but lengths barely shifted.” RailState’s network currently covers NS’s Chicago Line subdivision and CSX’s Garrett subdivision.

Baseline on RailState’s Indiana sites: 95.1 trains per day. Storm window: 74.3 trains per day (–21.9%).

Median train length on RailState’s Indiana network changed only 1.6% (from 6,327 to 6,228 feet), “a statistical rounding error compared to the changes observed in Ohio and Pennsylvania.”

Directional patterns on RailState’s Indiana sites differ from the other two states:

• Eastbound median: 6,212 → 5,912 feet (–4.8%)
• Westbound median: 6,513 → 6,991 feet (+7.3%)

Westbound trains on RailState’s Indiana network increased in size during the storm, more than 7% longer than baseline.

Train types on RailState’s Indiana sites:

• Intermodal median: 7,038 → 6,939 feet (–1.4%)
• Manifest median: 6,188 → 5,844 feet (–5.6%)
• Automotive median: 7,413 → 7,987 feet (+7.7%)

On its Indiana network, “train volumes fell roughly a fifth, but train configurations—especially westbound and automotive—remained close to or above typical sizes,” according to RailState.

Together, these findings, RailState says, show that Winter Storm Fern did not have a single, uniform “rail story,” even across neighboring states. “Each monitored network segment experienced its own pattern of volume and length changes, and those differences only emerge when every train is measured in real time.”