Author: William C. Vantuono

With Railway Age since 1992, William C. Vantuono has broadened and deepened the magazine's coverage of the technological revolution that is so swiftly changing the industry. He has also strengthened Railway Age’s leadership position in industry affairs with the conferences he conducts, among them Next-Generation Train Control, Light Rail, and Rail Insights. He is the author or co-author or editor of several books, among them All About Railroading; John Armstrong’s The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does; Railway Age’s Comprehensive Railroad Dictionary; and Planning, Engineering, and Operating Light Rail, With Applications in New Jersey.

Tier 4 Power For NJT River LINE

New Jersey Transit is upgrading its River LINE DLRVs (diesel light rail vehicles) with power plants from Cummins that adhere to current U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Tier 4 emissions standards for non-road engines. The River LINE fleet consists of 20 Swiss-built Stadler Rail GTW (Gelenktriebwagen, or “articulated railcar”) 2/6 DMUs (diesel multiple-units). The replacement engines are expected to reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions by at least 57%, lower particulate matter (PM) by 90%, and result in fuel savings of 10% to 15%.

“The Sky Isn’t Falling”: Cowen Reports

Three recently released Cowen and Company reports—Fourth-Quarter 2019 Rail Equipment Survey and Rail Shipper Survey, and Rail Estimates—indicates that, though times are tough and rail freight traffic in most sectors has not begun to recover, “the sky isn’t falling.” Here’s what Cowen Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason H. Seidl, along with analysts Matt Elkott and Adam Kramer, see it.

AHSI: Big Data For Better Asset Health

The railroad industry estimates that advances in fault detection technology are preventing more than 700 road failures monthly on the North American system, based on 2019 preliminary statistics. Among the efforts to identify the causes of failure and further understand issues that affect freight rail performance and safety is the Association of American Railroads Asset Health Strategic Initiative (AHSI), data from which is shared with Railinc.

For CN, NorFalco, More Sulfuric Acid Trips

CN has signed a new multi-year agreement with NorFalco Sales, a division of Glencore Canada Corp., to provide freight transportation of sulfuric acid from NorFalco’s rail-served production facilities in Sudbury, Ontario, and Rouyn-Noranda and Valleyfield, Quebec.

RSI Equipment Leasing Committee Names Zander Chairman

The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) Equipment Leasing Committee has named TrinityRail Senior Vice President Harry Zander as its new chairman. Zander, a long-time railcar leasing professional, brings 29 years of railcar leasing experience to the role, beginning with Chrysler Capital and including stints at GE Capital, Mitsui and Macquarie.

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OmniTRAX Appoints Russell SVP

OmniTRAX, an affiliate of The Broe Group, has named rail industry veteran Rob Russell as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Commercial Strategy, reporting to Chief Strategy Officer Pierre-Luc Mathieu. Russell, the company said, “will be a key leader supporting the continued growth and development of the OmniTRAX franchise.”

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VIDEO: Pat Ottensmeyer, 2020 Railroader of the Year

The 57th annual recipient of Railway Age’s Railroader of the Year Award is Kansas City Southern President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, a leader in positioning North American railroads as a critical part of the globally competitive, integrated supply chain. In this interview with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono, Ottensmeyer talks about his efforts on behalf of the North American rail industry to support mutually beneficial trade and robust economic growth to help ensure that the rail industry has a voice, working with public- and private-sector leaders to strengthen bilateral commercial ties.

FRA Offering $26.3MM in FAST Funding: UPDATE

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has extended the deadline and increased available money originally announced Nov. 6 when it issued a NOFO (Notice of Funding Opportunity) for $24 million in Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019 Restoration and Enhancement Grants for “initiating, restoring, or enhancing intercity passenger rail service. The funding is made available through the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

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Virginia, CSX, Amtrak Get Serious About Passenger Rail

Amtrak trains will operate almost every hour between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Va., within 10 years under a landmark $3.7 billion agreement involving the Commonwealth of Virginia, CSX and Amtrak that will expand passenger rail service in the region and other parts of the state, improve CSX’s capacity, and cost far less than one-third of an interstate highway expansion, according to a Dec. 19 Richmond Times-Dispatch report.