Union Pacific’s Ryan Wee, Manager-Industrial Development (right), with Manner Polymers President and CEO Raj Bhargava. (Photograph Courtesy of UP)

Class I Briefs: UP, BNSF

Union Pacific (UP) readies to serve Manner Polymer’s new solar-powered manufacturing facility in Mount Vernon, Ill. Also, BNSF welcomes the first tenant to its logistics center in Cleveland, Tex.

CSX on Oct. 3 reported that its Taft Yard in Orlando has marked six years without a workplace injury. (Courtesy of CSX)

Class I Briefs: CSX, CN, BNSF

CSX Taft Yard in Orlando, Fla., marks a safety milestone. Also, CN’s Intermodal and Maintenance teams in Vancouver debut a custom EV shunt truck platform; and BNSF deploys its first solar- and wind-powered weather station in Haslet, Tex.

Commentary

BNSF: UP+NS ‘Costly, Unnecessary, Anti-Competitive, Bad for the U.S. Economy’

Though Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have yet to file their formal merger application with the Surface Transportation Board, kicking off a process expected to take up to 18 months, the other

Pictured (from right) at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new High Plains Processing plant in South Dakota: Justin Inman, Ag Marketing Manager, BNSF; Matt Morales, Director, Marketing, BNSF; Matt Jensen, Manager, Ag Operations Support, BNSF; Tom Kersting, CEO, South Dakota Soybean Processors; John Prohaska, Group Operations Manager, South Dakota Soybean Processors; Pat Gathman, Plant Manager, South Dakota Soybean Processors; Matt White, Assistant Vice President, Ag Marketing, BNSF; and Jesus Uribes, Ag Marketing Manager, BNSF.

Class I Briefs: BNSF, UP

BNSF welcomes the launch of a soybean processing plant in South Dakota, and marks a milestone at the Havelock Wheel Plant in Nebraska. Also, Union Pacific (UP) wraps up a Big Boy limited excursion tour in Colorado and Wyoming.

Class I Briefs: CSX, BNSF

CSX President and CEO Steve Angel hosts a town hall to connect with employees. Also, CSX introduces the Badger Overland Commander Trailer; and BNSF congratulates Tristar Transload, Inc., on the official opening of its Muscat Spur Terminal.

Commentary

TD Cowen Insight: Merger to Dominate Rail Earnings Despite Diverging Q3 Operations

We lower Q3 EPS estimates below current consensus for both Eastern carriers, while modestly raising estimates for UNP, driven by outperformance in IM and coal. Broader freight demand remains challenged though M&A likely to continue to be center stage for most investor focus.

Class I Briefs: UP, BNSF

Union Pacific (UP) racks up strong performance numbers for its grain customers. Also, BNSF encourages stakeholders to share their views with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) regarding the proposed merger between Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS).

Multiple Factors Impacting Amtrak Long-Distance Trains

The debut in late August 2025 of Amtrak’s long-awaited NextGen Acela trainsets for the Northeast Corridor captured media and rail industry attention at a time when Amtrak’s much larger—geographically speaking—Long-Distance (LD) network

BNSF’s first new-crop soybean train of the harvest season departed recently from Argyle, Minn., transporting soybeans for customer Markit Country Grain. Leading the journey were locomotive engineer Todd Pesch and conductor Jesse Adams, with support from BNSF team members, including Division Trainmaster Josh Tyree and Terminal Manager Jarod Senger. (Courtesy of BNSF)

Class I Briefs: BNSF, NS

BNSF provides an update on operational performance and capital expansion projects in Texas, Arizona, and California. Also, Norfolk Southern (NS) reflects on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts—one year later.

(Photograph: Joe Murphy/United Soybean Board.)

Soybean Farmers Invest in New Port Houston Export Facility

With tariff troubles hitting the Chinese market and Mississippi River water levels a continued challenge, America’s soybean farmers are keeping all their options open. As part of that, soybean farmer leaders were

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