BNSF on July 15 announced the launch of a new, expedited third-day rail service from Los Angeles to Houston, “marking a significant advancement in BNSF’s ability to deliver fast, consistent and reliable transportation solutions, further expanding its reach into the dynamic and growing Houston market.”
The Muskogee City-County Port Authority (Port Muskogee) in Oklahoma has acquired 125.49 acres, with direct access to the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS), which the Port said will create “significant multimodal freight opportunities by river, rail and road.”
Given the Fourth of July effect in the most recent weekly data, we’ll give Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) a break from our weekly critique as it continues to try to restore fluidity after the May 3 U.S. IT cutover from
the old Kansas City Southern (KCS) Management Control System (MCS) to Canadian Pacific’s (CP) “TYES” system. Just kidding.
FROM THE EDITOR, RAILWAY AGE JULY 2025 ISSUE: Consolidation: “The action or process of making something stronger or more solid,” or, “The action or process of combining a number of things into
“California Dreamin’” was one of the iconic songs of the sixties. It was about an Angelino enduring a New York winter and dreaming about his warm hometown (the inverse of the scenario in Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”). Barry McGuire recorded the original version in 1963, and the 1966 version by The Mamas & the Papas with Bud Shank’s flute solo defined the song. Nostalgia aside, there seems to be a new custom in part of the Golden State: “California Starvin’” as practiced on Amtrak’s San Joaquin trains between Bakersfield at the south end and the Bay Area and Sacramento at the north end.
CSX receives the 2025 Diolkos Award. Also, Burlington Junction Railway (BJRY) celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Union Pacific (UP) is serving Roehm’s new petrochemical plant in Bay City, Tex. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) team in Portage, Wis., marks nine years injury-free; and BNSF nears the finish line at the Cicero Intermodal Facility in Illinois.
BNSF recognizes five states for excellence in grade crossing safety. Also, Union Pacific’s (UP) Bailey Yard hosts senior leaders for a field visit; and CN partners with the Société du chemin de fer de la Gaspésie (SCFG) to ensure continued affordability and mobility of rail service in Quebec.
FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE JULY 2025 ISSUE: At the 11th annual Rail Insights conference, participants from the Class I railroads and government and equipment sectors discussed the industry for the remainder of 2025 and beyond. Following are the key conference takeaways.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a hazardous materials investigation report for its investigation of the April 26, 2024, derailment and hazardous materials release from a BNSF mixed-freight train near Manuelito, N.M.