Commentary

‘Consolidation’ Has Resurfaced

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

Rail Briefs: CSX, BJRY

CSX receives the 2025 Diolkos Award. Also, Burlington Junction Railway (BJRY) celebrates its 40th anniversary.

At NS, each Digital Train Inspection Portal features a setup of 24-megapixel trackside cameras and stadium lighting to capture “ultra-high-resolution” 360-degree images of passing railcars. (Norfolk Southern Photograph)

Next-Level Safety and Efficiency

RAILWAY AGE, JULY 2025 ISSUE: Automated train inspection portals are turning “finders into fixers,” reducing risk exposure, mechanical-caused safety incidents and network disruptions.

Commentary

Rail Insights 2025 Takeaways

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 California Transportation Commission (CTC) on June 27 approved a $100 million award to Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority for BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Silicon Valley Phase II. (VTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: VTA, APTA, Valley Metro, VPRA

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) lands $100 million in California state funding for the BART Silicon Valley Phase II project. Also, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) presents its 2025 Rail Safety, Security and Emergency Management Awards; Arizona’s Valley Metro is introducing streetcar fares; and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) marks its fifth anniversary.

CN’s retired intermodal containers are delivering positive change for Indigenous communities across western Canada. (CN Photograph)

Class I Briefs: CN, NS

Retired CN intermodal containers find renewed purpose in Indigenous communities. Also, Norfolk Southern (NS) celebrates its longest-serving active railroader and supports the 2025 World Police & Fire Games.

Conrail TWU Members Ratify New Contract

Conrail Transport Workers Union (TWU) members in Detroit, Philadelphia, and New Jersey, voted “overwhelmingly” to ratify a new five-year contract that includes a 17.5% wage increase, with journeymen carmen making more than $100,000 a year by contract’s end.

Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary Golden Isles Terminal Railroad serves Colonels Island at the Port of Brunswick in Georgia; it interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern at nearby rail yards. (G&W Photograph)

Port of Brunswick Set to Launch South Side Rail Facility Phase I

Phase I of a new rail yard on the south side of Colonels Island at the Port of Brunswick will be operational by the end of June, doubling rail capacity from five to 10

(Photograph Courtesy of Watco)

Watco Signs Agreement to Acquire GLC (UPDATED 6/24)

Pittsburg, Kans.-based Watco Railroad Company Holdings, Inc. (Watco) on March 6 reported plans to add Great Lakes Central Railroad (GLC) to its short line portfolio pending approval by the Surface Transportation Board (STB). It has been an equity investor in the GLC since 2013 and now seeks ownership. The STB on May 30 instituted a proceeding.

CSX Total Distribution Services’s autonomous electric shuttle in action at Selkirk Auto Terminal in New York. (Screen Grab from CSX Video)

Class I Briefs: CSX, CN, NS, B&O Railroad Museum

CSX subsidiary Total Distribution Services Inc. (TDSI) rolls out an autonomous electric shuttle. Also, CN’s Symington Car team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, advances its “air buggy”; Norfolk Southern (NS) awards more than 100 scholarships to its railroaders’ children; and the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad Museum’s celebration of the 200th anniversary of railroading kicks off with an official website.

LOAD MORE