Siemen’s’ Mobility division will be transferred into a legally separate company owned by Siemens in anticipation of its merger with Alstom, as part of a Siemens’ company-wide restructuring announced on August 1.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has approved Railroad Software’s TrackAsset application for electronic capture of signal inspections, as outlined in FRA 49 CFR §§ 234.273 and 236.110. TrackAsset “provides visibility for signal maintainers and maintenance-of-way employees to easily track upcoming inspections and generate work orders to complete them,” the company says.
Rajant Corp., a provider of mobile wireless mesh networks, has entered into a strategic partnership with Wabtec Corp. to jointly develop and market Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh® wireless networking products to rail operators worldwide. Wabtec has made a minority equity investment in Rajant.
The European Commission (EC) has launched an “in-depth” investigation into the merger of Siemens Mobility and Alstom amid concerns that the combination may adversely affect competition in the signaling and rolling stock markets.
The late Louis W. Menk once said that locomotive engineers were “nothing more than glorified truck drivers.” Those words stuck in my head throughout my 35-year railroad career—mostly spent as a locomotive engineer. To be quite honest, the thought of them angered me every time I climbed into the cab of my locomotive. I was determined to prove him wrong—to be the best damn engineer in the world.
New from PTSI Transportation is an upgraded digital version of its multi-media Route Learning System™, described as “an enhanced physical characteristics training tool.”
BNSF announced in December 2017 that it had fully installed and was operating under Positive Train Control (PTC) on all mandated subdivisions in advance of the Dec. 31, 2018 interim federal deadline. However, on June 13, it submitted a request to the Federal Railroad Administration for an alternative schedule, a two-year extension to Dec. 31, 2020, because “full implementation status cannot be achieved until all non-BNSF trains and/or equipment operating on its PTC-equipped lines are also PTC-compliant.”
A few weeks ago, the Federal Railroad Administration asked for input from the rail industry and the public about the role automation and artificial intelligence (AI) can play in rail. It is a sign that FRA recognizes the rail industry will need to leverage technology to safely and efficiently transport more freight and passengers by rail in the coming decades across the U.S.
Amtrak, working with BNSF, will the week of June 11 implement Positive Train Control (PTC) on BNSF-owned subdivisions that host the Southwest Chief and California Zephyr, marking the first activation on host-owned territory used by Amtrak. Full PTC activation on BNSF routes that host these two long-distance trains is expected by the end of August.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will hold three symposia in Washington, D.C., throughout the summer to answer questions and address best practices surrounding the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC). The first