Siemens Alstom merger blocked by European Commission
‘Siemens and Alstom are both champions in the rail industry’, explained Commissioner in charge of competition policy Margrethe Vestager when she made the announcement on February 6. ‘Without sufficient remedies, this merger would have resulted in higher prices for the signalling systems that keep passengers safe and for the next generations of very high speed trains. The Commission prohibited the merger because the companies were not willing to address our serious competition concerns.’
Rail News - CN orders 60 more GE locomotives. For Railroad Career Professionals
CN orders 60 more GE locomotives

CN will purchase another 60 GE Transportation locomotives, expanding the Class I's 200-unit order placed in December 2017, the Class I and GE announced today.
For CN, a strong 2018 finish

CN President and CEO JJ Ruest.
CN, in reporting financial and operating results for fourth-quarter and full-year 2018, noted that the year ended on a strong note, “driven by solid top-line growth and significantly improved operating efficiency.”
Fourth-quarter 2018 compared to fourth-quarter 2017
- Revenues of C$3.81 billion, an increase of 16%.
- Diluted EPS of C$1.56, a decrease of 55% and adjusted diluted EPS of C$1.49, an increase of 24%. Included in diluted EPS in the fourth quarter of 2017 was a deferred income tax recovery of C$2.35 per diluted share resulting from the enactment of a lower U.S. federal corporate income tax rate.
- Operating margin of 38.1%, an increase of 0.8 points (operating ratio of 61.9%).)
- Adjusted operating margin of 38.8%, an increase of 1.5 points (adjusted operating ratio of 61.2%).
- Operating income of C$1.45 billion, an increase of 19%. (2)