STB Moves Rail-Service Data to Open Portal, Retires Spreadsheet After 2026

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has made rail-service performance datasets associated with EP 724 available through its Open Data Portal. The move changes how shippers, contractors, analysts, and other users access published information; it does not end the underlying reporting program. Class I rail carriers remain subject to weekly performance-data reporting, and the agency’s notice concerns the distribution format used by data consumers rather than the carriers’ obligation to submit information.

STB plans to discontinue its consolidated “All Class I Railroads” spreadsheet after December 31, 2026. That gives organizations a transition period to identify where the spreadsheet is used, locate equivalent datasets in the portal, and revise recurring downloads, data pipelines, dashboards, or analytical tools. The notice was published on November 6, 2026; it described 55 days remaining before the stated year-end discontinuation date. The agency also flagged a planned STB website maintenance window on November 6, 2026, which users may need to account for when accessing online resources.

For government contractors and companies supporting freight-dependent programs, reliable rail-performance information can inform freight planning, supplier analysis, transportation risk assessments, and contract decisions. A discontinued file may affect internal reporting or commercial tools if those workflows depend on the consolidated spreadsheet’s structure or delivery path. Users should check how the portal presents the EP 724 datasets, confirm that required fields and reporting periods can be retrieved, and test any replacement process before relying on it for time-sensitive decisions.

The shift is also relevant to data-service providers and contractors that build logistics analytics, supply-chain monitoring, or transportation research products. They should assess whether existing integrations rely on the spreadsheet’s filename, format, update cadence, or aggregation across carriers, then make any necessary changes to ingestion and quality-control procedures. The source notice does not announce a new procurement, award, or change to carrier reporting standards; its immediate operational impact is the need for data users to transition access methods. STB directs users with questions or issues related to rail-service data to its data contact channels.