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.

VPRA Announces Service Changes Ahead of Long Bridge Project

RICHMOND – The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) announced service changes as a result of the Long Bridge Project.

WIR Conference 2025: Connecting, Inspiring, Innovating

Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures on Oct. 15-16 hosted the third-annual in-person Women in Rail Conference with a packed lineup of influential women and their allies, who shared experiences, celebrated achievements, and discussed the future

ORDC Approves Eight Projects

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) approved eight projects with more than $81 million, two of which will be sponsored by the Rail Commission for FRA grants.

NS Completes Scout Motors I-77 Rail Bridge (Updated 11/21)

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. – Norfolk Southern announced the Scout Motors I-77 Rail Bridge is complete.

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.

Norfolk Southern Shareholders Approve Merger with Union Pacific

ATLANTA –– Norfolk Southern Corporation today announced that its shareholders voted overwhelmingly, with nearly 99% of the shares cast in favor, to approve its previously announced transaction with Union Pacific at the company’s Special Meeting of Shareholders (the “Special Meeting”) held earlier today.

Norfolk Southern Testing New Wheel Integrity System

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

Eliminating Paper Barriers is the Pro-Competitive Move –– Commentary from Railway Age

NEW YORK –– Prior to the Staggers of Act of 1980, the only way a Class I railroad could shed the cost of marginal or money losing light density rail line was abandonment.

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.

CN on UP+NS Merger: ‘Our Customers’ Voices Must Be Heard’

Joining BNSF and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) in expressing their concerns about the proposed Union Pacific (UP)-MONTREAL –– Norfolk Southern (NS) merger, CN recently launched a page on its website encouraging its customers to speak up and file a Notice of Intent to Participate with the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

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.”

NS, CSX Complete Modernization Efforts at Birmingham Junction

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Norfolk Southern and CSX replaced infrastructure components at the 14th Street Junction in Birmingham, Alabama.

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

American Chemistry Council Sends Letter to POTUS 47 Sharing Concerns About UP+NS

WASHINGTON, D.C.–– The American Chemistry Council is not in favor of the proposed UP+NS merger and sent a letter about it to POTUS 47.

Preserving the Past, Powering the Future: NS Helps Reunite Georgia’s Railroad History

ATLANTA –– Norfolk Southern is once again making history more accessible. Thanks to a $500,000 contribution from NS, the Atlanta History Center and the Georgia Historical Society have completed a landmark archival exchange—preserving Georgia’s rich heritage and making it easier to explore.

Editor’s Notebook: The Marvel of Railroad Engineering

ATLANTA –– It doesn’t take much looking around to appreciate the amounts of creativity and ingenuity that go into our nation’s transportation infrastructure.

Norfolk Southern Is Reimagining Rail Inspection with ATGMS

ATLANTA –– Norfolk Southern today released information about its Automated Track Geometry Measurement System (ATGMS).

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.”

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