Long Island Rail Road

William J. Ronan, 1913-2014

William J. Ronan, generally acknowledged as the architect of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and who served as its first chairman, died on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 at his home in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was 101.

FRA’s Szabo views Siemens plant PTC work

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo on Friday, May 30, 2014 toured a Siemens rail automation plant in Louisville, Ky., which is producing components for new Positive Train Control (PTC) systems.

LIRR seeks to lease diesel consists

MTA Long Island Rail Road has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for diesel locomotives and trailer passenger cars, in an effort to bolster service on one branch in Nassau County and a second mostly in Suffolk County, N.Y., “via a lease agreement.”

MTA forms rail safety panel

New York’s Metropolitan Transporation Authority has appointed six people to a Blue Ribbon Panel to study the causes of rail accidents and incidents, including the major derailment last May on Metro-North’s New Haven Line and several train-car accidents on the Long Island Rail Road.

SYSTRA names Harrison Sector Manager, Systems

SYSTRA has named Patrick Harrison, P.E., as Vice President and Sector Manager, Systems. He will lead SYSTRA’s signal, communications, and systems integration engineering practice and be based in the company’s New York City headquarters.

LIRR receives narrowband locomotive radios

Ritron, Inc. has delivered 59 of its U.S.-designed and –built RCCR-151 narrowband analog locomotive radios to the Long Island Rail Road. The contract, which includes radios and accessories, is worth $200,000 and was awarded in March 2013 to Ritron’s authorized dealer, Diversified Electronics Systems of Forest Park, Ga.