Opinion

Improving the general public’s perception of freight and passenger rail is going to require a complex balancing act: Not only does the public need to understand and appreciate the economic…

Despite a snow squall that snarled traffic and shut down Chicago’s airports for a couple of hours, the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) opened its 2026 Winter Meeting with…

AmeriStarRail (ASR), through Chief Operating Officer Scott R. Spencer, has proposed a new fleet for Amtrak’s long-distance trains, the latest of several proposals that ASR has made recently. Spencer has…

This is the first in a five-part series about railroad growth coming from truck conversions. Given Union Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern, their Dec. 19, 2025 Surface Transportation Board…

Eastern railroad volumes finished 2025 weaker than expected, and we have lowered 4Q25 estimates. We remain below consensus on Union Pacific, and lower 2026 EPS estimates below consensus for all…

PASSENGER RAIL OUTLOOK, RAILWAY AGE JANUARY 2026 ISSUE: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … in short, the period was ... like the present…

Republican Richard Kloster, whose nomination to an open seat on the Surface Transportation Board (STB) failed to exit the Senate Commerce Committee during the first session of the 119th Congress,…

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE JANUARY 2026 ISSUE: All industries have “drops.” In the world of the sneaker-head it is the release of the latest Air Jordan basketball shoe. For movies…

FROM THE EDITOR, RAILWAY AGE JANUARY 2026 ISSUE: Years ago, then-BNSF chief executive Matt Rose said that railroads will need to adapt to the “Amazon Economy,” to be successful in…

On Jan. 8, shortly following release of several customer letters and Surface Transportation Board filings from BNSF, CSX, CN and CPKC on the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger (which Railway…

Panelists at our recent Railroad Roundtable projected weak demand for 2026. Tightening truckload capacity is encouraging but not impacting rates enough yet to gain confidence in rail pricing cycle. The…

WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE JANUARY 2026 ISSUE: It’s called “unitary executive theory.” It asserts the Constitution’s Article II provides for one executive, the President, and others may not wield substantial…

He’s only 34 and has boundless energy to prove it. He was a member of the State Assembly from Queens who came out of nowhere to become New York City’s…

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) announced Jan. 7 a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM)—Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Competition: Review of Part 1144, Docket Ex Parte No. 788—which, if finalized…

Dear Customers: As I shared, Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) filed their merger application with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, as we headed into…

Part 3 in a Series: Lead Yourself First, RAILWAY AGE JANUARY 2026 ISSUE: In Part 1 of this series, I shared how rail leaders who are positive deviants in the…

We hosted a former Class I CEO to review the recent Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application. He sees a very strong filing with acceptance likely though not until 2027. The…

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s growth-oriented merger argument remains sound, but the bid-ask spread on competitive concessions remains unknown until the rails respond. Downstream, we view today’s filing as constructive…

When Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Americans were promised modernization of the country’s transportation network. Roads, bridges, ports, and supply chains were all supposed to emerge faster, stronger, and more competitive. …

’Twas one week before Christmas, and all through the land, rail stakeholders were stirring, as Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern dealt their merger hand.