Public Rail Now

08/29/2026

What is your family worth?

Is your community a sacrifice zone to railroads-- Class 1 carriers?

Visit https://publicrailnow.org/, learn how you can get involved, comment on the mega merger with UP-NS and rally behind Amtrak against privatization.

08/25/2026

A coalition of rail unions has told the Surface Transportation Board that they support motions asking the board to summarily deny or reject the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application.

08/25/2026

More than three years later, we're beginning to learn about the health impacts of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, with studies confirming people were in fact exposed to those toxic chemicals released into the air, water, and soil.

More than three years later, we're beginning to learn about the health impacts of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

08/25/2026

Amtrak's Mardi Gras service marked its first anniversary of service on Aug. 18 with strong ridership numbers; the twice-daily service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, logged 150,000 customer trips in its first year.

08/25/2026

“It’s a win for the environment, it’s a win for the people that are sitting in traffic,” Virginia Passenger Rail Authority spokesperson Karina Romero said. “We definitely want more trains in Virginia.”
Yes, we want more passenger trains!!

The $8-billion Airo fleet promises cleaner, more reliable service as passenger rail enjoys record ridership — and faces an uncertain future in Washington.

08/25/2026

We will be setting up our online comment portal in the next week or so. Deadline is November 18.
The STB isn't making it easy on folks to comment, even though most folks oppose this merger.

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today adopted a schedule for review of the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern revised merger filing, removing a hold it placed on the proceeding in May. But the board’s decision did not address the merits of the application or any of the comments filed s...

08/25/2026

U.S. railroad UNION PACIFIC collected $91.1 million more in fuel surcharges than it paid for fuel during the second quarter, far outpacing rivals, according to a company filing with the Surface Transportation Board and first reported by Reuters.

UNION PACIFIC collected $91.1 million more in fuel surcharges than it paid...

Let me highlight this again:
UNION PACIFIC collected $91.1 million more in fuel surcharges than it paid for fuel...
It's not distributed back to the shippers, nor the consumers, not even the workers. It goes into the pockets of the shareholders.

(Union Pacific corrects its post-merger market share figure to 42% from 36% in paragraph 8.)

08/25/2026

Maryland has joined the list of states requiring two-person crews for freight trains after the legislature last week overrode a veto by Gov. Wes Moore.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland has joined the list of states requiring two-person crews for freight trains after the legislature last week overrode a veto by Gov. Wes Moore. The action in Maryland follows signing of a similar bill by Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee in late July. Fourteen states now have tw...

08/25/2026

It's about time!! Ridership is up and these older trainsets need some serious love and attention.

--The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Aug. 14 announced $5.3 billion in federal grant funding to purchase new Amtrak trainsets, overhaul Amtrak locomotives and improve grade crossings throughout the country.

Railroad industry news about: Federal Railroad Administration, David Fink, Amtrak, passenger-rail, funding, grant funding, National Railroad Partnership Program, grade crossing improvements. From the editors of Progressive Railroading Magazine

08/25/2026

Are the carriers just going to wait until the bridge fails? Likely so. This industry-as like so many industries in the US now-is self regulated. With a revolving door of regulators oscillating between carrier management positions and FRA.

These companies prefer stock buybacks and dividends over infrastructure investments.

KDKA Investigates has received several concerns about the integrity...