Crosstie Tech: What’s New, What’s Next
RAILWAY AGE APRIL 2024 ISSUE: Suppliers provide a market outlook on these foundational supports.
news
Total Fleet Increase
RAILWAY AGE, APRIL 2024 ISSUE: Railinc’s analysis of the North American revenue-earning fleet reveals that the total fleet increased in 2023 with almost all car types accounting for the gain. One of
FURSST for Safety and Security
TTC OPERATED BY ENSCO, RAILWAY AGE APRIL 2024 ISSUE: The Facility for Underground Rail Security and Safety Testing (FURSST) at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC), also known as the “Underground Tunnel,” is
Commentary
May 8, a Pivotal Day, Then and Now
May 8 is a big day in railroad history. The transcontinental railroad was completed on May 8, 1869. It was a remarkable achievement that profoundly changed the country by opening the western
Commentary
Innovate or Die?
RAILWAY AGE APRIL 2024 ISSUE: “Long COVID” for America’s regional/commuter railroads is restricting post-pandemic progress speed.
Commentary
FRA Crew Size Rule: Politics Prevail (Updated With Additional Commentary)
The Federal Railroad Administration on April 2 issued a final rule, 49 CFR Part 218 [Docket No. FRA-2021-0032, Notice No. 5], RIN 2130-AC88, Train Crew Size Safety Requirements “establishing minimum safety requirements
Class I Briefs: BNSF, CN, NS, UP
BNSF releases 2023 economic development results. Also, CN earns a UPS service award; Norfolk Southern (NS) acquires a Chicago transload and warehouse facility and receives an $8.4 million Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) grant for its McDonough passing track improvement project; and Union Pacific (UP) Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales Kenny Rocker provides a railroad status report.
MSE, W&LE, EIRR Accept Railway Age Awards
Mississippi Export Railroad (MSE) and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Company (W&LE) accepted Railway Age’s 2024 Short Line and Regional Railroads of the Year Awards at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association
TOD Planning Projects to Receive $17.6MM
Twenty projects—10 rail-related—will share $17.6 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants through the Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning.
Savage Names EVP, Chief People and Strategy Officer
NJ Pesci is the new Executive Vice President and Chief People and Strategy Officer at Utah-based Savage, a global provider of engineering and construction, operations and maintenance, rail, trucking, marine, and terminal
STB Appoints Inaugural PRAC Members (UPDATED 4/2)
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on March 28 named 21 voting members to the newly formed Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC).
OLI Awards $220K for Rail Safety Campaigns
Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh, has awarded $220,000 in competitive rail safety awareness grants to Operation Lifesaver programs in
NJT Deploying AI Systems to Boost Grade Crossing Safety
New Jersey Transit (NJT) will use a $1.6 million federal grant to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered systems that it said would help improve safety by reducing accidents at light rail grade crossings and on rights-of-way.
STB Approves Construction of 11-Mile Utah Rail Line (UPDATED 4/3)
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on April 1 signed off on Savage Tooele Railroad Company’s proposal to build and operate approximately 11 miles of rail line in Tooele County, Utah, subject to certain environmental mitigation conditions.
USDOT OIG to FRA: Improve HOS, Fatigue Management Oversight Procedures
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) needs to improve procedures and planning as part of its oversight of railroad Hours of Service (HOS) compliance and passenger railroad fatigue management requirements, according to an
Railway Age’s April 2024 Digital Edition On Line
The April 2024 issue of Railway Age is now available digitally, with special reports on passenger rail post-pandemic and on safety from the freight rail industry’s top thought leaders.
Transit Briefs: MBTA, NCDOT, NYMTA, BART
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) plans a low-income fare program and graduates another large class of heavy rail (rapid transit) engineers. Also, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) revises the design for a new passenger railcar maintenance facility; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will pilot firearm detection technology; and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) reports a surge in arrests.
STB Briefs: IANR, BGNR
In separate rulings, the Surface Transportation Board denied Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s petition seeking reconsideration of the Board’s prior decision to classify CN’s acquisition of Iowa Northern a “minor transaction”; and extended
Watch: BNSF Implementing Virtual Reality Training
BNSF is including immersive technology in its mechanical training programs to help keep workers safe and improve role readiness, the Class I reported March 29.
Commentary
REF 2024: Tight Market Feeds Mixed Temperament
FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE APRIL 2024 ISSUE: At the Rail Equipment Finance Conference (REF) in March 2024, a tight rental market combined with lower new car build levels and listlessness in merchandise,