Industry Update – Mergers, Traffic, Trends & Forecasts with Eric Starks – Chairman of FTR

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest Eric Starks, Chairman of FTR (Freight Transportation Research Associates). Together they discuss the pending $85 billion dollar Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger, the current status of the U.S. economy, an update on U.S. manufacturing and production including new railcar production, rail traffic, market trends and risks, a forecast for 2026 and much more. We also announce our 2025 Honor our Heroes Award winner! Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights and broaden your understanding of American Railroading! You can find this episode and more on the American Railroading Podcast's official website at www.AmericanRailroading.net , and watch our YouTube Channel at the link below. Welcome aboard!KEY POINTS: The American Railroading Podcast remains in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally, now downloaded in 57 countries around the world!The podcast continues to experience incredible growth in downloads and subscribers. Mr. Starks is a graduate of Indiana University and was an Adjunct Lecturer at Indiana University, Kelley School of Business for 4 years, teaching MBA students Transportation and Distribution Strategy, and was instrumental in creating the Indiana University Transportation Board.Eric does a deep-dive into our current U.S. economy and GDP and gives us his opinion on whether or not they are where we expected them to be.Don and Eric discuss Tariffs, what their intended use is by the current administration, and whether or not they are providing the intended results.Eric gives his opinion of the pros and cons of the pending UP and NS merger, and they discuss the recently announced BNSF and CSX partnership.Don and Eric do a thorough review of current rail traffic, velocity, dwell times, commodity and car type trends, and more.You don’t want to miss Eric’s 2026 forecast!Our 2025 – American Railroading Podcast - Honor our Heroes Award winner is……You’ll have to listen to the end of the episode to find out. 😊If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review…and please Share the episode!LINKS MENTIONED:https://www.americanrailroading.nethttps://www.therevolutionrailgroup.com  https://www.youtube.com/@americanrailroadingpodcast https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dwalshX https://www.enviroserve.com https://www.ftrintel.com