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.

Ken Lawson, 1928-2019

Kenneth Leslie Lawson, who enjoyed a distinguished career in railway engineering, planning and research and development, died at his home Bluemont, Va., June 19, 2019. He was 90.

Wells Fargo Rail, New York & Atlantic on the Violet Edge

Car and locomotive lessor Wells Fargo Rail and Anacostia Rail Holdings Class III property New York & Atlantic Railway have ordered Wi-Tronix Violet Edge onboard technology, which includes Connected Event Recorder, PTC Event Recorder and Digital Video Recorder (DVR), all based on a robust Internet of Things (IoT) platform designed specifically for the rail industry. “Advanced technology enables remote access to synchronized information, in addition to a suite of analytic tools and actionable alerts that make rail operations safer,” Wi-Tronix noted.

Yet another attempt at legislating crew size

Two U.S. Senators, both Democrats, on June 26 introduced the Safe Freight Act of 2019, a bill whose intent is to mandate two-person crews on all freight trains in the U.S. The bill resurrects two previous, and failed, attempts at legislating crew size—H.R. 233, the Safe Freight Act of 2017, introduced by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska); and S. 2360, a Senate version introduced by former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.Dak.). The current Senate bill has not yet been assigned a number.

Thales SelTrac™ selected for Finch West LRT

Mosaic Transit Group (MTG) has awarded Thales a contract for a SelTrac™ Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) signaling system for the new Finch West LRT in northwest Toronto. MTG’s contract is a DBFM (design, build, finance, maintain) project awarded by Metrolinx, with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) as operator. The project is slated for completion and revenue service in 2023, and includes a 30-year maintenance service contract that will be performed by MTG.

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“Stay on Route” iPhone app for blind/visually impaired

James Grice, a second-year University of Kent (Britain) Business School BSc (Bachelor of Science) Management student, has launched a new iPhone app designed to help make rail travel more accessible for blind and visually impaired travelers by alerting them when their train is nearing a station stop, ensuring that they don’t miss it.

Padgette named CCJPA Managing Director

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) named Rob Padgette to be its new Managing Director, effective July 1, 2019. He will oversee management and operations of the 170-mile Capitol Corridor regional/commuter rail system, replacing David Kutrosky, who is stepping down after nearly 10 years at the helm, Padgette first joined the CCJPA as Deputy Managing Director in January 2018.

Ryberg named TC&W AVP

The Twin Cities & Western Railroad Co. has promoted Tina Ryberg to Assistant Vice President Administration and Operations, based at the railroad’s headquarters in Glencoe, Minn. Ryberg oversees multiple departments including transportation/operations, maintenance-of-way, mechanical, safety, accounting, human resource, and administration.

UPDATED: New House bill includes 45G extension

The House Ways & Means Committee on June 20 favorably reported-out H.R. 3301,the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019. The 45G railroad infrastructure maintenance tax credit is covered in Section 112, which extends 45G to Jan. 1, 2021 and retroactively to Jan. 1, 2018. (45G expired on Dec. 31, 2017.)

Baun joins MULR as CCO

Rail industry veteran Theodore W. “Ted” Baun will be joining MUL Railcars, Inc. (MULR), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Company Limited (MUL), as Chief Commercial Officer, effective July 1. He will be responsible for fleet utilization, revenue generation and customer support operations, as well as “playing an integral role as part of the corporate leadership of MULR in planning and architecting the growth of the platform and the fleet as we drive toward our near-term objective of having a 25,000-car portfolio by the end of 2020,” the company said.