Outlet profile

Railway Age

U.S. trade press, pro-railroad industry

Owned bySimmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, a privately held, family-controlled B2B publisher based in New York City. It also publishes Railway Track & Structures, Railway Age's sister titles, and others, and in 2006 it acquired Davison Publishing.

FundingMainly advertising and sponsorships from railroads, suppliers and contractors. It also earns money from subscriptions, events, conferences and directories.

On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

Railway Age traces its roots to 1856, when it began in Chicago as the Western Railroad Gazette. It was renamed the Railroad Gazette in 1870. In 1908 William H. Boardman and E. A. Simmons formed Simmons-Boardman Publishing, which merged the Railroad Gazette with Railway Age. The title became Railway Age Gazette in 1909 and Railway Age in 1918. Simmons bought out Boardman's holdings in 1912 and became majority owner. The company has stayed privately held and now publishes several rail trade titles. Its editorial perspective is that of the industry it covers. It reports on operations, equipment, regulation and finance, and it often takes positions on rail policy that favor the railroad business, including freight railroads. As a trade publication that depends on industry advertising, it tends to treat government actions mainly in terms of their effect on railroads. It is not a general-interest outlet and is not known for partisan reporting. I could not verify specific recent editorials on the second Trump administration, so the stance label reflects its general trade-press approach rather than a reviewed record.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-10-28; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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