We hosted a call with a former Class I CEO on the implications of a transcontinental merger. Our panelist believes the merger will enable significant share gains over the long term, more
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.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The firing by POTUS 47 of outspoken Surface Transportation Board (STB) member and Democrat Robert E. Primus Aug. 27 leaves the five-member agency short two members as it awaits a formal merger application from Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS). By early morning Aug. 28, Primus’ name was removed from the STB website’s listing of members.
NEW YORK –– Railway Age Editor-in-Chief Bill Vantuono shares his thoughts on the arrival and pending service launch date of the next generation of Amtrak’s Acela passenger equipment.
OMAHA and ATLANTA –– Union Pacific’s (UP) much-anticipated bid for Norfolk Southern (NS) was announced July 29. Both now embark on a lengthy review process, but we see the potential approval pathway justified due to U.S. supply chain benefits. NS operates well, supporting a pivot in focus to the review process. NS takeout PT moves to $320 in line with the announcement. Reiterate Buy as entry point is attractive while event-based investors remain on the sidelines.
Since a Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger is now in process, I wanted to share data giving a sense of the absolute monster of a railroad UP+NS would represent. To do this, below I’ve taken
OMAHA and ATLANTA –– Unconfirmed reports over the weekend noted a Class I merger is close. These reports were preceded by actions by the STB that show the agency is preparing to handle a review in a more expedited fashion with a merger resource page already up, and a notice that the Board is embarking on taking steps to expedite regulatory processes. We continue to believe a deal is highly likely between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern.
Great Care Must Be Taken When Re-Scoping Projects RT&S “From The Dome” May 2025 Issue The debate over government spending has reached a fever pitch in 2025. While most spending can be
ALBANY, N.Y. — I have written before about the challenges of subway safety in New York and elsewhere in the United States. I am a huge fan of public transit, especially rail and light rail, and the safety challenges riders and operators have endured for years have been of great concern to me. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced funding measures to help combat safety issues. The question is, how much good will these investments really do?
NEW YORK –– This commentary is reproduced from today’s Railway Age news feed and was written by the Railway Supply Institute (RSI)
NEW YORK –– Guest post commentary by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief of Railway Age.
ATLANTA –– From the April 2025 issue of Railway Track & Structures, FROM THE DOME.
NEW YORK –– On Jan. 15, 2025, the Federal Railroad Administration released on its website the final report titled Cost and Benefit Risk Framework for Modern Railway Electrification Options
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– ASLRRA PERSPECTIVE, RAILWAY AGE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE: A favorite phrase we use in Washington, D.C., is “cautiously optimistic.” Roughly translated, it means “I don’t really know how this is going to turn out, but I’m hoping for the best.”
FROM THE EDITOR, RAILWAY AGE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE: Take a close look at the faces of this year’s 25 Under 40 honorees. What do you see? Diversity! Since this award’s 2016 inception,
NEW YORK –– So there I was, quietly minding somebody else’s business, when I received notification that Railway Age had released a new Rail Group on Air podcast, “TRB Long Freight Train Consensus Study.” The podcast
NEW YORK ––Before and even now as a retired locomotive engineer, I have enjoyed my Railway Age subscription because you’re always on the cutting edge of the railroad world. I feel compelled to comment on the articles by about crew size in the May 2024 issue. The major point made against the [FRA] mandate of two-person crew size was the so-called “lack of data backing this decision.”
NEW YORK –– On Nov. 1, we ran a commentary by David Schanoes, a Railway Age Contributing Editor, in which David shares his thoughts on PTC regulations. Here is the second part of that piece, posted by RA today.
NEW YORK –– “We”—old timers, old heads, just plain old—sometimes refer to ourselves as “fossils,” but we’re not really. Fossils, as far as “we” know, can’t think, change positions, make jokes, whine, or delude themselves and others. We can, like human beings, do all of that and even do all of that at once. I could give you an example (of dubious value, of course), but not today. Today belongs to my fossildom.
ATLANTA –– FROM THE NOVEMBER 2024 ISSUE OF RT&S –– Labor agreement progress, a wary eye on the weather.