The Turntable

STB Proposes Repealing 1985 Switching Rule

January 9, 2026 The Turntable

The Surface Transportation Board has proposed repealing a 1985 rule governing reciprocal switching, through routes, and through rates, saying the change would remove regulatory barriers and expand competitive options for shippers and railroads.

BNSF Seeks Temporary Trackage Rights on Union Pacific to Serve Ballast Pit

January 1, 2026 The Turntable

BNSF Railway has asked federal regulators to approve restricted local trackage rights over 187.5 miles of Union Pacific track in Northern California to move ballast trains to and from a pit at Elsey.

Rail Accident Investigation Branch Issues Eight Recommendations Following 2024 Audenshaw Wreck

December 24, 2025 The Turntable

A freight train derailment in Audenshaw, Greater Manchester, was caused by undetected failures in a specialist bridge track system, Britain’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch said in a report published today.

NS Wants to Abandon 1.16 Miles of Track in Summit County, Ohio

December 23, 2025 The Turntable

Norfolk Southern is seeking federal permission to abandon about 1.16 miles of track in Summit County, Ohio.

After Shap Derailment, RAIB Warns Remote Slope Monitors May Miss Sudden Failures

December 19, 2025 The Turntable

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch issued urgent safety advice warning that some line-side earthwork-monitoring systems on Britain’s railway may fail to detect sudden slope collapses, particularly during extreme weather.

Mt. Rainier Railroad Wants to Buy Tacoma-Owned Rail Line

December 19, 2025 The Turntable

Mt. Rainier Railroad wants federal regulators to approve its acquisition and operation of 33.59 miles of track between Eatonville and Morton, Washington, and to replace Tacoma Rail as the line’s common carrier operator.

CSX Plans to Discontinue Service on the Baldwinsville Subdivision in Central New York

December 15, 2025 The Turntable

CSX Transportation wants federal approval to discontinue common-carrier service along a more than 11.1-mile section of tracks in Oswego and Onondaga counties, New York.

Railroads Seek to End Service on 2.2 Miles of Track in Columbus, Georgia

December 15, 2025 The Turntable

The South Carolina Central Railroad and Georgia Southwestern Railroad have asked federal regulators to approve the abandonment and discontinuance of service on nearly 2.2 miles of rail in Muscogee County, citing the lack of freight traffic since 2016.

Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad Wants Trackage Rights Over Cedar River Railroad

December 12, 2025 The Turntable

The Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad has asked federal regulators to approve limited local trackage rights over a 43.5-mile segment of the Cedar River Railroad, from milepost 41.5 at Charles City, Iowa, to milepost 85.0 in London Township, Minnesota.

STB Grants Fortress Exemption to Control Wheeling & Lake Erie, Akron Barberton Cluster

December 2, 2025 The Turntable

The Surface Transportation Board has granted Fortress Investment Group an exemption to assume control of The Wheeling Corporation and its rail subsidiaries, the Class II Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway and Class III Akron Barberton Cluster Railway.