Opinion

Time To Have a Little Crow

ATLANTA –– Kudos to Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific for a Horseshoe Curve performance that will be remembered for decades.

Merger Voices

ATLANTA –– A Fresh Perspective ~ Railway Track and Structures “From the Dome,” July 2026

NRC Chairman’s Column

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Graduates: Come build a career that keeps the country moving. Railway Track and Structures, May 2026 Issue.

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.

Former Rail Executive: UP-NS Deal Likely to Get Done & Other Views –– Commentary From TD Cowen Via Railway Age

NEW YORK –– 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 Gateway Pricing) solution enhances competition and should pass STB’s test. The network plan supports disclosed truck conversion opportunities in transcontinental and watershed lanes. Competitors are likely compelled to adapt and could eventually propose their own combinations.

A Few Better Ideas: A Contrarian View (Commentary)

CHICAGO –– Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena claims to have identified a number of rail industry shortcomings that according to him can only be solved by his proposed transcontinental merger between the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads. The first of these shortcomings we would like to focus on is the well-known issue of the Chicago interchange.