Authors: Rod Doerr, Chief Safety Officer for Union Pacific, and John Fleps, Vice President of Safety for Norfolk Southern | September 21, 2026
Key Takeaways:
● 2025 was the safest year on record for U.S. railroads. Improvements spanned almost every safety metric, according to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data, with Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern driving much of that progress.
● The Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern combination will accelerate the adoption of proven safety practices across a single coast-to-coast railroad. Bringing together two strong safety cultures creates the potential to set a new standard for the industry.
During See Tracks? Think Train® Week, the rail industry is focused on one shared priority: keeping people safe around railroad tracks and crossings. Across our combined decades in railroad safety, we’ve learned one lesson above all others: people make the difference. Safety is built one decision at a time, and every safe choice helps protect employees, communities and the public. That mission comes at a moment of record safety performance for America’s railroads. According to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data, 2025 was the safest year on record, reflecting years of investment, innovation, operational discipline and continuous improvement. As railroad operations, equipment and technology have modernized, so have the practices that help identify potential risks and reduce the likelihood of incidents.
Union Pacific, which leads the industry in employee safety, improved its personal injury rate by 57% since 2023 and achieved record-low personal injury and derailment rates in 2025. Norfolk Southern recorded its best accident rate in more than a decade, reduced its FRA accident rate by 40% year over year in the first quarter of 2026 and achieved zero mainline derailments in the fourth quarter of 2025.
These achievements matter because they help employees get home safely, protect communities and strengthen the nation’s transportation network. Time with railroaders in yards, terminals and along the right of way is a reminder that safety is never about statistics alone. Every improvement represents a person, a family and a community that benefits from work done the right way.
Many of the most meaningful safety improvements come from the people closest to the work. Railroaders continually identify opportunities to strengthen training, improve processes and make an already safe operation even safer.
Over the years, we’ve witnessed the railroad evolve in important ways. The tools railroaders use, the information available to them and the way trains move across the network have all advanced. As the industry has changed, safety practices and technologies have evolved alongside it to help reduce risk and improve performance.
Union Pacific’s Physics Train Builder uses digital modeling to simulate train performance before departure, while Norfolk Southern’s Autonomous Track Geometry Measurement System, wheel integrity systems and Digital Train Inspection portals help identify potential infrastructure and equipment issues before they affect operations.
Together, these tools help strengthen network reliability, improve situational awareness and support a proactive approach to safety.
A combined Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern network will accelerate the adoption of proven safety practices and technologies across a single coast-to-coast railroad. Collectively, the companies already reinvest roughly $5.6 billion annually in infrastructure and maintenance and have committed an additional $2 billion for post-merger integration, helping scale proven technologies and safety programs.
The benefits extend beyond the railroad. A unified network will eliminate roughly 2,550 daily rail car handoffs between railroads, reducing exposure to operational risks. It also will eliminate approximately 65,000 car-miles each day and remove an estimated 2.1 million truckloads from America’s highways annually, reducing congestion and improving highway safety for motorists, families and school buses.
We’ve also learned that safety leadership extends beyond railroad operations. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern trained more than 16,000 first responders in 2025, while UP CARES educates thousands each year about rail crossing and track safety. Norfolk Southern’s Safety First grant program has provided more than $6.2 million to first responder organizations, strengthening local preparedness and emergency response capabilities.
America’s railroads are safer today than at any point in history, but our work is never finished. Throughout our careers, we’ve witnessed the meaningful progress that comes from listening, learning and continuously improving. To keep moving forward, we must never stop innovating and adapting as our industry evolves.
By bringing together the expertise of our people, proven technologies and shared commitment to safety, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern will build on decades of progress, accelerate safety innovation and create an even safer railroad for employees, customers, communities and the nation.
