Littlejohn & Company Partner Farrukh Bezar is a featured speaker at the2026 edition of Railway Age’s Next-Gen Freight Rail (NGFR) conference, March 10 at the Union League Club of Chicago. Bezar and Railway Age Editor-In-Chief William C. Vantuono will discuss growth and business development, market conditions and the regulatory environment, truck-to-rail conversion, rail-to-rail competition, and how the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk merger to create the first east-west transcontinental Class I railroad in the U.S. could impact the North American rail industry, among other topics of interest.
Farrukh Bezar has more than 30 years of consulting, investment and industry experience in the transportation, logistics, financial services and supply chain industries. His areas of expertise include strategic planning and growth strategy, operations improvement, sales effectiveness and mergers and acquisitions support. A Partner at Littlejohn & Company, an integrated private equity and special situations investor focused on industrial and services companies in North America, Bezar is a strategic advisor, board member and investor across the transportation and logistics sector. Bezar spent five years at CSX as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer and Senior Vice President, Marketing. Launching his career as a Senior Analyst, Intermodal Marketing & Sales at the Santa Fe Railway, he has also held senior-level positions at The Clarendon Group, Oliver Wyman, A.T. Kearney and Booz Allen & Hamilton. He also was a Founding Partner of Miami-based Lynwood Capital Partners.
The conference also brings together many stakeholders involved with the proposed UP-NS merger. The “fireside chat” format will feature five of the six North American Class I railroads (all except CSX, which recently chose not to participate after initially accepting), plus the Surface Transportation Board, which is undertaking one of its most consequential tasks in its history—deciding on a major merger transaction under rules that will be applied for the first time. However, the STB will not discuss the merger, and instead focus on the agency’s outlook—process and environmental streamlining, preemption and modernization.
“The proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern is the biggest topic in the rail industry today,” notes Railway Age Editor-Chief William C. Vantuono. “The leaders at the heart of this merger—Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena and Norfolk Southern President and CEO Mark George—open the conference, and we’re looking forward to engaging with them in an open forum. We’re also keen to discuss viewpoints with the other Class I railroads who chose to participate.”
In addition to Farrukh Bezar, Jim Vena and Mark George, the NGFR speaker lineup includes Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and COO John Orr, Railway Age’s 2026 Railroader of the Year; Patrick Fuchs, Chair, and Michelle Schulz, Vice Chair, Surface Transportation Board; Canadian Pacific Kansas City President and CEO Keith Creel; CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson, BNSF Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Tom G. Williams; and RailPulse LLC General Manager David Shannon. In addition to Vantuono, Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak, Senior Editor Carolina Worrell, Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl (TD Cowen) and Financial Editor David Nahas (Railroad Financial Corporation) will host the sessions. The luncheon will honor Railway Age’s 2026 25 Under 40 “Fast Trackers.”
Railway Age’s Next-Generation Freight Rail conference takes place March 10, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at the Union League Club of Chicago. A unique opportunity to discuss the freight rail industry’s future, the conference brings together top executives and thought leaders to discuss topics ranging from business strategy to the latest technological innovations and increasing safety and reliability. The conference also features a luncheon honoring the 2026 recipients of Railway Age‘s Fast Trackers 25 Under 40 award.
