OmniTRAX on Nov. 9 announced that its affiliate Newburgh & South Shore Railroad (NSR) has deployed its first all-battery electric locomotive. According to OmniTRAX, the new AMPS Traction G9—the first electric locomotive
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Nov. 13 announced that it has determined it “necessary and in the public interest” to establish a Federal advisory committee on passenger rail service.
RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE: Why New Jersey Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) is a DBOM (Design-Build-Operate-Maintain) model deployment.
RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE: Since 2017, Railway Age has celebrated women leaders who break down barriers and create opportunities for the next generation. This year, 23 honorees and five honorable mentions were selected from more than 100 Women in Rail awards candidates by judges Barbara Wilson and KellyAnne Gallagher, with input from the Railway Age staff. These visionaries from all levels of North American railroading are not only excelling in their respective fields, but also making an impact in the historically male-dominated freight, transit and supply sectors; supporting and inspiring more women to join the industry; and serving their communities. Congratulations to these women whose accomplishments are presented here.
Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced Nov. 8 that he will “require private rail companies that mostly carry freight to offer passenger service or else have the government schedule its own trains on their tracks,” according to an Associated Press (AP) report.
RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE: Under the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Strategic Research Initiative (SRI) Program, MxV Rail and the End-of-Car (EOC) Energy Management Task Force of the AAR’s Equipment Engineering Committee (EEC) are developing a combined testing and modeling approach to evaluate draft system performance.
RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE: Both are essential for a rugged, lasting railway.
NJ Transit unveils its latest heritage locomotive. Also, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) launches an improved web interface; the second Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago (TCMC) passenger train is on hold until 2024; Mobile forwards a lease agreement to Amtrak for a stop in Alabama; and Omaha reveals the first phase of its streetcar design.
Northern Lines Railway (NLR) recently announced that Quentin Schulte has joined the short line railroad as General Manager, bringing a “wealth of railroad operating experience” along with “enthusiasm for a new challenge.”
The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. on Nov. 9 published its fifth-annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report.
Tideworks Technology® Inc. (Tideworks), a full-service provider of comprehensive terminal operating system (TOS) solutions, on Nov. 8 announced that BNSF Railway (BNSF) is now live with Tideworks Intermodal Pro® intermodal TOS and Traffic Control™ equipment dispatch system at BNSF’s Memphis facility.
FROM THE EDITOR, RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE: Congratulations to Class III Iowa Traction Railway (IATR) for receiving the inaugural National Railway Historical Society, Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures “Outstanding Railroad Historic Preservation Award,” the intent of which is “to honor and recognize a North American common-carrier railroad for a historically significant preservation project.”
WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE: Napoleon Bonaparte observed that “the torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided.” Union Army General George B. McClellan was so tormented that he failed to pursue the Confederate army more aggressively. Most recently, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) appears afflicted with the torment—immobilized to take definitive action to protect captive shippers (those lacking effective transportation alternatives to a single railroad) from rail market power abuse.
The number of police incidents impacting San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) service is declining. Also, rail planning and operations software has been selected for Metrolinx’s GO Rail Expansion–On-Corridor Works program; and Southern California’s Metrolink schedules a temporary service outage to complete a three-year modernization project.
RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE: High-production, computer-driven track machines and inspection vehicles perform one of the most critical of maintenance-of-way functions: keeping ballast in a state-of-good-repair to provide a smooth-running surface with excellent drainage.
FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE: This month’s “Financial Edge” almost did not make it into the November issue of Railway Age. Why? Overindulgence was the reason for the delay. Halloween? Harvest Celebration? The reason was more urbane, and the scene was at Newark Penn Station.
The City of Edmonton, Alberta’s, long-awaited 8.1-mile Valley Line Southeast LRT opened Nov. 4. Connecting the Mill Woods neighborhood to the heart of downtown, it includes 11 street-level stops; an elevated station with a
Gulf Inland Logistics Park, a 2,400-acre rail-served industrial park developed by Liberty Development Partners, announced Nov. 7 that it has sold a 55-acre, rail-served tract within the site to OmniSource LLC to expand the company’s metals recycling operations along the Gulf Coast.
Through the first 44 weeks of 2023 (ending Nov. 4), total North American carload and intermodal traffic decreased 3.4% from the same point last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Nov. 8. Both the U.S. and Canada experienced declines, while Mexico saw a gain.
The Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) comment period closed Nov. 7 for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) it issued this fall in Docket No. EP 711 (Sub-No. 2), Reciprocal Switching for Inadequate Service.
