Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Allocates $1.9 Million for Rail Crossing Upgrades

COLUMBUS, Ohio –– The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio last week approved $1.9 million in safety upgrades at rail crossings in four Ohio counties.

R.J. Corman Railroad Group Announces Appointment of Matthew Igoe as President and Chief Operating Officer

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – R. J. Corman Railroad Company last week announced Matthew (Matt) Igoe will join R. J. Corman Railroad Company as President & Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately.

New York Announces $101 Million in Grants Awarded to Rail and Port Infrastructure Projects Statewide

ALBANY, N.Y. –– Governor Kathy Hochul last week announced the award of over $101 million in state funding to 25 projects across New York that will modernize key freight lines and port facilities under the state’s Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program (PFRAP).

MTA Announces Completion of Repair Work Across New York City Subway

NEW YORK –– While much of the world was focused on the holiday season, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit announced on Dec. 31 that it had wrapped up a multi-year effort to clean and refurbish many stations across its system.

Image Courtesy of Amtrak

Amtrak Inspector General Reports Agency May Not Have Adequate Maintenance Facilities for New Fleet Acquisitions

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Amtrak’s Inspector General this month released a report on concerns around having adequate maintenance facilities for the agency’s new equipment.

California Suspends Lawsuit Over Federal Funding of High-Speed Rail

SACRAMENTO –– The State of California has dropped its lawsuit against the POTUS 47 Administration, regarding federal funding of high-speed rail, concluding that the federal government will no longer provide funding for the system.

U.S. Federal Government Bans Sale of New Foreign-Made Drones

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The U.S. Federal Communications Commission issued a notice this week banning the sale of new foreign-made drones, also referred to as unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

Automated Track Inspection Waiver Is Back

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Railroad Safety Board has approved a new temporariy waiver allowing U.S. railroads to expand field testing of automated track inspection (ATI) technology and collect crucial data to improve safety.

Global Rail Leaders Forge Strategic Partnership to Drive Progress 

Colorado Springs, Colo. –– This week, MxV Rail announced a “New Memorandum of Understanding” with the Centre for Heavy Haul Rail Research and Development organization, which is a nonprofit society operating under the aegis of Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited. 

State of the Industry: 2025-2026

ATLANTA – Editor-in-Chief David C. Lester writes about the state of the rail industry as we transition from 2025 to 2026.

Is Canadian National Considering a Merger of Its Own?

ATLANTA –– The CN webpage devoted to comment about UP+NS leaves one big question unanswered.

Union Pacific Says Computer Integration Meltdowns Won’t Be An Issue With UP+NS

CHICAGO –– Union Pacific Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Rahul Jalali told reporters on a media day business train that UP-NS computer systems integration will go smoothly if the merger is approved.

Norfolk Southern Launches Landmark Series Locomotives: Honoring America’s Historic Rail Cities (Updated 11/17/25 With Additional Images)

ATLANTA –– Norfolk Southern announced this week that it has launched the Landmark Series, a new lineup of locomotives that will operate in revenue freight service as well as lead the company’s business trains.

Caltrain Says Service Reductions Will Take Place Without Additional Funding

SAN CARLOS, Calif. –– Just months after the celebration of electric service on its Peninsula Line, Caltrain faces the fiscal cliff that has plagued most transit agencies this year. Elimination of weekend service and the end of half-hourly trains could be required to reduce budget shortfalls despite strong ridership recovery and high rider satisfaction.

Norfolk Southern Testing New Wheel Integrity System

ATLANTA –– Norfolk Southern has developed a wheel integrity system that it’s now testing in Indiana.

WRI Founder Gordon Bachinsky Honored With Canadian Association Of Railway Suppliers’ Lifetime Achievement Award

MONTREAL –– This week, the Canadian Assocation of Railway Suppliers (CARS), which represents over 150 companies that are important to the operations of Canadian freight and passenger railways, as well as transit authorities, awarded its Lifetime Achievement Award to long-time railroader Gordon Bachinsky.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Denies BNSF Land Use Designation Change –– UPDATED, 5:30 P.M. ET

PHOENIX, Ariz. –– BNSF has hit some choppy air in its progress toward building a new logistics hub in Arizona.

Editor’s Notebook — Difficult Days — November 2025 RT&S Opinion

ATLANTA –– Uncertain Days Lead to Uncertain Outcomes.

From the Dome –– Whither The American Freedom Train? November 2025 RT&S Commentary

ATLANTA –– Chances are the majority of this magazine’s readership did not see, and may not even be familiar with, the two editions of The American Freedom Train that operated in the twentieth century.

Alstom Announces 120 New Jobs in NY Plant

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. –– Alstom announced this week that it needs to fill nearly 120 positions at its train manufacturing site in Plattsburgh, N.Y. The company is preparing to produce 374 state-of-the-art commuter rail cars for NJ TRANSIT, and needs to beef up its workforce to do so.

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