(Courtesy of NS)

NS 2025: $7.7B in Industrial Development

Norfolk Southern (NS) customers in 2025 advanced more than 60 industrial development projects, representing $7.7 billion in investment for new or expanded rail-served facilities along NS and partner short line routes in the Southeast and Midwest, the Class I railroad reported Feb. 2.

A map of Green Eagle Railroad LLC’s proposed 1.335-mile common carrier rail line in Maverick County, Tex., extending from the southern border of the United States and connecting to Union Pacific (UP) at approximately milepost 31 on the Eagle Pass Subdivision. The line is part of parent company PVH’s proposed trade corridor for freight and commercial motor vehicles extending into Mexico. (GER Map)

STB Seeks More Details on Proposed Maverick County, Tex., Line

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Jan. 30 directed Green Eagle Railroad (GER) to provide more information on its proposed construction and operation of a 1.335-mile, double-tracked common carrier rail line in Maverick County, Tex. The line would extend from the U.S.-Mexico border to connect at about milepost 31 of Union Pacific’s (UP) Eagle Pass Subdivision. The goal: to meet transportation demands.

The proposed CV Rail intercity passenger service would span approximately 144 miles, linking the City of Coachella, Calif., with Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. (Courtesy of RCTC)

Transit Briefs: LACMTA, BART, UTA, Phoenix Valley Metro, SEPTA, CV Rail

Parsons Transportation Group (Parsons) lands a contract for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) Metro A line extension project. Also, crime on the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) drops 41% in 2025; Utah Transit Authority (UTA) shares 2025 achievements and 2026 service plans; Phoenix Valley Metro in Arizona is identified as a top transit agency in the nation for ridership growth; leased railcars will soon enter Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) commuter rail service; and Southern California’s Riverside County Transportation Commission advances the proposed Coachella Valley Rail (CV Rail) project.

Local officials, customer representatives, CSX, and community economic development leaders joined Pinsly on Jan. 29 to celebrate GAR’s service restoration. (Courtesy of Pinsly)

Pinsly Celebrates GAR Rehab, Service Restoration

Jacksonville, Fla.-based Pinsly Railroad Company (Pinsly) on Jan. 29 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Andalusia, Ala., to commemorate the rehabilitation and return to service of the 36-mile short line now operated by

CSX on Jan. 28 reported the successful cutover of an extended hump lead at Avon Yard in Indianapolis, Ind. (Screen Grab from CSX video)

Class I Briefs: CSX, CPKC

CSX wraps up a hump lead extension project at Avon Yard in Indianapolis, Ind. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) appoints industry veteran Gordon Trafton as Board Vice Chair, and is recognized as a top Alberta employer for 2026.

Figure 1: Aerial view of the accident site. (BNSF Image, Courtesy of NTSB)

NTSB Determines Probable Cause for BNSF M/w Employee Fatality

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the final report for its investigation of the Nov. 4,  2024, accident involving a BNSF maintenance-of-way (m/w) employee who was fatally struck by a BNSF freight train while driving a welding truck across a highway/rail grade crossing near New Rockford, N.Dak.

(Courtesy of CPKC)

CPKC: ‘Exceptional Execution in Challenging Market’

In reporting fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Jan. 28, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) President and CEO Keith Creel said, “Despite macroeconomic and trade policy headwinds in 2025, our Precision Scheduled Railroading model again enabled us to control costs and deliver a record core adjusted operating ratio while capitalizing on our unique growth opportunities.”

“We are honored that VRE has once again placed its trust in Keolis,” Keolis President and CEO Brad Thomas said. “This [contract] renewal underscores the operational excellence our teams deliver each day, and we remain committed to the highest standards of safety, reliability, and customer service as we support the DMV [District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia] region’s mobility needs.” (VRE Photograph)

Transit Briefs: VRE, Metrolinx

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) renews its contract with Keolis North America (Keolis). Also, construction is under way on Metrolinx’s Bowmanville Extension project that will bring the Lakeshore East GO line into the Durham Region of Southern Ontario, Canada.

“Safety is a core value and the foundation of everything we do at Norfolk Southern,” NS President and CEO Mark George said. “It’s the lens through which every decision is made. From the boardroom to the front line, the Thoroughbred team focuses on providing safe and reliable service to our customers, our communities and our employees. This report is a comprehensive accounting of the steps we’re taking and the progress we’ve made—in the crew room, on the ballast line and in our communities. We’re continuously raising our standards for excellence, guided by our commitment to safety.” (Courtesy of NS)

NS Issues 2025 Safety Report

Norfolk Southern (NS) on Jan. 27 released its 2025 Report on Safety Accomplishments and Ongoing Initiatives, which it said details year-over-year progress, including a 31% reduction in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-reportable train accident rate (the railroad’s “best in more than a decade”) and a 15% reduction in FRA-reportable injury rate, plus 1 million manhours “injury free.”

January 2026: Construction of the launch box at the tunnel portal in New Jersey. (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of GDC)

HTP Work Stoppage on the Way?

Construction on the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP), a key component of the Gateway Program, will “pause if disbursements of federal funds do not resume in the coming days,” the Gateway Development Commission

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