Surface Transportation Board

News Item: The President issued an Executive Order Feb. 18 asserting direct control of independent (from the Executive Branch) federal agencies, including the National Mediation Board (NMB, which administers the…

Union Pacific (UP) on Feb. 10 provided an update on its work with Metra to “finalize the safe and seamless transfer of commuter rail services on three lines in the…

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Jan. 14 approved, with conditions, CN’s acquisition of Class III Iowa Northern Railway Company (IANR), as well as related notices of exemption for trackage…

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Jan. 28 issued a notice to solicit nominations for candidates to fill a vacancy on its Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC). The vacancy is…

Republican Patrick J. Fuchs, 36, was designated by the President Jan. 20 as chairperson of the five-member Surface Transportation Board (STB). He succeeds Democrat Robert E. Primus, 55, who was…

Surface Transportation Board Chairperson Robert E. Primus has rung a tocsin, alleging a toxin is skulking about in the rough-and-tumble environment of railroad-shipper relations despite the lawfulness of capitalist acts…

As a small boy, one of my favorite stories was my Uncle Curt’s tale about a hostler buddy of his who had ended his railroad career by putting most of…

California has withdrawn its pending waiver and authorization requests that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not yet acted on. In a win for railroads, this includes the In-Use…

The President-elect has created a non-government Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Their goal is to make a comprehensive review of the government and…

The Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) selects an operator/maintainer for Rockland Branch Railroad. Also, a new Pinsly-owned short line enters into an agreement with Columbia County, Fla., to serve the…

Carload Express, Inc. (Carload) has sought Surface Transportation Board (STB) approval to acquire Maryland & Delaware Railroad Company (MDDE) through the purchase of outstanding equity shares from parent company Old…

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on Dec. 24 ruled that Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) was above and CN was below their respective maximum grain revenue entitlements for the crop…

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Dec. 20 extended the Class I’s employment-data reporting through Dec. 31, 2025, but is reducing the collection scope. On April 26-27, 2022, the STB held a…

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has adopted for first-quarter 2025 the rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF), which is defined as “an index formulated to represent changes in railroad costs incurred…

The U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 10 heard oral arguments in a case centering on the halted Uinta Basin Railway project in northeastern Utah and challenging the scope of the National…

Presumed-outgoing STB Chairman Robert Primus (yes, the President-elect is expected to replace him) recently wrote to Association of American Railroads President and CEO Ian Jefferies taking issue with what he…

Class III rail carrier Midcoast Railservice, Inc. (Midcoast), a subsidiary of New York-based Finger Lakes Railway Corp., on Aug. 16 filed with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) a petition under…

At the latest “Railroad Happy Hour” event at TD Cowen, leaders in the railroad market pointed to noteworthy signs of optimism looking into next year as industrial projects take stronger footing.…

Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures on Nov. 5-6 returned to Chicago for our second-annual in-person Women in Rail Conference featuring trailblazing women and their allies, who are influencing today’s freight, passenger and transit…

CSX has rolled out its latest heritage locomotive before pausing their production, according to President and CEO Joe Hinrichs, Railway Age’s 2025 Railroader of the Year. Hinrichs revealed via LinkedIn…