v3.25.4
Nature of Operations
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Nature of Operations Nature of Operations
Operations and segmentation – We are a Class I railroad operating in the U.S. Our network includes 32,889 route miles, connecting Pacific Coast and Gulf Coast ports with the Midwest and Eastern U.S. gateways and providing several corridors to key Mexican and Canadian gateways. We own 26,294 miles and operate on the remainder pursuant to trackage rights or leases. We serve the western two-thirds of the country and maintain coordinated schedules with other rail carriers for the handling of freight to and from the Atlantic Coast, the Pacific Coast, the Southeast, the Southwest, Canada, and Mexico. Export and import traffic is moved through Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast, and East Coast ports and across the Mexican and Canadian borders.
The Railroad, along with its subsidiaries and rail affiliates, is our one reportable operating segment. Although we provide and analyze revenues by commodity group, we treat the financial results of the Railroad as one segment due to the integrated nature of our rail network. The accounting policies of the Railroad segment are the same as those described in Note 2 Significant Accounting Policies.
The Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) is our Chief Executive Officer. The CODM assesses performance for our rail network and decides how to allocate resources based on net income as reported on our Consolidated Statements of Income. The measure of segment assets is reported on our Consolidated Statements of Financial Position as total assets.
Our operating revenues are primarily derived from contracts with customers for the transportation of freight from origin to destination. Although our revenues are principally derived from customers domiciled in the U.S., the ultimate points of origination or destination for some products we transport are outside the U.S. Freight revenues from each of our commodity groups, as described in the table below, includes revenues from shipments to and from Mexico, which amounted to $2.9 billion in 2025, $3.0 billion in 2024, and $2.8 billion in 2023. Our significant segment expenses as monitored by the CODM are shown in the table below. This breakout of revenues and expenses is used by the CODM to monitor and assess the financial performance of our rail network by comparing actual results to prior years and plans.
Millions202520242023
Bulk$7,586 $7,207 $7,358 
Industrial8,604 8,440 8,238 
Premium7,030 7,164 6,975 
Total freight revenues$23,220 $22,811 $22,571 
Other subsidiary revenues718 788 872 
Accessorial revenues475 554 584 
Other97 97 92 
Total operating revenues$24,510 $24,250 $24,119 
Operating [a] [c]6,816 6,793 6,727 
Administrative [a] [c]735 760 763 
Locomotive fuel2,335 2,418 2,815 
Acquisition-related (Note 20)72 
Other segment items [b] [c]2,241 2,168 2,414 
Depreciation2,465 2,398 2,318 
Other income, net(629)(350)(491)
Interest expense1,309 1,269 1,340 
Income tax expense2,028 2,047 1,854 
Net income$7,138 $6,747 $6,379 
[a]    Operating and Administrative includes compensation and benefits, purchased services and materials, equipment and other rents, non-locomotive fuel, and other expenses.
[b]    Other segment items includes car hire and leases, casualty costs, property taxes, subsidiary expense, and other overhead expense.
[c]    Prior periods have been recast to reflect the presentation of the CODM's review in the current year.
Basis of presentation – The Consolidated Financial Statements are presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (GAAP) as codified in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC).