Shelter-in-place order lifted after Norfolk Southern derailment in South Carolina

Norfolk Southern logo

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — A shelter-in-place order has been lifted after a hazmat team determined there was no threat from the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train wreck near the town of Summerville. The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post that the derailment was reported about 9:51 a.m. ET, with officials issuing […]

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Analysts express some skepticism about UP-NS merger claims

Elevated view of meet between container train and train of empty coal gondolas

Industry analysts speaking at a RailTrends webcast on Thursday (Jan. 8, 2026) were skeptical about some of the claims Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern make in their merger application, including its central theme that the $85 billion combination is fundamentally about volume growth. Independent analyst Rick Paterson noted that UP and NS volumes have been […]

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Kentucky awards almost $3 million for rail infrastructure projects

Logo of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Paducah & Louisville Railway, R.J. Corman, and Norfolk Southern are among the recipients of funding from the Commonwealth of Kentucky for grade-crossing safety projects, part of almost $3 million in funding awarded under a pair of grant programs by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Projects on the three railroads were among seven […]

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Norfolk Southern to operate its first New England stack trains next week

Train at rail yard with tower in background

Norfolk Southern next week will shift its Chicago-New England intermodal trains to a faster CSX trackage-rights route east of the Albany, N.Y., area thanks to the completion of bridge-clearance projects on CSX’s former Pan Am Railways main line between Worcester and Ayer, Mass. NS trains 264 and 265 currently run single-stack to and from the […]

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BNSF warns customers about risks of UP-NS merger (updated)

Two locomotives on freight train

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Chief Marketing Officer Tom Williams warned customers on Tuesday, Jan. 6, that the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger “poses serious risks to competition, service, and your supply chain.” BNSF has had time to review the 6,692-page UP-NS merger application that was filed with federal regulators on Dec. 19, Williams […]

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Opinion: UP-NS merger will yield economic benefits

Two trains, one yellow and one black, approach the camera

The Trump Administration has rolled out a variety of proposed ideas to address the ever-present “affordability” issue. President Trump’s Dec. 17 speech on the topic proposed a number of potential changes — including efforts to reduce drug prices and mortgage payments as well as a tariff dividend — in an attempt to help consumers. However, […]

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Rapido HO Greenbrier transverse coil car

Color photo showing B end of modern HO scale coil car painted blue with white and yellow graphics and black trucks with metal wheelsets.

Rapido HO Greenbrier transverse coil car Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $59.95; six-pack, $359.70 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido HO Greenbrier transverse coil car features: 100-ton trucks with metal wheelsets Detailed, die-cast metal underframe See-through, etched-metal walkways Metal grab irons and uncoupling levers Removable plastic hood Semi-scale […]

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New York village drops suit over NS crew-change facility

Norfolk Southern logo

VOORHEESVILLE, N.Y. — The village of Voorheesville has dropped the remainder of its lawsuit against Norfolk Southern after a court ruling in December that allowed the railroad to proceed with construction of a crew-change facility. The Altamont Enterprise reports the attorney for the village informed Judge Paul Evangelista in a Dec. 30 letter that Voorheesville […]

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Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern defend completeness of merger application

WASHINGTON — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern today defended their merger application as complete. UP said the Surface Transportation Board should reject the efforts, primarily by “competitors who will experience increased competition as a result of the merger,” to delay and prolong the merger process. BNSF, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian National, and CSX all […]

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Trains’ top stories of the year, 2018-2025

Black locomotive with train with yellow locomotives in background

As 2026 begins, and with Trains’ top railroading story of 2025 announced on the final day of the just-completed year, we today a look back at the top stories in our previous annual countdowns. This year’s pick, the planned Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, was a rare unanimous choice among our voters. And while it’s impossible to […]

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Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern outline yard and terminal expansion projects

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern say their yard and terminal capacity expansion plans will help ensure that the combined railroad can handle an anticipated traffic surge within three years of their merger. The transcontinental combination, if approved, will lead to 11% volume growth compared to 2023, the railroads say in their merger […]

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Trains’ top stories of 2025: No. 1, the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger

Union Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern — an $85 billion deal that would create the first U.S. transcontinental system and potentially lead to additional consolidation among the Class I railroads — is Trains’ top story of 2025. The deal was hardly a surprise when it was announced on July 29. Rumors had been swirling […]

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