Opinion

As I pack for a trip to New Orleans, La., to cover the inaugural run of Amtrak Mardi Gras service between New Orleans and Mobile, I am thinking about state-supported…

Cutting to the chase on the 2027 STB merger decision: On July 30, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern submitted to the Surface Transportation Board their prefiling notification, which is basically…

Reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from our locomotive operations remains a key CPKC sustainability goal and an important issue facing the railway industry. CPKC has made potentially industry-changing progress toward…

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE AUGUST 2025 ISSUE: Statistics indicate that married couples are better savers and do better financially than single people. It’s not over most married couples’ natural propensity…

ASLRRA PERSPECTIVE, RAILWAY AGE AGE AUGUST 2025 ISSUE: Every new Administration begins its tenure with a wave of activity. This time around, POTUS 47’s “unique” style combined with a change…

Transportation is among the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. In 2023, the federal government announced an ambitious plan to eliminate nearly all greenhouse gas emissions from…

Don’t make me take you to the watershed: During Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s July 29 presentation announcing the proposed combination, the piece we found most interesting (beyond the audacity…

According to recently published statements made by Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena, we need a transcontinental rail merger to dramatically improve rail service by eliminating what Vena claims are the…

An internship with Union Pacific Railroad wasn’t something I initially saw coming – but looking back, the path that led me here feels meant to be.

“They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob.” Thus began the song that became the anthem of the Great Depression. It was…

The Union Pacific+Norfolk Southern merger terms were largely as expected. NS can walk away from UP for an unsolicited better offer ($11/share break fee), but a BNSF-CSX combination is more…

If you think federal regulatory agencies—even federally owned Amtrak—have strayed from what former Southern Railway and Conrail CEO L. Stanley Crane termed, “stick to your knitting,” you’re not ridin’ the…

Union Pacific’s (UP) much-anticipated bid for Norfolk Southern (NS) was announced July 29. Both now embark on a lengthy review process, but we see the potential approval pathway justified due…

Since a Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger is now in process, I wanted to share data giving a sense of the absolute monster of a railroad UP+NS would represent. To do…

Following weeks of “perhapses,” “maybes,” and a “conceivably” or two—self-serving bait for valuable feedback—railroads Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) have officially announced merger plans. BNSF and CSX have…

For Kimberly Dunn, the railroad has been a part of her family’s lives for almost a century. From working in a car shop to serving as union leaders, her parents…

Unconfirmed reports over the weekend noted a Class I merger is close. These reports were preceded by actions by the STB that show the agency is preparing to handle a…

Question: Where’s the belief in growth? Our State of the Rails chart (bottom) is starting to look good, and we show a truncated version. We now have half the industry,…

On a recent visit to the Texas Capitol in my role as the CEO of Fort Worth’s Trinity Metro, I was stopped by a state senator before I could begin my pitch for commuter rail. “I’m…

Five years after World War II ended, it became apparent to the railroads that steam locomotives were not the motive power of the choice. While a half dozen locomotive builders…