When shareholders of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. gather next Thursday in Fort Worth, Tex., they will be saying farewell to the venerable railway's listing on the New York Stock Exchange. BNSF shareholders are poised to approve a friendly takeover bid from billionaire Warren Buffett's holding company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., clearing the path for the freight carrier's delisting and placing the investment spotlight on North America's five other major railways. Read more.

President Obama on Thursday awarded $8 billion in federal grants to start a nationwide high-speed rail system he hopes will create jobs and speed up U.S. travel. "There's no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains when we can build them right here in America," the president said at a town-hall meeting at the University of Tampa's Bob Martinez Sports Center in Florida, one 31 states that will receive grant money. Read more...