Railfanning.org News Wire – Railfanning.org

Survey: Better Freight Visibility Could Drive More Shippers to Rail

September 21, 2026 Railfanning.org News Wire

U.S. shippers could increase their use of rail if they had better visibility into freight while it is in transit, according to research commissioned by security technology company Giesecke+Devrient.

Amtrak Says New Airo Trains Coming Sept. 30 for Cascades Passengers

September 21, 2026 The Turntable

Amtrak Cascades passengers will start boarding the railroad’s new Airo trains Sept. 30, nearly two decades after Railfanning.org first documented equipment problems that disrupted the Pacific Northwest service.

A view of railroad tracks in Helensville, New Zealand.

One Killed After Heritage Train Strikes Person at Te Awamutu Station

September 21, 2026 The Turntable

New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission is investigating after a heritage train struck and killed a person at Te Awamutu railway station.

University College London Seeks STB Rail Waybill Data for Congestion Research

September 21, 2026 Railfanning.org News Wire

University College London has asked the Surface Transportation Board for access to selected confidential rail shipment data covering 2000 through 2025 for research into rail-network utilization and congestion.

Police Investigate Death at Te Awamutu Railway Station

September 20, 2026 The Turntable

(Railfanning.org News Wire) — One person died Sunday evening in an incident involving a train at Te Awamutu railway station in New Zealand’s Waikato region, police say. Emergency services were called about 6:20 p.m., and the person died at the scene, according to Senior Sergeant John McCarthy. Police have not released the person’s identity or further details about what happened. They said they are supporting the person’s whānau, or extended family, along with the bystanders who tried to help before emergency crews arrived. Te Awamutu sits on the North Island Main Trunk, the country’s main freight and passenger corridor linking

Atlanta Council to Weigh Resolution Committing City to Full Beltline Light Rail

September 19, 2026 The Turntable

The Atlanta City Council is scheduled to consider a resolution on Monday supporting light rail along the full 22-mile Atlanta Beltline and calling for a detailed plan for how the city could build and pay for the system.

Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern Say More Than 500 Customers Back Merger

September 19, 2026 Railfanning.org News Wire

More than 500 customers have publicly supported the proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, according to the railroads, which cited additional letters filed with the Surface Transportation Board.

FRA Rule Allows Railroad to Decide Whether to Sound Horns at Stations

September 18, 2026 The Turntable

The federal rules governing when a locomotive engineer sounds the horn have taken another turn.

Feds Drop Appeal That Sought to Block Funding for Gateway Tunnel Project

September 18, 2026 New Jersey Monitor

The federal government dropped an appeal that attempted to again block federal funding for the Gateway tunnel and other infrastructure projects in the region just weeks after asking a federal court to overturn a lower decision that found the funding freeze flagrantly violated law.

A southbound CSX Transportation train passes through Ringgold, Georgia, in early June 2018.

Democrats Say FRA Isn’t Enforcing Its Own Waiver Rules

September 18, 2026 The Turntable

Two senior House Democrats say the Federal Railroad Administration is not holding Class I railroads to the transparency rules attached to a safety waiver it granted them last year.