At its annual meeting in New York on Oct. 12, the American Public Transportation Association board of directors appointed HDR Global Transit Director Tom Waldron to a three-year, At-Large Business Member term on the organization’s 25-member Executive Committee.
According to Cowen and Company freight transportation analysts Jason Seidl (Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor), Matt Elkott and Adam Kramer, inquiries about new railcars appear to have risen slightly in the past month, while locomotive modernizations should remain solid, in the midst of a continuing weak new-build market. Industry-wide Precision Scheduled Railroading implementation has not been tested in a volume growth environment.
Railroads in many ways are unique because, regardless of how many years they’ve been in business, there is usually a storied history that can be recalled. The best way to do that is by applying classic paint schemes from predecessor companies, or “fallen flags,” to the railroad’s most visible public faces—its locomotives, among the largest land vehicles anywhere. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, among others, have done this to much acclaim. Now, New Jersey Transit, which I like to call my “home” railroad, has joined the fold, and the results, in my opinion, are simply beautiful, inspiring.
After attending the North East Association of Rail Shippers (NEARS) Fall Conference in Burlington, Vt., Cowen and Company Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl “came away with the view that while economic growth is sluggish, most do not expect a full-blown recession. In addition, several railroad executives admitted that the rails need to do a better job marketing to and servicing their customers. It was clear that Class I’s, short lines, and shippers need to do a better job of working together if rail wants to take share from the trucking space in the future.”
CSX has made several changes in its sales and marketing leadership team, promoting Farrukh Bezar to Senior Vice President Marketing and Arthur Adams to Vice President Merchandise Sales. Vice President Industrial Products Dean Piacente and Vice President Food and Agricultural Products Tim McNulty are retiring following more than 30 years of service.
CSX has appointed Kevin Boone as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Jamie Boychuk as Executive Vice President Operations. Ed Harris, who previously led the Operations function, will continue as Executive Vice President Operations with a combination of operating and general executive responsibilities.
The relationship between railroads and shippers is “dysfunctional” and is not set up for 21st century transportation needs, according to a recent study, and reported by supply chain logistics publication DC Velocity. Following is the staff report prepared by DC Velocity:
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has taken all of its new CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corp.) MA-built Orange Line rapid transit cars out of service to install replacement door bump stops after one door leaf opened on one car while its six-car trainset was in motion, according to a report by MASSLive. The trainset went into emergency braking automatically and stopped, according to the MBTA. No injuries were reported.
RAILWAY AGE, SEPTEMBER 2019 ISSUE: The passenger rail market in the U.S. is, in a word, “challenging.” Many would say “problematic.” Aside from funding that’s entirely dependent on government, today’s market is deeply affected by partisan politics and stringent manufacturing requirements—who builds what, and where—among other concerns. Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono spoke with Siemens Mobility President USA and Canada Marc Buncher about how this Germany-based but undeniably North American supplier views the market.
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and CloudMoyo, a provider of AI (artificial intelligence)-based management technologies, have launched a new education initiative consisting of webinars “focused on using next-generation technologies to address key challenges and opportunities for short line and regional railroads, driving operational efficiencies, increasing revenue, and ensuring workplace safety and compliance with regulations.”
