AAR: U.S. Carloads, Intermodal Up Slightly for Week 30
U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 26, 2025 (Week 30) came in at 514,279 carloads and intermodal units, rising 1.1% from the same week last year, based on 231,029 carloads—up
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Class I Briefs: CSX, CPKC
CSX earns Toyota’s Rail Quality Award for outstanding service. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) Dorion Subdivision maintenance-of-way team achieves three years injury-free.
Intermodal Briefs: GPA, Port NOLA
Georgia Ports Authority’s Port of Savannah logs the second busiest year on record. Also, the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) will collaborate with other Louisiana ports on a regional marketing strategy.
OmniTRAX Expands into Long Island, NY
OmniTRAX on July 30 reported being named the exclusive railroad operator of the Long Island, N.Y.-based Brookhaven Rail Terminal, which serves commodities, aggregates, and building materials customers including The Home Depot, Heidelberg, and LBM Riverhead.
COIM USA Acquires Rail-Served Facility on TexAmericas Center Campus
TexAmericas Center, which owns and operates the third ranked mixed-use industrial park in the U.S., announced July 29 that COIM USA, a specialty chemical manufacturer and part of the global COIM Group,
Perfect Pairing: voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak Universal HST® (Hollow Switch Tie) + Unistar HR Switch Machine
Turnouts, an essential railroad network trackwork component, have numerous complex, costly and labor-intensive maintenance requirements. They also have specific challenges that railroad maintenance-of-way departments have been dealing with for generations. Addressing them
Commentary
Vena’s Art of the Deal With NS
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 to U.S.
Commentary
UP+NS: An ‘Absolute Monster of a Railroad’
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 this, below
Commentary
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
Union Pacific + Norfolk Southern: It’s Official
The speculation is over: Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern at 7:00 AM EDT announced their agreement to, in a combined cash and stock transaction valued at more than $250 billion, merge and
Executives Discuss ‘Allyship to Action’ at Women in Rail 2025
Fostering a supportive environment that lifts up talent and recognizes an individual’s or project’s contribution to the organization or community is key. Our third-annual in-person Women in Rail Conference, taking place in Chicagoland
Senate Committee on Appropriations Advances FY26 THUD Bill
The Senate Committee on Appropriations on July 24 marked up S.2465, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (THUD Appropriations Act). The bipartisan legislation was reported in a 27-1 vote from the Senate Committee, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
Transit Briefs: Amtrak Virginia, NYMTA, Trinity Metro, LACMTA
Amtrak Virginia closes the state’s fiscal year with record ridership. Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) releases rider survey results, showing improvements in overall satisfaction across subway, commuter rail and bus service, and is adding customer service centers to 15 subway locations; Trinity Metro in Texas is offering one week of free rides on all local services; and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) “care-based outreach model” is paying off.
EFG Energy Partners LLC Purchases Rail-Served Site From Gulf Inland Logistics Park
Gulf Inland Logistics Park, managed and developed by Liberty Development Partners, on July 28 announced that EFG Energy Partners LLC has purchased a 13.1-acre, rail-served site to serve as a terminal and
First TransLink Mark V SkyTrain Enters Service (UPDATED 7/29)
Alstom on July 10 announced that the first of 47 new Mark V SkyTrain trainsets has officially entered commercial service on TransLink’s Expo Line in Vancouver. Each of the five-car trainsets will include two of Hitachi Rail’s SelTrac™ Vehicle On-Board Controllers (VOBCs).
ARH Taps Todd Nuelle as Chief Commercial Officer
Anacostia Rail Holdings (ARH) on July 29 reported appointing Todd Nuelle as Chief Commercial Officer, succeeding Eric Jakubowski, who will retire after more than a decade of service.
GATX’s Lyons: 2Q25 ‘Solid Operating Performance,’ Full-Year Earnings Estimate Up
“Our strong second-quarter results reflect solid operating performance across our global businesses,” GATX Corporation President and CEO Robert C. Lyons said in a second-quarter 2025 financial report. He pointed out that at
NS Delivers ‘Strong’ 2Q25 Results
“This quarter, Norfolk Southern (NS) delivered another set of strong results—growing volumes, managing costs, and delivering 8% EPS growth,” said President and CEO Mark George during a second-quarter 2025 financial report, which
People News: AITX, GDC, Quandel Consultants
Railcar lessor American Industrial Transport, Inc. (AITX) elevates Erica Ray to Senior Vice President, Leasing–East. Also, Gateway Development Commission (GDC) appoints James Starace as Chief of Program Delivery, and Hamed Nejad as Chief Engineer; and Amtrak veteran Ray Lang joins Quandel Consultants as Vice President of Business Development.
Class I Briefs: CPKC, UP
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) pays tribute to Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) with special locomotive livery. Also, Union Pacific’s (UP) UPVETS employee resource group raises funds for U.S. troops.