Railway Age’s December 2025 issue is now available digitally, spotlighting the Freight Rail Outlook for 2026. Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono and Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl address the topic that will preoccupy the industry for most if not all of the year: the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern U.S. transcontinental merger.
Inside the December 2025 issue, you’ll also find features covering:
- Passenger Rail: Newly electrified, Caltrain is operating 104 trains per day with one million monthly riders. Contributing Editor Joanna Marsh covers the “Success Story.”
- Maintenance-of-Way Technology: Users rely on tough yet resistant surfaces to perform under heavy rail and road traffic at highway/rail grade crossings. In “Smooth Surfaces,” Senior Editor Carolina Worrell shares the latest supplier offerings.
- TTC Operated by ENSCO: ENSCO Inc. Head of Brand Strategy & Engagement Acacia Reber details the recent Transportation Technology Center Conference & Tour, which provided an in-depth look at research and testing.
And don’t miss commentary by:
- Capitol Hill Contributing Editor Frank N. Wilner. Is a UP-NS “fix” in? “Don’t bet on it,” he reports. Studied will be years of traffic flows, interchange commitments, impacts on joint facilities, track capacity, competitive access, and measurements of shippers’ transportation alternatives.
- Financial Editor David Nahass, who brings the holiday cheer in his Financial Edge column, “We Need a Little Rate Cut Now.” He writes: “Generally, the industrial economy is bearing the brunt of a kind of weakness that has led to a great amount of uncertainty about 2026 and its prospects. Strip the rail economy of the low volume cha-cha-cha being played 24/7 as the industry waits for Union Pacific to file its STB application for the acquisition of Norfolk Southern, and there’s not much to be dancing about.”
- American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association President Chuck Baker, who reports that partnerships will be critical to short line success in 2026 and paying close attention to metrics will help move the “volume needle.”
