NS helping Irma victims
The Norfolk Southern Foundation is donating $100,000 and will match certain NS employee gifts as part of efforts to help people recover from Hurricane Irma.
Author: William C. Vantuono
NTSB dockets opened for NJT, LIRR crashes
Dockets for the fatal Sept. 29, 2016, NJ Transit commuter rail collision in Hoboken, N.J., and the Jan. 4, 2017, Long Island Rail Road collision at the Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, New York, were opened to the public Sept. 21 by the National Transportation Safety Board as part of its ongoing investigations of the two accidents.
NJT touts safety initiatives
On Sept. 21, the same day the National Transportation Safety Board opened the docket on New Jersey Transit’s Sept. 29, 2016 Hoboken Terminal crash to the public, NJT announced it “has implemented a variety of rail safety upgrades over the past year and is looking at additional enhancements for the future, as part of its commitment to safety.”
HTI adds Watco to its PTC family
Watco Cos. LLC, a short line railroad holding and transportation services company based in Pittsburg, Kan., has selected Herzog Technologies, Inc. (HTI) to provide Positive Train Control (PTC) hosting services. HTI previously announced PTC hosting contracts with Tacoma, Wash.-based short line Tacoma Rail and Ohio-based regional Wheeling & Lake Erie.
RSI numbers: 260, 756, 44, 281
The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) unveiled an analysis of the economic role its 260-plus member companies play in the U.S. economy during Railway Interchange 2017 in Indianapolis. The analysis shows that RSI members represent more than 756 rail supply locations in 44 states in 281 congressional districts.
STB reschedules CSX hearing
The Surface Transportation Board has rescheduled its hearing on CSX Transportation, Inc.’s (CSXT) recent rail service problems for Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The hearing “will allow the Board to hear from CSXT about its service issues and recovery efforts, as well as hear from rail shippers and other stakeholders affected by service disruptions.”
Buncher heading Siemens Mobility
Siemens has named Marc Buncher President of Siemens Mobility Division in the U.S. and Canada. He will be based out of Siemens Mobility headquarters in New York, N.Y.
New from Amsted Rail: TrakMaster™
How many times can the three-piece freight car truck—which has been in use since the 19th century—be improved? For Amsted Rail, there appears to be no limit.
Aurora, the next generation
INDIANAPOLIS: Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) at Railway Interchange 2017 introduced Aurora Xiv™, the newest generation of its Aurora track (ties and ballast) inspection platform.
NS goes with Guardians for EOT
INDIANAPOLIS: Norfolk Southern has reached a preliminary agreement with Progress Rail, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., for Guardian End-of-Train (EOT) devices. Progress Rail, which announced the agreement at Railway Interchange 2017, will deliver the devices, described “state-of-the-art,” to NS for use on a portion of its fleet by the end of this year. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.