U.S. rail traffic was 487,138 carloads and intermodal units for Week 51 (ending Dec. 20, 2025), down 7% from the prior-year period, AAR reports: t.co/u44otFPhwz

Our panelist (who prefers his identity not be disclosed) believes UP and NS have put forward a very strong application that is likely to be accepted, though finalized likely in 2027: t.co/T9x6RZgsJa

Initial joint venture equity ownership will be GATX (30%) and Brookfield Infrastructure (70%), with GATX having the option to acquire 100% of the joint venture equity over time: t.co/D36Ar9K3VV

“We’re reserving our judgment on what UP’s big competitive offer of CGP is and isn’t until we see the other rails’ responses. On paper, it sounds reasonable, but it’s complicated, and the devil will be deeply in the details.”: t.co/Cx3NzDFfyZ

“I am incredibly honored and excited to serve as Chief People Officer at RTD”: t.co/F4z4J9qyBc

Amtrak is spending an estimated $4B to upgrade and modify some of its maintenance facilities in support of its $8B (at minimum) new fleet, but two key “challenges … have delayed its progress,” according to the OIG: t.co/9OOd5i2RTj

“While there are many commemorative paint schemes and vinyl wraps on locomotives (or murals on walls depicting locomotives), this is the first, documented time a locomotive has been painted as a mural”: t.co/6DIzOnYHsb

Different ride. Same mission. Delivering the holidays across America.

"Despite moving roughly 40% of the U.S. long-distance freight by ton-mile, freight rail received little direct benefit from the infrastructure bill.”: t.co/1DjlLwMllQ

Update: The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen also oppose the UP-NS combination: t.co/s4s0RwSN8j

People on the Move: SJRRC appoints Chris Orlando as CEO; Katie Thomson to become acting Secretary of MDOT; and Pete Semenek is retiring as National Vice President of BLET: t.co/3qdxi7bn4p

Transit Briefs: SEPTA ridership decreases 1% in November; STV’s Quantico Station Improvement Project wins an ACEC Virginia Grand Award; Gov. Hochul vetoes a bill that would require two-person crews; and Amtrak/USRC approve an agreement: t.co/cupdOHyklw

“Carly Railcar Components’ long-standing presence in component distribution and its established regional footprint ... enhances our ability to serve customers with greater speed, reliability, and product availability”: t.co/WL89oyb5I7

“The decision to sell WVCO to Arclin represents a natural progression for our business”: t.co/GRJiE1HBET

USDOT will award $33M in grants: up to $9 million over three years to one Regional UTC, and up to $6 million over three years for each of four Tier 1 UTCs: t.co/xa2oyhzLBh

Do you know a railroad professional under 40 who is going places? Nominate a colleague or yourself. The deadline is January 8, 2026: t.co/OVUUjEFjHi

It has arrived, all 6,700 pages. Now the fun begins! #HappyHolidays! Learn more: t.co/nnuXiUqeW1

Class I Briefs: UP's #Chicago Service Unit celebrates a world-class safety achievement; #CSX ’s Columbus, Ohio, Mechanical Team achieves 1,500 days injury-free; and the CTA releases its annual Maximum Grain Revenue Entitlements for #CN and #CPKC: t.co/YjDA7mcSEt

Transit Briefs: MBTA shortlists three Commuter Rail operator teams; Alto, Canada’s planned HSR system, “could see dozens of daily trains”; crime is at a 16-year low at NYMTA subways; CTA unveils a “security surge” plan; NJT encourages holiday giving: t.co/S7kH6RI5AU

The 2026 budget includes $4.352 billion in operating expenses for northeastern Illinois’ transit system, and a 2026-2030 Regional Capital Program of $9.246 billion: t.co/ixWYdAJCKH

The STB has adopted the 1Q26 rail cost adjustment factor, which is defined as “an index formulated to represent changes in railroad costs incurred by the nation’s largest railroads over a specified period of time”: t.co/zJXVnHOTP8

UPDATE: The U.S. Senate has confirmed STB member and Republican Michelle A. Schultz to a second five-year term on the five-member Surface Transportation Board: t.co/g3L6GaCDf1

The level of granularity in evaluating thousands of pages of a merger application prompted William H. Tucker, when a member of STB predecessor ICC in 1967, to equate the regulatory process with “a trial for first degree homicide”: t.co/QeJsn6MSTZ

Transit Briefs: NYMTA announces major congestion pricing-funded subway improvement projects; Canada and TransLink invest in traction power upgrades across the SkyTrain network; and KC Streetcar’s Riverfront Extension enters the testing phase: t.co/M6ZCKZo8YT

“It’s time for #UnionPacific and #NorfolkSouthern to get serious and do right by our members. Until they do, the Teamsters will do everything in our power to block this harmful merger," BLET and BMWED wrote in a statement: t.co/K18WO2d0W0

Supply Side: AAR subsidiary Railinc teams with NC State University on a “modal rebalancing” study. Also, commercial rail transport management and consulting firm AllTranstek is the prevailing bidder for RAS Data Services’ assets: t.co/jJXH0sNSbf

The odds of the question posed in the headline being answered in the affirmative are very slim: t.co/MzufJmSqEk

“CC&L Infrastructure is pleased to complete this successful financing, which underscores the strength of our partnership with Alpenglow and the quality of the rail platform we have built together”: t.co/qPFupampBI

Class I Briefs: CPKC names its 2024 Safe Shipper Award honorees. Also, UP is developing a 2,040-acre industrial park just outside Houston, Tex.: t.co/U505v4IdFw

The winners will be recognized at the General Session on Monday, April 13 at the ASLRRA Annual Conference & Exhibition April 12-14, in Minneapolis, Minn: t.co/7KcUSVP3cF

Alstom will supply 47 DMUs for the government’s passenger revival program: t.co/rz5N5Sth70

The law creates a new regional authority to oversee CTA, Metra, and Pace: t.co/ymgMsn5EcV

For the week ending Dec. 13, 2025, total U.S. rail traffic came in at 518,904 carloads and intermodal units: t.co/YMHUpcrGPJ

People News: VIA Rail President and CEO Mario Péloquin will retire after a 41-year career; HDR promotes Miloš Vasiljević to Transportation Program Management Director; and STV bolsters its Florida Transportation Leadership with three strategic promotions: t.co/COAI3RDfjU

The new 120,000-square-foot facility features cutting-edge automation and is strategically designed to serve as a transload hub: t.co/HMi8mDPQ34

In #2025, these outstanding leaders on #TeamNS were recognized for their remarkable achievements, earning accolades as trailblazers, and innovators: bit.ly/4p4Bbl8 These awards shine a spotlight on the people who make a meaningful difference across NS and the communities we serve.

Transit Briefs: Trinity Metro partners with FWISD to allow free rides for students; BART ridership continues its upward trend; Sound Transit selects a developer for Federal Way; and Denver RTD brings the holiday season to life with themed light rail wraps: t.co/5CDV3gM6ev

Delivering holiday cheer, one stop at a time! 🚂🎅🎄 Team NS was proud to partner with our friends at @amtrak.com, USMC and the Capital Region @toysfortots.bsky.social to bring the magic of the season to five cities across #NewYork. 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/44wSiVd.

Class I Briefs: BNSF celebrates Darigold’s new facility at its Certified Site in Pasco, Wash., and officially closes its 7,000th highway/rail grade crossing. Also, Norfolk Southern’s Safety Train marks 10 years of first-responder education: t.co/fDFYo5vRsy

This was the first #Amtrak Board meeting where members of the public were allowed to ask questions. That, along with the Amtrak records, is something to celebrate: t.co/zUUwpa9PsE

OmniTRAX Salutes Retiring CEO Dean Piacente, OmniTRAX Leader, Former CSX Executive Caps Four Decade Career of Rail Excellence. Today we honor Dean Piacente who retires at year’s end in OmniTRAX’s planned leadership succession. #OmniTRAX #CSX #STB #Leadership

The program’s goal, USDOT says, “is to identify transportation projects with the capacity to have significant local or regional impacts.": t.co/trw9jgla9J

"Holiday Briefs": SNR’s Ventura Division and Operation Toy Train kick off the holiday season in Southern California. Also, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern celebrate in Houston, Tex., and Atlanta, Ga., respectively: t.co/qVueZVTTtf

Class I Briefs: UP appoints W. Anthony “Tony” Will to its Board; a CSX TDSI location earns North American Destination Terminal of the Year; and B&O Railroad Museum is unveiling the American Freedom Train No. 1: t.co/zciM2Vu7UK

People News: IANA elects its 2026 Board of Directors and Officers; Harbor Logistics names Jason Essenberg SVP of Business Development; and SLSI hires Chris Machenberg as Hazmat Program Director: t.co/1CMGVEpXD2

On the CPKC Soo Line, 300 locomotive engineers will earn compounded raises of 18.8% over the length of the five-year agreement in addition to strong improvements to work rules: t.co/Dz9JpssVJG

Three House Dems are asking the STB to not only consider the “tangible impact the [proposed UP-NS] merger could have on the economy and transportation network, but also the intangible impact it could have on communities and people’s lives”: t.co/pAptHljlTD

MBTA recently joined disability advocates and the original plaintiffs of an accessibility lawsuit to celebrate a “historic milestone”: t.co/XtXZZDtYOd

Due to the expiration of the terms of two large-shipper representatives and one small-shipper representative, the STB is seeking to fill three RSTAC positions: t.co/eqjQsLinsu

Transport Canada has announced the first segment of the Alto HSR (high-speed rail) project: t.co/XtdjjqXfKV