RAC Announces Scholarship Recipients
The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) on Oct. 15 announced the first scholarship recipients from the proceeds of its Women in Rail 2023 conference, which took place in June.
news
Commentary
NEARS Report: ‘The Seidl & Hatch Show’
Jim Blaze reporting on the NEARS (Northeast Association of Rail Shippers) Fall Conference: ABH Consulting independent analyst Tony Hatch and TD Cowen Managing Director/Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl have
Commentary
NEARS Report: How FTR Sees the Market
Jim Blaze reporting on the NEARS (Northeast Association of Rail Shippers) Fall 2023 Conference: FTR Transportation Intelligence Vice President Rail and Intermodal Todd Tranausky and his colleagues conduct high-quality research. They are one
Commentary
NEARS Report: Oberman’s Regulatory Views
Jim Blaze reporting from Portland, Me., NEARS: STB Chairman Marty Oberman delivered an interpretation that suggests his independent members are still awaiting insight from the private “Big Six” as to reciprocal switching
BLET Presses FRA for Emergency Order on ‘Excessive’ Train Length (UPDATED)
Citing numerous recent accidents caused in part by “excessively long” trains, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is urging the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to issue an Emergency Order establishing
Transit Briefs: MBTA, Brightline, Denver RTD, NIRDA
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) unveils the exterior paint design for its new Green Line cars. Also, Brightline offers a new All-Station Shared Pass for travel between Miami and Orlando, Fla.; Denver (Colo.) Regional Transportation District reports that more than 75% of rail and bus riders are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with service; and Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (NIRDA) advances three new transit development districts along South Shore commuter rail lines.
CPKC Releases First Merger Oversight Report
In accordance with the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) Oversight Decision No. 1, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) on Oct. 15 provided its initial data submission related to service, operations and competition—a requirement
Commentary
VIA Rail Adventures (Second of a Series)
VIA Rail has only two routes that it calls “long-distance” trains, and together they offer only five departures per week, not enough to add up to a single daily departure. One is
Commentary
Troubled NEC Bridge Over Maryland Waters
Amtrak is working on a plan to replace the 117-year-old Howe deck truss bridge over the Susquehanna River between Perryville and Havre-de-Grace, Maryland, railroad west from Delaware and on the way to
Commentary
STB and Reciprocal Switching: Abject Regulatory Failure
Frank Wilner and Bill Huneke have started a friendly debate in this publication over the merits and demerits of the recent STB ruling on reciprocal switching. As an academic who has done
Requiem for a New Jersey Branch Line
Chesapeake & Delaware LLC (C&D) wholly owned subsidiary Delaware & Raritan River Railroad (DRR) has completed the Freehold & Southern Connection, a five-mile track rehabilitation project reconnecting, after nearly 40 years, Freehold
People News: Caterpillar, WSP, STV
Caterpillar, Inc. names George Moubayad as its new Chief Sustainability and Strategy Officer. Also, WSP promotes Patrick Watz to Midwest District Transportation Leader; and STV appoints Angel Peña as Vice President for Rail and Transit in the firm’s Texas/Mountain Region and welcomes Matthew Lunemann as Vice President and Engineering Director in its Tunneling and Geotechnical Practice.
STB Outlines ‘Lapse in Appropriations’ Policy
When a government shutdown was looming late last month, Railway Age readers may have wondered how the Surface Transportation Board (STB) would function. So did U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who on
Class I Briefs: NS, CPKC, CN
Safety improvements are coming to Norfolk Southern (NS)-served communities in Birmingham and Trussville, Ala. Also, CPKC hosts a delegation at its headquarters in Kansas City, Mo.; and CN’s Dangerous Goods team earns the TRANSCAER National Achievement Award.
California Selected as a National Hydrogen Hub
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a grant of up to $1.2 billion to ARCHES LLC (Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems), a public-private partnership formed to lead California’s
Commentary
TD Cowen: 3Q23 Surveys Say …
Railcar demand showed some resilience against a tough macro backdrop, although we view the results of our third-quarter 2023 Rail Equipment Survey as a slight incremental negative for manufacturing and possibly a slight positive for leasing. Our third-quarter 2023 Rail Survey showed that expected rate increases were +3.2%, declining sequentially and sitting below the survey’s long-term average. Business growth expectations remain unchanged, and economic confidence worsened.
Siemens Mobility, CSX Expand Partnership to Deliver Digital Solutions
Siemens Mobility and CSX announced Oct. 16 that they have agreed to expand their partnership developing and implementing digital solutions for freight rail.
Commentary
RUN Fall Conference Focus: Rail Environmental Benefits
Fifty years ago, I was riding the Central Railroad of New Jersey on a train consisting of “commuter” cars that were, themselves, 50 years old. Somebody had affixed a bumper sticker to
California Finalizes Order for 29 HFC Trainsets
Stadler on Oct. 12 signed an agreement with the state of California to supply four zero-emission HFC (hydrogen fuel cell) four-car FLIRT H2 trainsets to the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and
Transit Briefs: MARTA, CTA, LA Metro, WMATA, MBTA
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) awards a contract for a new automated fare collection system. Also, Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red Line Extension (RLE) project will receive a $100 million federal grant; LA Metro’s pilot program to test restrooms for riders and staff begins this month at four stations; the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) commits to regular checks of brake bolts after derailment; and $900,000 in local emergency response funding will be released for additional safety equipment associated with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) new South Coast Rail (SCR) service in 2024.