news

Transit vehicle design: Comfortable, profitable

Until recently, the goal of most public transit advocates, pushing suppliers and agencies alike, was to simply get vehicles, preferably (but not even always) with adequate seating capacity. Sure, some minimal creature comforts were considered essential for Amtrak and/or VIA Rail Canada intercity service, even in their darkest days. But for mislabeled “commuter” operations, be they regional rail, heavy rail, or (more recently) light rail, the style, design, and even comfort were often, at best, secondary considerations for almost everyone involved.

Two levels or three, both suit me

Within the space of a few minutes, the robotic assembly line at Honda’s East Liberty, Ohio, plant can transition from building compact Civics to CRV crossovers. The Ford Explorer, a full-size SUV, and the Taurus, a sedan, share the same platform. Gas prices spike, and people start buying smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. Likewise, a rise in housing starts in an improving economy could drive increased demand for pickup trucks. Indeed, flexibility is now a requirement for motor vehicle manufacturers, who must be able to respond quickly to continuously changing consumer needs and tastes.

Educating the next generation of railroaders

“You’re going to be a high school senior this fall. Any thoughts on a career? College?”

“Well, Dad, I think I might like to work for a railroad. It’s a pretty important business, and I hear that the pay and benefits are really good. And I’ve always been interested in trains.”

“That’s great. Railroads are doing well these days. But I’m not so sure about where you could go to college for that. Is there such a thing as a railroad major?”

CSX embarks on a July 4 track blitz

CSX m/w employees on July 1 kicked off an eight-day maintenance “jamboree” or “blitz” designed to complete work that would normally take 18 weeks under traffic. The accelerated timeline is being accomplished by shutting down and temporarily re-routing traffic on the CSX main line in portions of three southeastern states to give workers uninterrupted time for upgrades and repairs.

Alstom-led group selected for Ecuadorian streetcar

CITA Cuenca, a consortium led by Alstom Transport, has been awarded a contract from Cuenca, Ecuador, for a streetcar system. The contract includes 14 Alstom Citadis trams, along with electrification, traction power supply, and system integration. Alstom’s share is worth approximately 70 million Euros.

Team selected for Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has awarded the design-build contract for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Project to Walsh/Shea Corridor Constructors, with HNTB Corp. as lead designer. The Crenshaw/LAX Line will connect Metro’s existing Green Line with the Expo Line and integrate Los Angeles International Airport into the regional rail network.

Voith to provide pushback coupler systems for 130 CALTRANS/IDOT railcars

Voith Turbo, a Group Division of Voith GmbH, has won a contract to provide 260 pushback coupler systems to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). The pushback couplers, part of Voith’s Crash Energy Management (CEM) technology, will be installed on 130 higher-speed bilevel passenger railcars being supplied to Caltrans and IDOT by Nippon Sharyo.

CMA, LRIW set Railway Interchange 2013 agendas

The Coordinated Mechanical Associations—comprising the Air Brake Association (ABA), International Association of Railroad Operating Officers (IAROO), Locomotive Maintenance Officers Association (LMOA), Mechanical Association Railcar Technical Services (MARTS)—and the League of Railway Industry Women (LRIW) have announced the agendas for their 2013 Technical Conference, to be held in Indianapolis, Ind., in conjunction with Railway Interchange 2013, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2013.

Amtrak commits to hiring more veterans

Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman announced June 26, 2013, that the railroad is setting a goal of 25% of new-hires to be veterans by 2015. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), and Director of Administration and Management, Office of the Secretary of Defense Michael L. Rhodes joined Boardman at a ceremony to announce the hiring initiative and unveil a locomotive to honor veterans.