Author: Frank N. Wilner

James E. Wolfe. (Photograph courtesy of Wolfe)
Commentary

A Wolfe at STB’s Door. Will He Make Entry?

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 rails solo.

Commentary
  • News

UP + NS: What Comes Next?

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 yet to

(U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)

Shippers Appeal Rail Price-Fixing Win

Big Four railroads BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS) and Union Pacific have been awarded summary judgment by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia—the court rejecting shipper allegations that those railroads engaged in unlawful price fixing in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

(Courtesy of the STB)
Commentary

Clean Slate on Switch Rule. Now What?

As the proverb provides, “Be careful for what you wish,” as wishes sometimes deliver unintended consequences. Railroads may have experienced a wishes backfire July 8 when the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of

(Logos from the respective government agencies)
Commentary

Reregulation Hidden in Shipper Tapestry

WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE, JULY 2025 ISSUE: What is more delightfully amusing than a paradox—that we park on driveways and drive on parkways; that foul is fair when batted baseballs collide with a

(CPKC Photograph)
Commentary

NEPA NIMBYs Gnawed at CPKC (UPDATED, 6/23)

It is eminently logical that if one relocates to a community zoned for heavy industry, they shouldn’t be surprised that a 24/7 distribution hub is constructed near them, bringing with it additional noise and increased highway traffic. It follows that if one relocates to a community with main line railroad track, they shouldn’t be surprised with the arrival of additional train traffic.

Commentary

Railroad Retirement: ‘Don’t Tread on Me!’

WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE JUNE 2025 ISSUE: Students of freight railroading are conversant with how Congress and the Surface Transportation Board’s predecessor Interstate Commerce Commission imposed on the industry such rigid economic

Commentary

Building Bridges of Understanding

WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE MAY 2025 ISSUE: The Ethical Culture Fieldston School and University Heights High School, both in the Bronx, N.Y., are but minutes apart by public transit, yet otherwise at

Ex-ICC General Counsel Fritz R. Kahn, 1926-2024

Railway Age has learned that Fritz Reiner Kahn, a former general counsel to Surface Transportation Board (STB) predecessor Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), died in October at age 98. He established a substantial

More Productive STB to Repay Treasury

In a rare event, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) is expected to return to the U.S. Treasury in October a portion of its congressionally appropriated fiscal year 2024-2025 budget. The reason is