Association of American Railroads

June is — and at BNSF Railway, it’s reflected in the more than 10,000 employees trained at the BNSF Technical Training Center to do the job right.

For 40 years, BNSF and Johnson County Community College (JCCC) have partnered to run the BNSF Technical Training Center (TTC) in Overland Park, Kansas — a program that has shaped the standard for railroad training across the industry. The TTC spans nearly a quarter-million square feet of indoor and outdoor training space. Its 68 instructors are all career railroaders — people who have worked the jobs they now teach.

Employees across every craft train on locomotive simulators, augmented and virtual reality scenarios, grade-crossing simulators, and more. Behind every safe operation is someone who was trained to do it right.

U.S. railroads are on the move! Our Policy and Economics team reports total U.S. rail traffic up 7.2% for the week ending May 30, 2026, compared with the same week last year.

Key highlights this week:

🌾 Grain: +33.8%

🪨 Metallic ores & metals: +19.5%

🚘️ Motor Vehicles and Parts: +9.1%

📦 Carloads: +4.0% year-over-year 🚛 Intermodal: +10.0% year-over-year

Link in comments ⬇️⬇️

U.S. railroads are on the move! Our Policy and Economics team reports total U.S. rail traffic up 7.2% for the week ending May 23, 2026, compared with the same week last year.

Key highlights this week:

🌾 Grain: +15.3%

🪨 Metallic ores & metals: +9.0%

🛻 Motor Vehicles & Parts: +2.3%

📦 Carloads: +2.2% year-over-year

🚛 Intermodal: +11.5% year-over-year

Link in comments ⬇️⬇️

The backbone of the American economy runs on steel rails. This , we're celebrating the network that quietly keeps America moving — every single day.

🚂 749,000 jobs supported nationwide

💵 $233 billion in economic output in 2023 alone

🔧 $25 billion privately invested — every year, by the industry itself

Freight railroads are committed to building and maintaining the safest, most efficient network in the world. That's not just infrastructure. That's infrastructure that works.

Freight rail helps keep America’s agricultural economy moving—from grain shipments to the inputs ranchers rely on to raise cattle. But proposals in Congress could make rail service more congested, more expensive, and less reliable—without clear safety benefits.

When that happens, farmers and ranchers feel it first and hardest, with impacts that can reach kitchen tables nationwide. In a new Fox News opinion piece, AAR President & CEO Ian Jefferies and U.S. Cattlemen’s Association President Justin Tupper call for smart, evidence-based policies that protect both safety and the food supply chain. Read the op-ed in the comments ⬇️

Why should city leaders care about a nationwide freight rail network? Because it’s deeply connected to how cities function every day—from economic growth to infrastructure planning to public safety.

In a new National League of Cities “Cities Speak” blog post, GoRail President Betsy Cantwell explains how today’s rail network is becoming more advanced, more reliable, and more integrated with the needs of local communities.

A more modern rail system means:

✅ More predictable operations where rail intersects with roads and emergency services

✅ Stronger support for local economies and supply chains

✅ A more efficient partner in long-term infrastructure planning

And importantly, it’s becoming safer—using technology and a highly skilled workforce to identify issues before they become disruptions in the communities rail lines run through. The bottom line: a stronger national freight rail network isn’t abstract—it delivers real, local benefits for cities across the country.

Read the full piece—link in the comments.

Exciting to see innovation like this moving from concept to proven performance. MxV Rail’s real-world testing capabilities play a critical role in helping bring reliable, sustainable technologies to market.