MxV Rail will continue to lead the Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) program, “an important industry effort that aims to improve all aspects of rail transportation,” AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies reported on March 15.

TTCI: New Name, Same Aim

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on March 15 reported that its wholly owned subsidiary, the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., has a new name: MxV Rail.

Figure 1. Comparison of EMAT principle with conventional piezoelectric-based UT principle.

Wheel Defect Detection Using EMATs

RAILWAY AGE MARCH 2022 ISSUE: Since 2020, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) has been conducting tests to evaluate the capability of electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technology to detect internal defects in railroad wheels.

STB Reauthorization: ‘If It isn’t Broke, Don’t Fix It’?

Railroad stakeholders on March 8 shared their views on the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) role in regulating the freight railroad industry as well as its reauthorization during a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. Testifying were representatives from the American Chemistry Council, Amtrak, Association of American Railroads, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, National Industrial Transportation League, and Private Railcar Food and Beverage Association.

Week 9: U.S. Rail Traffic Returns to Near 2021 Levels

For the week ending March 5, 2022, U.S. rail traffic came in at 505,177 carloads and intermodal units, dipping 1.9% from the same week last year, based on 238,870 carloads—up 2.8% from 2021—and intermodal volume of 266,307 containers and trailers—down 5.8%, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on March 9.

Commentary

Rail Wheel Supply: North American Supply Chain is Critical

Nothing highlights the impact and risks of the global supply chain on the North American rail industry better than wheels. Yes, wheels for rail rolling stock: freight cars, passenger and transit cars, and locomotives.

For February Rail Traffic, ‘Pockets of Real Strength’

“U.S. rail traffic had big year-over-year gains in February largely because severe winter storms held volumes back last February,” AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on March 2.

Commentary

Does the AAR Fear Competition?

How remarkable that the customarily staid Association of American Railroads (AAR) is following a Marx Brothers comedy script to derail a Surface Transportation Board (STB) proposed rulemaking intended to assure railroad competition. One scene violates first-year law school advice not to irritate judges hearing your case; another vandalizes economic science by comparing a highly competitive soft drink market with rail service monopolies.

More than 50 miles of railroad track and specialized laboratories for testing locomotives, vehicles, track components and signaling devices comprise the FRA Transportation Technology Center facilities, where TTCI is headquartered. (Photo by William C. Vantuono)

TTC Management to Begin Transition to Ensco on April 1

The Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) has rejected Ensco’s offer to keep the Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) program at the Pueblo, Colo., facility.

Week 7: US Carloads, Intermodal Register Double-Digit Gains

U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 19, 2022, came in at 497,822 carloads and intermodal units, rising 31.7% from the same week last year, based on 237,256 carloads—up 38.2% from 2021—and intermodal volume of 260,566 containers and trailers—up 26.3%, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Feb. 23.

TTCI Unveils Railroad Research E-Library

The Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) is now providing online access to 30 years of railroad technology research performed under the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) program.

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