GoRail

10/15/2026

“That’s the model I want to see more of: private investment producing a public benefit.”

In a new TribLive op-ed, Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew uses that campus to show how existing infrastructure, including freight rail, can drive the next chapter of a local economy. He points to the county’s rail connections to Norfolk Southern, CSX, and Wheeling & Lake Erie, and to the transload terminal at Westmoreland Logistics Park that gives businesses without their own track access to rail.

He also makes a policy case as Congress works on the next surface transportation bill: build on freight rail’s record safety performance and private investment, and think carefully about the costs to roads, bridges, and taxpayers.

Read the full op-ed:

Drive along Route 119 near New Stanton, and you’ll pass a sprawling complex that many people still call the old Sony plant. Sony closed it in 2010, but the buildings didn’t stay empty for long. Today that same 2.8-million-square-foot campus is home to electronics manufacturers, Westmorel...

10/14/2026

46 years ago today, President Carter signed the Staggers Rail Act.

Before it, federal rules left railroads unable to earn enough to maintain their own networks. Since then, America’s private freight railroads have invested more than $840 billion back into their tracks, bridges and equipment, and average rail rates are 44% lower than in 1981, adjusted for inflation.

That’s what balanced policy makes possible: a freight network that keeps investing, and the jobs, supply chains and communities that depend on it.

Swipe through to see why Staggers still matters, then read the full explainer: https://gorail.org/regulation/celebrating-staggers40

10/08/2026

Congratulations to Cranemasters on 40 years! 🎉

Since 1986, they've been tackling some of the railroad industry's toughest jobs for Class I, regional and short line railroads, and industrial customers. Four decades of showing up and getting it done is no small feat. 🚂

They've also been a great friend to GoRail and the rail community. Partners like Cranemasters help keep freight moving and make sure the story of freight rail's value gets told.

Thank you, and here's to the next 40!

Four decades in — and still getting it done.

Since 1986, we’ve built more than a company. We’ve built better equipment, smarter ways of working, and a reputation for taking on jobs that don’t come with easy answers.

That only happens when good people do the hard work, deliver on their promises, and earn the trust to do it again.

To everyone who has helped build Cranemasters over the last 40 years: thank you.

We’re proud of how far we’ve come and excited about what’s ahead.

🔗 https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008422861/en/Cranemasters-Marks-40-Years-of-Keeping-America-on-Track

10/07/2026

Last week, GoRail presented the Michael B. Gaynor Champion of Freight Rail Award to Jon Cool, president of the Michigan Railroads Association.

Michael Gaynor spent nearly two decades building GoRail's field program one relationship at a time, and he became our president in 2025. He passed away in January. Each year, this award will honor an industry leader and a grasstop advocate who carry his way of working forward: learning the issues, showing up, listening, and helping communities see why freight rail matters to them.

Jon has led the Michigan Railroads Association since 2013. Before that, he worked at MDOT and spent years in senior staff roles in the Michigan House and Senate. He knows the policy, he knows his state, and many of us across the industry turn to him as a resource.

"Michael was a fierce advocate for the railroad industry, and we were lucky to have him represent Michigan for GoRail," Jon said. "It is a true honor to receive the Michael Gaynor award as we carry his memory forward in our work."

Congratulations, Jon, and thank you for the work you do for Michigan and for freight rail.

Learn more about Michael's life and legacy: gorail.org/campaign/memoriam-michael-gaynor

10/06/2026

In the 1910s, more than 3,000 people a day passed through Durand Union Station, a depot in a small Michigan town that sat at the crossroads of two railroads.

As America turns 250 and freight rail nears its 200th birthday, the Michigan Railroad History Museum looks at what Durand's story says about the country's. Railroads linked Michigan's lumber, mining, farms and auto plants to markets across the nation. Today rail still carries about 21% of the value of Michigan's freight.

Saving the timetables, tools and photographs is how communities remember what built them, and why it still matters.

Durand Union Station-Michigan Railroad History Museum

Read the piece:

As America turns 250 and freight rail nears 200, Michigan's Durand Union Station shows how railroads built a connected nation—and still carry it forward.

09/29/2026

Most of us don't think about freight trains unless we're waiting at a crossing. That's a big part of why GoRail exists.

Freight rail moves about 40% of the country's long-distance freight, and it keeps trucks off crowded highways. It also supports jobs in communities across America. On the latest Coffee Break with Association of American Railroads, GoRail President Betsy Cantwell explains what our national polling found: once people learn these things, they get behind freight rail and reject regulatory mandates.

Watch the full episode: https://www.aar.org/coffee-break-what-is-gorail/

See the full poll results: https://gorail.org/regulation/new-poll-americans-oppose-freight-rail-mandates-that-could-raise-consumer-prices

09/25/2026

🔴 Wear red today for Rail Safety Education Day!

It's a small gesture for a big goal: no more preventable deaths on the tracks.

📸 Snap a photo, tag Operation Lifesaver Inc. and share why rail safety matters to you.

09/23/2026

🚦 Stop. Look. Listen. 🚆 Never race a train. ⛔ Never go around a lowered gate.

More than 60% of crossing collisions happen where lights and gates are already working. A loaded freight train can take a mile or more to stop 🚆 — no swerving, no quick stop. You have seconds to make the safe choice.

09/21/2026

🚦 A train can't stop quickly. You can. When you see tracks—stop, look, and listen. Always think TRAIN. 🚆

September 21–27 is Operation Lifesaver Inc.'s See Tracks? Think Train® Week. To help spread OLI's rail safety message, we're sharing tips, stats, and the safety investments that save lives all week long. Stay tuned. 👀

09/17/2026

GoRail President Betsy Cantwell recently sat down with the Coffee Break staff at Association of American Railroads for a candid discussion on freight rail advocacy at the grassroots level. Check out the full episode here: https://youtu.be/vLzSvsItb0I?is=Nrsg8rS2IaQucFCe