The recent 10th anniversary of 9/11 gave us all pause to think about those tragic events and reflect on whether life is different today because of them. On Sept. 12, 2001, national security and protecting America became the new priority for our society. Across all spectrums people got on with the task of addressing homeland security.
Though not the only mode on display, streetcars dominated the APTA Expo 2011 floor show. Bombardier, Siemens, Kinkisharyo, Kawasaki, Brookville Equipment Corp., and United Streetcar all showed prototypes.
In Abraham Lincoln’s day, the Illinois Central line linking Chicago with Springfield, Ill., and St. Louis was preferred for passenger service because, of the five major lines that connected the two major Midwest cities, it offered the straightest, flattest, most direct route. Lincoln himself used it to travel from Springfield to Chicago.
Improved technology from suppliers backs up a continuing campaign to keep accident trends going in the right direction.
The FRA and the AAR’s Safety Appliance Task Force have joined forces to improve these safety-critical pieces of hardware. The FRA recently amended regulations related to safety appliance arrangements on railroad equipment.
In-service failures of large freight car castings have resulted in a comprehensive review of the specifications governing their manufacture, inspection, and repair.
L.B. Foster Co. is delivering rail and trackwork products valued at $3.4 million for the construction of 8.5 miles of track at the new Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes Star Steel pipe mill in Youngstown, Ohio. The contractor is Wintrow Construction of Barberton, Ohio.
Members of three more unions have ratified new contracts with U.S. freight railroads, it was announced Tuesday.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority says its new FASTRACK maintenance strategy has produced ” unprecedented productivity gains.” Under that strategy, while lines are closed overnight for track maintenance, a first for a 108-year-old subway system that has taken pride in running its trains 24/7.
Faiveley Transport says it has signed an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Graham‐White, a designer and manufacturer of compressed air drying technology and brake components for locomotives and rail transit markets.
Green Bay, Wis.-based Schneider National, Inc., announced Tuesday it has signed a new, multiyear agreement with CSX Transportation, under which the Class I railroad will serve as one of Schneider’s primary rail providers. The agreement sets the stage for sustained, long-term service within the Eastern U.S. as Schneider’s intermodal freight volumes continue to increase, the company said.
Chesapeake, Va.-based INIT Innovations in Transportation, Inc. said Tuesday that, in partnership with Simtech, LLC, a supplier of customized electronic products, it has opened Superior Quality Manufacturing (SQM) to produce a variety of electronic modules and devices featuring components such as computer boards and LED panels.
Fairport, N.Y.-based RailComm said Monday it has upgraded its existing yard system at BNSF Corwith’s mechanical facility in Chicago.
Representatives of InnoTrans 2012 note the deadline for registering is Feb. 15, “only four weeks,” for the event, set on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds in Germany Sept. 18-21.
Registration is now open for this year’s Railroad Day on Capitol Hill, set for Thursday, March 8. Attendance is open to all Class I, II, and III railroad personnel, shippers, state and local government representatives, as well as members from the supplier community with an interest in furthering the political goals of the railroad industry.
Norfolk Southern has loaded the largest volume cargo in the history of its Pier 6 coal transloading facility at Lamberts Point in Norfolk, Va. Early on Jan. 12, NS finished loading 159,941.45 net tons (145,097.93 metric tons) of metallurgical coal into the M/V Cape Dover, destined for China. That quantity can be used to make about 207,000 tons of steel, or enough to build 230,000 automobiles.
When you talk with Kansas City Southern President and CEO David L. Starling about how KCS, the smallest Class I in mileage, has extended its reach and developed new frontiers, you quickly find out that “making the right connections” has a whole new meaning.
In long-range perspective, the story of North American passenger rail is one of extraordinary growth. The story isn’t over.
Hunter Harrison, CN’s iconic former chief executive and a Railway AgeRailroader of the Year recipient who is now retired in Florida raising show horses, has been approached to run Canadian Pacific Railway.
On Jan. 3 the Railway Supply Institute noted a lobbying effort by the trucking industry could encourage Congress to increase truck sizes and/or truck weight on the nation’s roadways in the next surface transportation bill, now being considered; in both the House and the Senate.RSI calls this effort “the biggest threat we have seen in more than 20 years.”
