Germany’s Siemens AG and France’s Alstom SA are discussing a merger to create a European rail transportation manufacturing conglomerate to counter growing competition from China, according to a report in the Sept. 23, 2017 Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, Siemens continues to engage in talks with Canada’s Bombardier, Inc. about merging their railway businesses.
Dockets for the fatal Sept. 29, 2016, NJ Transit commuter rail collision in Hoboken, N.J., and the Jan. 4, 2017, Long Island Rail Road collision at the Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, New York, were opened to the public Sept. 21 by the National Transportation Safety Board as part of its ongoing investigations of the two accidents.
On Sept. 21, the same day the National Transportation Safety Board opened the docket on New Jersey Transit’s Sept. 29, 2016 Hoboken Terminal crash to the public, NJT announced it “has implemented a variety of rail safety upgrades over the past year and is looking at additional enhancements for the future, as part of its commitment to safety.”
Watco Cos. LLC, a short line railroad holding and transportation services company based in Pittsburg, Kan., has selected Herzog Technologies, Inc. (HTI) to provide Positive Train Control (PTC) hosting services. HTI previously announced PTC hosting contracts with Tacoma, Wash.-based short line Tacoma Rail and Ohio-based regional Wheeling & Lake Erie.
The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) unveiled an analysis of the economic role its 260-plus member companies play in the U.S. economy during Railway Interchange 2017 in Indianapolis. The analysis shows that RSI members represent more than 756 rail supply locations in 44 states in 281 congressional districts.
Siemens has named Marc Buncher President of Siemens Mobility Division in the U.S. and Canada. He will be based out of Siemens Mobility headquarters in New York, N.Y.
INDIANAPOLIS: Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) at Railway Interchange 2017 introduced Aurora Xiv™, the newest generation of its Aurora track (ties and ballast) inspection platform.
INDIANAPOLIS: Norfolk Southern has reached a preliminary agreement with Progress Rail, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., for Guardian End-of-Train (EOT) devices. Progress Rail, which announced the agreement at Railway Interchange 2017, will deliver the devices, described “state-of-the-art,” to NS for use on a portion of its fleet by the end of this year. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
INDIANAPOLIS: The League of Railway Industry Women (LRIW) named Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) President Lisa Stabler as 2017 Outstanding Woman of the Year. Stabler was honored at the General Session of Railway Interchange.
INDIANAPOLIS: At Railway Interchange 2017, the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) presented the 2017 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence to BNSF and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for the Improvements for Passenger Rail Service and Reliability on BNSF Railway in Washington State project.
