Union Pacific (UP) reports record grain volumes for export to the West Coast and Mexico in first-quarter 2026. Also, Norfolk Southern (NS) grows its REDI-Site industrial development pipeline; and Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) Signals & Communications Maintenance team in Golden, B.C., and Mechanical Car team in Thunder Bay, Ont., mark safety milestones.
UP in first-quarter 2026 “surpassed its first-quarter record of grain volumes previously set in 2008 amid renewed demand for U.S. feed grain for export,” the Class I reported May 11.
“Our team’s ability to capture record volumes of grain is a testament to our focus as a railroad on providing tremendous service to our customers while operating our network at peak performance,” said Jason Hess, Senior Vice President–Bulk, Marketing and Sales at UP. “Our network is running incredibly fast, allowing us to handle more volume, which is a win-win for the railroad and our customers.”
For example, UP said, its grain shuttle velocity averaged 334 miles per day during first-quarter 2026 vs. 294 miles per day in 2025.
“The renewed demand for U.S. feed grain comes after farmers harvested a record corn crop in 2025, with production up 14% from 2024,” the railroad noted.
Helping to improve fluidity, UP said, are its investments in new grain hopper cars that can carry an additional 2,500 pounds of grain and are three to seven feet shorter than legacy cars, allowing “more covered hopper cars per train within the same track footprint,” as well as a “new crew change procedure at the Eagle Pass international border crossing [that] has expedited the time it takes for trains to travel across the Mexican/U.S. border.” The new procedure, UP said, “allows Mexican partner crews to travel seven miles from the border into Union Pacific’s Eagle Pass yard to interchange with U.S. crews rather than conducting a time-consuming crew change operation on an international bridge.”
“The enhanced fluidity across the international bridge means we can handle more volume while delivering faster times to our customers,” Hess said.
Further Reading:
NS on May 13 reported expanding its portfolio of rail-served industrial sites. Twenty-four sites across the 22-state NS network now have REDI Site designations.
“Our REDI Sites program prioritizes high-potential locations for rail-served industrial growth,” the Class I said. “In partnership with local, regional, and utility stakeholders, we invest in development-ready sites that align infrastructure with market demand, empowering companies to make fast-tracked, confident, and informed location decisions.”
Through NS’s collaboration with the Site Selectors Guild, top sites are validated, it said, using the REDI Sites national standard, assessing infrastructure, feasibility, ownership, and workforce readiness.
Spanning the Midwest and Southeast, the latest designations from the Site Selectors Guild include:
Platinum
- Shoals Research Airpark — Muscle Shoals, Ala.
Gold
- Bluegrass Innovation Gateway — Harrodsburg, Ky.
- Moberly Area Industrial Park — Moberly, Mo.
- Railhub South — Corinth, Miss.
- Claremont International Rail Park — Claremont, N.C.
- I-85 Corporate Center — Lexington, N.C.
- Pathway Park — Chilhowie, Va.
- Industria Centre Site #3 — Muncie, Ind.
Silver
- Sage Mill Site 6 — Aiken, S.C.
- ParkEast Site — Goldsboro, N.C.
- Ecorse & Belleville Road Rail Park — Belleville, Mich.
Bronze
- McKeown Property Site — Moberly, Mo.
- Fostoria Industrial Site — Fostoria, Ohio
“Companies evaluating new locations are looking for speed, certainty, and connectivity,” NS Industrial Development Director of Strategic Partnerships & Site Readiness MaryBeth Flournoy said. “REDI Site designations signal that a site is prepared to deliver on all three, with infrastructure, utilities, transportation access, and workforce considerations already in place. For communities, that means a stronger ability to compete for investment and job creation. For Norfolk Southern, it means building a pipeline of rail-served growth that supports long-term network demand.”
Further Reading:
CPKC on May 12 reported via social media that its Signals & Communications Maintenance team in Golden, B.C., reached six years injury-free “while working in the Rocky Mountains, some of the most challenging terrain on our network,” and its Mechanical Car team in Thunder Bay, Ont., reached and two years injury-free, “maintaining vital rail operations at a key northern hub and grain gateway for the rest of our network.”
These achievements, the Class I said, “are a testament to the dedication, care and professionalism of our railroaders. Congratulations to both teams for leading by example.”
“Together,” CPKC said, “we continue our commitment to being the safest and best performing Class I railway in North America.”