National Mediation Board member Deirdre Hamilton. (NMB Photograph)

NMB’s Hamilton Challenges Termination

National Mediation Board (NMB) member and Democrat Deirdre Hamilton has sued to regain her post following her Oct. 14, 2025, firing by POTUS 47—one of many legally questionable independent federal regulatory agency

A map of Green Eagle Railroad LLC’s proposed 1.335-mile common carrier rail line in Maverick County, Tex., extending from the southern border of the United States and connecting to Union Pacific (UP) at approximately milepost 31 on the Eagle Pass Subdivision. The line is part of parent company PVH’s proposed trade corridor for freight and commercial motor vehicles extending into Mexico. (GER Map)

STB Seeks More Details on Proposed Maverick County, Tex., Line

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Jan. 30 directed Green Eagle Railroad (GER) to provide more information on its proposed construction and operation of a 1.335-mile, double-tracked common carrier rail line in Maverick County, Tex. The line would extend from the U.S.-Mexico border to connect at about milepost 31 of Union Pacific’s (UP) Eagle Pass Subdivision. The goal: to meet transportation demands.

STB Rejects UP-NS Merger Application as ‘Incomplete‘

January 16, 2026: In a decision predicted by Railway Age (“Why Not a Merger Timeout?,” Watching Washington, November 2025 issue), the Surface Transportation Board in a unanimous decision rejected, “without prejudice,” the

CN on UP+NS: ‘Show Us Schedule 5.8′ (UPDATED with BNSF, CSX and CPKC Filings)

CN on Jan. 8 filed a motion with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) “to compel additional information in relation to the proposed merger agreement between Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS).”

Commentary

Second Try for Kloster to STB

Republican Richard Kloster, whose nomination to an open seat on the Surface Transportation Board (STB) failed to exit the Senate Commerce Committee during the first session of the 119th Congress, has been

Commentary

Easter Eggs Are Dropping. Will They Break?

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE JANUARY 2026 ISSUE: All industries have “drops.” In the world of the sneaker-head it is the release of the latest Air Jordan basketball shoe. For movies it is

(Courtesy of UP)

UP+NS Merger Application ‘Complete’? (UPDATED 1/8)

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) “should reject the efforts of a few parties … to delay and prolong this proceeding by claiming the [recently filed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern] Application [seeking authorization to

Tom G. Williams (Courtesy of BNSF)
Commentary

UP-NS Merger Application Filed: What it Means for BNSF Customers

Dear Customers: As I shared, Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) filed their merger application with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, as we headed into the holiday.

BNSF, CN, CPKC, CSX, NGFA: UP+NS Merger Application ‘Incomplete’

All four Class I railroads—BNSF, CN, CPKC, CSX—that will remain independent, at least in the short term, if the Surface Transportation Board approves the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, have given the application

Commentary

Former Rail Executive: UP-NS Deal Likely to Get Done & Other Views

We hosted a former Class I CEO to review the recent Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application. He sees a very strong filing with acceptance likely though not until 2027. The CGP (Committed

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