“CSX joined leaders from the Alabama Port of Mobile and the Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce to tour the Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), where construction on the new three mile CSX siding is making strong progress,” CSX reported via social media late last month. (Courtesy of CSX)

Intermodal Briefs: GPA, APA

Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) achieves its second busiest year ever in 2025, which includes handling a record 545,214 containers by rail. Also, construction progresses at the Alabama Port Authority’s (APA) Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, which includes a new three‑mile-long CSX siding.

(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.

Class I Briefs: UP, NS

Union Pacific (UP) Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales Kenny Rocker provides customers with a railroad status report. Also, Norfolk Southern (NS) introduces its new wheel integrity system.

NS: ‘Reliable Service, Measurable Safety Gains’ (UPDATED With TD Cowen Commentary, 1/30)

“In 2025, we strengthened the foundation of our railroad. We kept our cost commitments, maintained reliable service, and delivered measurable safety gains with the company’s best injury and accident rates in more than a decade,” Norfolk Southern (NS) President and CEO Mark George said during a fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial report.

RailState: Winter Storm Fern Impacts Network Across Three States

When Winter Storm Fern tore through most of the eastern half of the country, freight trains kept moving, but not at the same rate everywhere, according to real-time network visibility provider RailState, whose sensors across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana show “markedly different patterns,” in train volumes and lengths on the network it monitors.

“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.”

(UP Photograph)

For UP, a ‘Record-Breaking Year’ (UPDATED With TD Cowen Commentary, 1/28)

With an STB merger refiling for the acquisition of Norfolk Southern anticipated “in the coming weeks,” Union Pacific (UP) posted “a record-breaking year and delivered best-ever safety, service, and operating results in

NS is the highest-ranked railroad in the Trucking, Transportation, and Logistics category of Fortune’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. (NS Photograph)

Class I Briefs: NS, UP

Norfolk Southern (NS) earns a spot on Fortune magazine’s list of World’s Most Admired Companies. Also, Union Pacific’s (UP) Trenton, Mo., Engineering team marks a safety milestone.

Sustainability as a Business Imperative, with Norfolk Southern Chief Sustainability Officer Josh Raglin – RAIL GROUP ON AIR PODCAST

Despite headlines signaling a sustainability pullback, the reality is more nuanced: Many companies are quietly doubling down, investing more strategically than ever before. Norfolk Southern Chief Sustainability Officer Josh Raglin has been closely watching

GPA: Blue Ridge Connector 95% Complete

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) on Jan. 22 announced that the Blue Ridge Connector, the Georgis Ports’ latest addition to its inland rail network, is now 95% complete and will open for operation later this year.

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