‘Stop the Rail Merger Coalition’ Launched
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– This week, a group of companies and organizations announced the formation of coalition devoted to opposing the proposed UP+NS merger.
Author: William C. Vantuono
Lou Thompson: California HSR ‘Has Reached a Dead End’ –– Commentary
SACRAMENTO, Calif. –– Above: Lou Thompson on a recent edition of CBS 60 minutes. From 2009 to 2024, Louis S. (Lou) Thompson, whose distinguished career has included formation of Amtrak in the early 1970s and railways advisor to the World Bank, was a member of the California High Speed Rail project Peer Review Group reporting to the California State Legislature. He was Chairman from 2012 to 2024.
Thank You for Your Service – Commentary
NEW YORK ––Between 16% and 25% of the U.S. railroad industry workforce consists of military veterans, with most Class I’s reporting that up to 20% or more of their employees have served in the armed forces. Veterans are highly valued in the industry for their discipline, safety focus, and skill sets.
Ocean of Capital Chasing Trains, With Eric Marchetto, David Nahass and Will Geiger – Rail Group On Air
This edition of Rail Group On Air features Trinity Industries Inc. Chief Financial Officer Eric Marchetto, Railroad Financial Corporation President and Railway Age Financial Editor David Nahass, and Railroad Financial Corporation Senior Vice President
Norfolk Southern’s John Orr Honored as 2026 Railroader of the Year
CHICAGO ––Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Orr was honored as Railway Age’s 2026 Railroader of the Year on March 10 during the traditional dinner hosted by the Western Railway Club at the Union League Club of Chicago. Earlier in the day, he, in a discussion with Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak, closed out the Next-Generation Freight Rail Conference.
Riley Departs RSI
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– After just shy of one year on the job, Railway Supply Institute (RSI) President Jim Riley on Feb. 13 unexpectedly was dismissed, RSI Board Chair and Progress Rail Executive Vice President Freight Car Services Greg Dalpe announced to members.
UP-NS Merger Perspectives, With Farrukh Bezar: RAIL GROUP ON AIR
Farrukh Bezar and Railway Age Editor-In-Chief William C. Vantuono discuss the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk merger to create the first east-west transcontinental Class I railroad in the U.S. Bezar offers his views on
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
STB Rejects UP-NS Merger Application as ‘Incomplete‘ – Railway Age Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The Surface Transportation Board has rejected the first version of the UP+NS merger application.
UP, NS Deliver 6,700-Page ‘Christmas Present’ – Commentary from Railway Age
NEW YORK –– ‘Twas one week before Christmas, and all through the land, rail stakeholders were stirring, as Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern dealt their merger hand.
Rob Russell: ‘Rail is a Precious Commodity’ – RAIL GROUP ON AIR
Rob Russell, Managing Partner, Russell-Kroese Partners, joins Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono for a wide-ranging discussion on the railroad industry and its future, with particular emphasis on the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. Among the
Save the Date—March 10, 2026
NEW YORK –– Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono previews Next Generation Freight Rail Conference in 2026.
Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Orr Named Railway Age 2026 Railroader of the Year
Railway Age has named Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Orr 2026 Railroader of the Year, the publication’s 63rd such award.
Hoeven, Klobuchar to STB: ‘Closely Scrutinize’ UP+NS
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– An Oct. 30 letter to the Surface Transportation Board co-authored by Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asks the STB to “closely scrutinize” the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, stressing “the potential disruptions to U.S. rail service resulting from a merger of this scale” and “the need for the STB to fully analyze the potential impact on long-term competition, including for agriculture producers, many of whom already face limited options for accessing rail service.”
John Orr Talks Passenger Trains – Rail Group On Air
As Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, John Orr holds ultimate responsibility for every train on the Class I’s vast network, freight and passenger. Relationships between passenger carriers and
‘Injustice in Jacksonville’
JACKSONVILLE –– CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs, Railway Age’s 2025 Railroader of the Year, has been suddenly and unexpectedly railroaded by his own collectively myopic Board of Directors, and for no reason other than, sooner or later, refusing to join the transcon merger fray. I’m not the only one who wholeheartedly agrees with CNBC’s Jim Cramer that there has been an “injustice in Jacksonville” based on short-sightedness and hedge fund pressure. Call me naïve, but I didn’t see it coming. Nor did many others.
Intramotev, Watco Forge TugVolt Commercial Agreement
ST. LOUIS — Intramotev, developer of the TugVolt autonomous battery-electric railcar, has entered into a new commercial agreement with short line holding company Watco, which will deploy the technology within its network, beginning with the Wood River Transload Terminal in Illinois, just north St. Louis, Mo.
For NS, Four ‘Strategic Moves’
ATLANTA –– Norfolk Southern’s Intermodal and Automotive business units recently announced upgrades to four terminals in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania that support “capacity, efficiency, and customer demand.” These projects are “strategic moves” designed to “bring more business to our railroad while helping to reduce highway congestion and truck carbon emissions.”
2025 Light Rail Conference Focus: New GCRTA Railcars
This year, Railway Age and RT&S are pleased to venture to Pittsburgh on Oct. 1-2 for the much-anticipated 2025 Light Rail Conference, featuring a packed lineup of LRT (light rail transit) professionals who are significantly influencing
One Merger at a Time, Please –– Commentary from Railway Age
ATLANTA –– We at RT&S are certainly following, and have our own ideas about, the merger and regulatory situation regarding the Class I rail industry.