Editor's Note: Every derailment, no matter how “minor,” carries two silent cargoes.. luck and labor. Luck that the crew walks away, labor that shows up before sunrise to put everything back together. Both are undervalued commodities in this economy.

Trains Staff / October 8

 A Norfolk Southern engineer and conductor were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following a derailment this morning in Owensville, Ind.

Responding to an inquiry from Trains.com, Norfolk Southern said in a statement that the derailment occurred about 3 a.m. today (Oct. 8, 2025) and involved a locomotive and two railcars. NS has team members on hand cleaning up a diesel spill from the locomotive. The railroad said it appreciates the public’s help in avoiding the area while cleanup is in progress.

WEHT-TV reports the derailment occurred near the intersection of Gibson County roads 970W and 1150W, near the coal-fired Duke Energy Gibson Plant. The plant is served by a spur off NS’ Southern-West District main line.

Editor's Note: The industry hails him as a fifth-generation railroader. We’ll see whether that means five generations of calluses or five generations of connections. The rails don’t care about lineage.. only balance, brakes, and the weight of decisions.

Progressive Railroading / October 8

The U.S. Senate yesterday confirmed David Fink as the 16th administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.



The former CEO of Pan Am Railways, Fink has more than 45 years of leadership experience in transportation.

"David’s unique experience as a fifth-generation railroader brings unmatched expertise to this role, enabling data-driven regulation and modernization that strengthens safety and performance across the network," said Association of American Railroads.

Editor's Note: Union Pacific helped create the laws meant to contain it, and now returns a century later to test the welds. Antitrust, it seems, has become just another junction.. passed through, never switched.

Brett Heinz & Reolving Door Project / Oct 6

The power of railroad monopolies was one of most fraught political issues in America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rampant political corruption, fraud, violations of workers’ rights, inefficiencies, and inflated prices were an endemic feature of monopolistic control over our national transportation system. So bad was the rail companies’ behavior that the first ever regulatory agency in US history was created specifically to monitor their abuses. At the center of many of these controversies was Union Pacific (UP), a company whose actions played an importantrole in shaping early antitrust policy.

Flash forward to today, and that same company is back at it again. In June, Union Pacific announced its intention to merge with Norfolk Southern (NS), thus combining two of the nation’s largest rail companies. If approved, the deal would be “the largest buyout ever in the rail sector.” The merger would shrink the number of Class I freight rail companies operating in the US and dramatically reduce competition in the market, pressuring other Class I companies to pursue their own mergers.

Editor's Note: Every merger has its choir. Mayors sing of prosperity, chambers of commerce hum about efficiency, and the rest of us listen for the whistle of the next round of layoffs..

Julie Sneider / October 9

In just over two months since Union Pacific Railroad announced its intention to buy Norfolk Southern Railway in an $85 billion deal that would create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad, over two dozen organizations and individuals have informed the Surface Transportation Board of their support of or opposition to the merger, or their intention to participate in the board’s proceedings.

But many entities and individuals began weighing in with the STB just days after the proposed merger was announced. For example, those expressing a favorable view include Springfield, Illinois Mayor Misty Buscher, who wrote in her letter to the regulator that a combined UP-NS would be a boon to the local economy by providing more dependable rail service, expanding market access for local businesses and encouraging investment in rail infrastructure.

Editor's Note: Nothing warms the heart like one monopoly scolding another for being monopolistic. When railroads preach competition, it’s usually because someone else is winning.. “No customer is asking for it.” True enough. But no customer asked for Precision Scheduled Railroading either, and they got it anyway.. delivered on time and under empathy.

BNSF Press Release

"Our nation’s supply chain does not need a reduction in competitive options or the risk inherent in integration that we’ve seen happen after almost every Class I merger.

No customer is asking for a UP-NS merger to happen. It’s driven by Wall Street on the promise of a big shareholder payout. BNSF does not believe a merger is necessary at this time, when we can deliver immediate benefits to our customers while preserving competition.

Editor's Note: BNSF’s newfound passion for “rail competition” is touching.. like a fox lobbying for stronger henhouse security. When one giant warns another not to grow too large, it isn’t reform.. it’s self-preservation with better stationery. The only thing they’re trying to preserve is their turn at the trough.

Brian Taylor / October 7

BNSF Railway Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is posting information on its website encouraging and helping its customers express opposition concerning the proposed merger of two competing Class 1 freight railroads.

The BNSF campaign concerns the proposed acquisition of Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern Corp. (NS) by Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific Corp. (UP), first announced this July.

“If you have concerns and reservations about the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, or you believe that conditions are needed to ensure that the merger is beneficial to you and other shippers, it is important that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) hear from you now and at every opportunity during the regulatory review process,” BNSF says on a section of its website labeled “Preserve Rail Competition.”

Editor's Note: When the railroads describe the economy as “uneven,” they mean profits remain steady while everything else wobbles. Declines are framed as reflections, not results.. as though the carriers were passive observers instead of the steel spine of commerce. The numbers sag, but the dividends never seem to notice.

Progressive Railroading / October 7

September's freight-rail volume reflected the uneven pace of the U.S. economy, with pockets of growth offset by emerging weaknesses, according to the Association of American Railroads' latest "Rail Industry Overview" report.



As businesses navigate the uncertainty, rail activity has mirrored broader economic conditions, states the report, which AAR issued on Oct. 3. For example, in September total rail carloads declined 1.2% year over year, with 12 of the 20 major carload categories tracked monthly by AAR posting declines. However, several key industrial commodities — including metal products, autos and parts, metallic ores, and stone and glass products — posted gains.

Meanwhile, U.S. intermodal rail shipments, which are closely tied to consumer demand and international trade, fell 1.3% last month compared to September 2024.

Editor's Note: Management has been watching from the heavens for years, and only now does labor look up. The drones were never about safety.. they were about suspicion with propellers. It shouldn’t take an FAA docket for a union to defend its dignity; that used to be instinct, not paperwork.

David Lassen / October 8

A rail union has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to ban the use of unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, above rail yards and main lines.

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division, or SMART-TD, submitted comments earlier this week on a proposed FAA rule that would allow expanded drone use of beyond visual line of sight. Such a proposal was a condition of the FAA Authorization Act of 2024.



SMART-TD says it seeks the ban primarily because of what it says is an increasing use drones by railroad management for employee surveillance and operational testing, calling such use “a practice that crosses every line of safety, respect, and common sense.” Jared Cassity, SMART-TD’s national safety and legislative director, said in a post on the union’s website, “Our rail yards are not laboratories or surveillance zones. They’re our offices. When a drone flies overhead, it’s not just a nuisance; it’s a distraction in one of the most dangerous work environments in America.