Railroad purchases of new wood crossties dropped 5.6% in 2009 to 19.60 million and are expected to decline a further 1.3% this year to 19,37 million, according to the Railway Tie Association’s latest forecast.
In recent years, machine-vision technology has found applications in the railway industry in detectors such as wheel profile measurement (WPM) systems and brake shoe measurement (BSM) systems. This type of technology enhances the inspection process by providing historical data that can be used for defect trending and preventative maintenance. The potential to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of car inspections by utilizing advanced technologies to enhance the railcar inspection process offers an opportunity to lower costs and increase productivity.
Doublestack clearance projects are central to the Heartland Corridor and Crescent Corridor projects. Domestic intermodal, says Wick Moorman, “is going to be a driver of the industry’s growth.”
As job locations and residential housing patterns shift throughout Chicagoland, Metra continues to thrive, and continues preparing to expand, setting an example other regional railroads might envy.
Fulfilling a promise made by President Obama roughly 10 months ago (RA, May 2009, pp. 11-14), the Federal Railroad Administration late last month awarded nearly all of its $8 billion “down payment” in high speed rail funding.
Multiple forces in a freight train can damage cargo, at high cost. Modern load securement devices can mitigate them.
Roadway worker protection—preventing casualties or injuries caused by moving trains to maintenance-of-way and bridge workers and signal maintainers operating within their limits of authority—is among the primary requirements of Positive Train Control.
The deadline is fast approaching for nominations advocating the stellar short line and regional railroads of 2010; Railway Age is accepting nominations for its annual Short Line/Regional Railroad of the Year competition
Lexington, Mass.-based RailRunner, N.A., Inc., Friday announced it has received an investment of $13.4 million through a private placement. U.S. Boston Capital Corp. acted as the placement agent, the company said. RailRunner, a developer
Fairport, N.Y.-based RailComm has been chosen to complete the Yard Automation System at Transnet’s Kimberley Yard in South Africa. The automation system will be comprised of RailComm’s DOC® (Domain Operations Controller) server-based
Support for a healthy national rail network is vital to sustaining more than a million jobs and powering U.S economic recovery, according to numerous freight rail representatives, their passenger rail counterparts, local
Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was down slightly during the week ended Feb. 20, in comparison with the corresponding week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads. AAR cited “a sharp
Jacksonville, Fla.-based RailAmerica, Inc. Thursday reported a fourth-quarter earnings loss of $12.5 million, or 24 cents per share, compared with the company’s earnings of $6.0 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, for
Chicago Transit Authority labor leaders have reacted strongly to CTA management demands for “givebacks,” and have filed work-rule complaints while promising to follow up with lawsuits if necessary. The move by the
Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman says the National Railroad Passenger Corp. will require similar liability protection that Florida has offered Class I railroad CSX Corp. if Amtrak is to continue serving
By Keith Hartwell A friend of mine, a camp counselor as a teenager, often recounts an early learning experience. He was in charge of 10 eight-year-old boys. His primary disciplinary phrase
By William C. Vantuono, Editor While Florida and California’s high speed rail projects are getting the most attention in the media (probably because 200-mph passenger trains are considered a whole lot more
Austin, Tex.’s Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has set March 1 as a target date to begin test runs of its oft-delayed 32-mile Austin-to-Leander rail line and diesel multiple-unit (DMU) equipment built by
Bombardier Transportation said Wednesday it had won a tender for the new regional double-deck trains organized by the French Railways (SNCF) on behalf of the French Regions. The framework contract calls for
A report released Wednesday by the Surface Transportation Board shows that Class I railroad employment fell to 145,609 in mid-January 2010, a loss of 8.72%, or 13,902 jobs, since January 2009. The biggest loser
