Railpace Newsmagazine

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 4, 2026. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 482,121 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.7 percent compared with the same week last year.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 4, 2026. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 482,121 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.7 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending July 4 were 212,691 carloads, up 3.7 percent compared with the same week in 2025, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 269,430 containers and trailers, up 12.9 percent compared to 2025.

Amtrak now has 13 NextGen Acela trains in service. There are now 32 weekday NextGen Acela scheduled trips, allowing passengers more opportunities to travel on the new fleet. This marks a significant increase from the 26 weekday Acela trips offered before the introduction of the new fleet. As more NextGen Acela trainsets enter service, passengers will benefit from increased capacity and greater schedule flexibility when planning their journeys.

Union Pacific Corporation and Norfolk Southern Corporation today submitted the first portion of their responses to the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) May 28, 2026, request for additional information to support their accepted merger application. Today’s filing addresses the STB’s questions regarding Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA), Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCT) and TTX Company.

Union Pacific’s legendary Big Boy No. 4014 took center stage in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July as tens of thousands gathered for the America250 Block Party, commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. The milestone visit is part of the historic Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 coast-to-coast tour, which includes Big Boy’s first journey onto eastern rails since 1941 in partnership with Norfolk Southern to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.

SEPTA’s Board approved a total budget of $2.7 billion for Fiscal Year 2027 – a $1.84 billion Operating Budget and $920.7 million Capital Budget. The spending plan represents an increase of just 1.9% over the current year, and includes investments in new buses, more full-length fare gates and other enhancements for customers. There will be no changes in service levels or fare increases.

This week, the 170th and final Wabtec Evolution Series ET44AC Tier 4 locomotive was delivered to CPKC, completing a multi-year order with Wabtec and marking another milestone in the renewal of the road locomotive fleet. Amtrak, in conjunction with the town of Brattleboro, state of Vermont, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), New England Central Railroad (NECR) and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), officially opened the all-new Brattleboro Station for train travel.

Amtrak, in conjunction with the town of Brattleboro, state of Vermont, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), New England Central Railroad (NECR) and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), officially opened the all-new Brattleboro Station for train travel. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 20, 2026.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 20, 2026. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 521,998 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.1 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending June 20 were 233,259 carloads, up 1.6 percent compared with the same week in 2025, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 288,739 containers and trailers, up 12.1 percent compared to 2025.

Just in time for the 4th of July, Metra today unveiled a specially painted locomotive commemorating the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding. The locomotive is the 26th of 42 remanufactured locomotives that Metra ordered from Progress Rail Locomotives of La Grange. The new locomotives, designated as SD70-MACHs, are former freight locomotives that are improved and reconfigured for passenger use with refurbished, upgraded, or new components.