23 for 2023: Our most-read Daily News stories from last year

By Pat Foran, Editor-in-Chief

Rail safety — from the Norfolk Southern Railway derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and the fallout from same to other accident investigations and regulatory matters — dominated the headlines in Rail Country last year. Not surprisingly, 10 of the 23 most-read Daily News items on ProgressiveRailroading.com in 2023 were safety related.

News about Class I C-suite changes — particularly at Union Pacific Railroad — also was popular among our readers. So were stories leading up to and culminating in the Surface Transportation Board-blessed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger.

The year’s most-read Daily News stories list differs significantly from the most-read ones on RailPrime, our digital subscription offering dedicated to all things freight transportation and home to the lion’s share of our originally reported coverage. For good reason: RailPrime is different from Daily News.

RailPrime subscribers were most interested in reading articles about freight-rail growth, or hints of it — particularly among the short-line set — if their reading habits are any indication. They also read (clicked on) articles covering rail lines sales and technology. To learn the list of RailPrime’s most-read stories in 2023, visit: https://www.progressiverailroading.com/railprime/.

And here are the most-read Daily News stories of 2023:

1. “NS discovers loose wheel on certain rail cars; AAR issues safety advisory” (3/10/2023)
2. “Boychuk to exit CSX” (8/4/2023)
3. “NTSB’s Homendy: Train derailment was preventable” (2/24/2023)
4. “CP sets date for combination with KCS, announces CPKC leadership team” (3/17/2023)
5. “Lawmakers reintroduce Freight RAILCAR Act” (2/14/2023)
6. “Conductor trainee fatality prompts FRA safety bulletin” (7/10/2023)
7. “NTSB: Overheated wheel bearing may have caused derailment; NS sets up $1 million fund” (2/15/2023)
8. “Vena pens letter to UP team on first day as CEO” (8/14/2023)
9. “CPKC, CSX, G&W to create new corridor linking Mexico, Texas, U.S. Southeast” (6/28/2023)
10. “House subcommittee advances bill that would slash funding for rail” (7/14/2023)
11. “BREAKING NEWS: STB approves Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger” (3/15/2023)
12. “Ohio officials issue urgent order following hazmat train derailment” (2/6/2023)
13. “Conductor fatality prompts FRA safety bulletin” (3/20/2023)
14. “Progressive Railroading announces Rising Stars for 2023” (5/1/2023)
15. “House bill would slash Amtrak funding by 64%” (11/1/2023)
16. “CN announces COO succession, evolution of operating structure” (10/18/2023)
17. “Union Pacific CEO Fritz to step down in 2023” (2/27/2023)
18. “NTSB investigating BNSF coal-train derailment in Colorado” (10/17/2023)
19. “UP to cut some management jobs as part of organizational restructuring” (11/2/2023)
20. “Derailment update: NS’ Shaw addresses East Palestine residents; NTSB’s Homendy responds to critics” (2/17/2023)
21. “Union Pacific names Vena as CEO, Whited as president to succeed Fritz” (7/26/2023)
22. “FRA raises safety concerns about UP’s rolling stock” (9/11/2023)
23. “It’s official: CP, KCS are now CPKC” (4/14/2023)