Railinc Corp. announced Wednesday that it has launched a Railinc TrainFaxTM website that now delivers current rail equipment information in a single report designed for equipment owners, lessees, investors, insurers, inspectors, and other professionals conducting asset-related research.
Bombardier Transportation said Wednesday that it, in consortium with China Railway Signal & Communication Corp. (CRSC), has won two further orders from Pakistan Railways (PR) to install INTERFLO 200 mainline signaling on connecting
Li Rose Cheng, a Senior System Software Engineer at Portec Rail Products Inc. subsidiary Salient Systems Inc. since 1997, has been promoted to Vice President, Business Development-Asia, with responsibility for all facets
A report posted Tuesday by the Surface Transportation Board shows that BNSF led the “Big Four” Class I railroads in rate of return for the 12 months ended March 1. BNSF posted an ROI
Gunderson LLC, a unit of The Greenbrier Cos., said Monday it will appeal a plan adopted by Portland, Ore., to protect the Willamette River, claiming the plan inflicts economic hardship on businesses
Cincinnati’s City Council Finance Committee Monday voted to borrow $64 million to begin building a streetcar line, paving the way for a vote by the full City Council, expected to occur Wednesday. The
In a move encouraged by the White House to boost the thinning ranks of organized labor, the National Mediation Board announced Monday that it had adopted a rule that would approve a
The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend two existing rules, “Track Safety Standards” and “Passenger Equipment Safety Standards,” specifically, those sections applicable to high speed
Amtrak has launched a biofuel pilot program on its Heartland Flyer, linking Fort Worth, Tex., and Oklahoma City, adding beef-based components to diesel fuel. Amtrak is conducting a 12-month test, supported by
At a special meeting, the Houston Metropolitan Transporation Authority Board of Directors accepted the resignation of President and CEO Frank J. Wilson (top), and authorized Chairman Gilbert Garcia to sign a Mutual Termination
Canadian National and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference/Rail Canada Traffic Controllers (TCRC/RCTC) jointly announced Monday that TCRC/RCTC members have ratified a new three-year labor agreement. The contract, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2009,
Cattron Group International, a global manufacturer of remote control products and professional services for the industrial, mining, commercial mobile, and railroad markets, said Friday it had launched a new website, www.cattrongroup.com. The company,
Metra Executive Director Philip A. Pagano, who has been under investigation for financial misconduct, was struck and killed by a Metra train in Crystal Lake, Ill., Friday morning. The Crystal Lake police
The North American Section of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE-NAS) isholding its Annual General Meeting and Mini Conference on Monday, May 17, beginning at 1:00 p.m., in Omaha, prior to
Alstom Transportation, Inc. President Roelof van Ark has been named the new chief executive officer of the California High Speed Rail Authority.
Van Ark’s appointment is backed by those who note he has served both Alstom and Erlangen, Germany-based Siemens AG, major potential suppliers for any U.S. high speed rail effort. Critics, however, suggest those very qualifications could put van Ark at a disadvantage, possibly a conflict of interest, should either of the two companies be considered for the project.
Van Ark succeeds Mehdi Morshed, who stepped down from his role as executive director in March after spending 11 years to advance HSR in California. According to a CHSRA news release, his $375,000 annual salary is “substantially less than his current compensation in the private sector.”
“California is leading the nation in high speed rail,” van Ark said. “I have seen how high speed rail projects transform the places where they have been built, creating incredible new opportunities by connecting the world s great cities. As someone who has devoted his career to this industry, there’s no doubt in my mind that California is the place to be, and I’’m honored to be given the opportunity to work with all partners to move California’s high speed train project forward."
Van Ark has been president at Alstom Transportation Inc. for the past five years, and he previously served as president of Aviation Security for Invision Technologies Inc. Prior to that he spent more than 20 years as an executive, managing director, general manager, senior technical manager, and senior project engineer for Siemens, manufacturer of Germany’s ICE high speed trains. While with Siemens, van Ark worked in Germany, South Africa, and most recently in Sacramento, where he served as president and CEO of Siemens Transportation Systems from 1999-2002. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Efforts to establish streetcar or light rail service in Wisconsin’s largest city, stymied for years by state and county opposition, got a boost Thursday when a Milwaukee study committee, in a 3-1 vote, approved preliminary engineering on a $95.8 million streetcar for downtown.
Carload and intermodal rail traffic continued to gain ground in all three reporting North American nations for the week ended May 1, 2010, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday. AAR noted
On May 5, a cadre of crusading railroad customers led by CURE (Consumers United for Rail Equity) and enjoying the rapt attention of a cabal of Washington legislators determined to re-regulate the
The third annual National Train Day, hosted by Amtrak, kicks off on Friday, May 7, with a ceremony at New York’s Penn Station. Actor and railroad enthusiast Taye Diggs (star of “Private
The BlueGreen Alliance and the Economic Policy Institute have released a new study, “Full Speed Ahead: Creating Green Jobs Through Freight Rail Expansion,” which states that continued investment in freight rail “can
