Rail Group On Air: Recent Episodes
RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ
Sebastian Blum, head of mobility, and Jens-Oliver Schünzel, head of land based transportation for EMEA, at KFW-IPEX Bank, discuss the merits of Engineering, Procurement, Construction + Financing, offering expert insight on possible use cases for rail projects with International Railway Journal Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith. (Intro music: Tired Traveller on the Way to Home by Andrew R Codeman)
This edition of Rail Group On Air features Trinity Industries Inc. Chief Financial Officer Eric Marchetto, Railroad Financial Corporation President and Railway Age Financial Editor David Nahass, and Railroad Financial Corporation Senior Vice President Will Geiger. It’s a companion to Nahass’s “Financial Edge” column in the March issue of Railway Age.“The abundance of capital chasing investment opportunities in rail spans the industry from railroads to maintenance and repair to—what else?—railcars and locomotives,” notes Nahass. “However, for industry veterans, the current era’s investment patterns differ from historical investment interest. Formerly, highly structured tax-affected (often leveraged) leases and Equipment Trust Certificates (ETCs, a sophisticated word for a well-collateralized loan) were the investment products of choice for asset acquisition and finance. During this time, shorter term operating leases were the province of a handful of investors taking above average risk and receiving above average, but occasionally slightly erratic, returns that followed the cyclicality of the rail equipment marketplace.“Eric Marchetto notes that today’s capital ‘stack’ looks very different. One difference is the types of capital coming into the rail market today, including long horizon passive capital from infrastructure funds and insurance companies. These are potentially very large investors that can use one billion in equity to buy three to four billion in railcar assets. Furthermore, there are shorter-term investors repackaging rail asset backed loans as collateralized debt obligations parsing out portfolios into credit-rated tranches.This is all in the shadow of an industry expected to build 25,000 railcars in calendar year 2026.“What do these investors love about rail? Marchetto notes that ‘rail assets represent an attractive risk-adjusted investment.’ There is low default risk, and the long-lived nature of railcars represents an inflation hedge. Marchetto sees, directly and anecdotally, more funds looking to get into the rail equipment leasing business. He sees growing demand from these investors looking for attractive returns. Investors see an opportunity for steady and consistent returns in the railcar leasing space. Think of it this way: While many railcar owners may feel that post-COVID railcar prices have risen dramatically, Marchetto notes that new railcar prices have risen 3% to 4% annually over the past 20 years. Contrast this against lease rates that have risen 1% to 2% over the same 20-year period. This gives conviction in the long-term returns and the opportunity for lease rates to continue to increase to match the rise in asset value. Couple that with the abundance of liquidity available in today’s market, which when it gets deployed will have to assume that lease rates will rise in the future to justify paying today’s prices.”
Hamilton. He also was a Founding Partner of Miami-based Lynwood Capital Partners. Farrukh Bezar is a featured speaker at the Railway Age “Next-Gen Freight Rail Conference” at the Union League Club of Chicago, March 10, 2026. Confirmed participants include Jim Vena (UP), Mark George (NS), Keith Creel (CPKC), Tracy Robinson (CN), Tom G. Williams (BNSF), Patrick Fuchs and Michelle Schultz (STB), and 2026 Railroader of the Year John Orr.
Despite headlines signaling a sustainability pullback, the reality is more nuanced: Many companies are quietly doubling down, investing more strategically than ever before. Norfolk Southern Chief Sustainability Officer Josh Raglin has been closely watching how the sustainability shift has been playing out. In this Rail Group On Air podcast, he and Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono discuss what NS is prioritizing in 2026 to build resilience, meet stakeholder demands, and unlock long-term value. He talks about five predictions for 2026: 1.“Sharper Focus on Materiality: Companies will concentrate resources on areas where they can make the greatest impact—such as plastics, water, and clean air—guided by materiality assessments and stakeholder priorities.”2.“Sustainability as a Business Driver: Sustainability is no longer just a moral imperative; it’s an economic one. Organizations will increasingly showcase measurable financial benefits—fuel savings, scrap recycling, and nature-based solutions—to justify investments and strengthen board-level support.3.“From Ambition to Action: Firms that set science-based targets and net-zero goals will move aggressively into implementation. Expect operational shifts like transitioning freight to rail for carbon savings—even when costs rise—because corporate mandates prioritize emissions reduction.”4.“Pragmatic Net-Zero Strategies: Updated standards will embrace carbon insets and offsets, signaling a more realistic approach to achieving net-zero. This will accelerate investment in forest carbon credits and value-chain carbon insetting.”5.“Growing Need for Collaborative Action Meeting sustainability goals increasingly requires deep collaboration with vendors and customers to align strategies, share data, and improve efficiencies across the supply chain. Organizations that fail to engage partners in joint environmental initiatives risk falling short of expectations—and losing competitive advantage.”
Rob Russell, Managing Partner, Russell-Kroese Partners, joins Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono for a wide-ranging discussion on the railroad industry and its future, with particular emphasis on the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. Among the topics are the health of the rail industry from 2002 to present; the service and rate environment, the outlook for intermodal business; challenges with connecting to a railroad for carload customers; when railroads say “we’re looking to grow,” what does “growth” really mean?; challenges for commercial professionals in the rail space; rail in the West vs. rail in the East; and “benefits” and “lookouts” for UP’s acquisition of NS.Rob Russell is a seasoned transportation executive who operates fluidly from the boardroom to the shop floor. A certified six sigma black belt and a LEAN champion, Rob is a proven business leader who has a track record of strategy development, financial planning, business develop-ment, operations, and performance management to accomplish an organization's desired goals. Pulling from more than 23 years of executive logistics experience across CWR Solutions, OmniTRAX, Progressive Rail and Union Pacific, he brings passion, expertise and dedication to his clients. In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, Rob is recognized to excel within complex, high pressure organizations to achieve measurable and timely results by cultivating relationships, developing high performing teams, and delivering on time.
As Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, John Orr holds ultimate responsibility for every train on the Class I’s vast network, freight and passenger. Relationships between passenger carriers and their host freight railroads aren’t always harmonious, but NS has been working on improvements benefiting both. “For several months now, we've been a top performer among Class I’s when it comes to host-responsible delay metrics—no small feat considering how much passenger service we host on our network,” Orr tells Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. “A more fluid network benefits everyone who touches our system, from customers to passenger services like Amtrak to communities throughout our system that experience fewer slow or stopped trains. There is a direct line between all our operational improvements and improvements in passenger rail hosting performance. And during the past two years we’ve forged effective partnerships with local and state passenger groups, from Pennsylvania to Virginia to North Carolina.” Orr discusses why “a reliable, consistent team is necessary for reliable, consistent service,” initiatives for “building skills and capabilities of our railroaders” and “training generational railroaders.” He describes a “root cause analysis mentality” and the “war rooms” Operations has been utilizing. “Safety is the core of everything,” he stresses. “A safe railroad is an efficient railroad.”
This podcast, taken from Railway Age’s 2025 Rail Insights Conference, features Kate Suprenuk, President of Leasing and Manufacturing, Union Tank Car Company & Procor | Marmon, in conversation with David Nahass, President, Railroad Financial Corp. and Financial Editor, Railway Age. Conference sponsored by BNSF Railway, The Greenbrier Companies, Amsted Rail, Loram, Trinity Rail and Union Pacific.
Without volume and market share growth, the Class I’s may be at risk—or be forced to look at merging. Investors continue to await the next leg of Class I railroad earnings growth. While margin gains from current levels are expected, PSR (Precision Scheduled Railroading) is no longer the investor story it once was, and the railroads must prove they can grow to maintain their premium multiples. In this wide-ranging conversation with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono, Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl, Managing Director at TD Cowen, explores the factors that can drive railroad market share growth, including high-quality, consistently reliable service; ease of doing business; industrial development projects; regulatory relief allowing technological advancement; and potential mergers producing a U.S. transcontinental network. While the track record for industry volume growth has been questionable, Seidl views the growth levers “as largely in railroad control.”
Drawn from our 2025 Rail Insights conference, this edition of Railway Age’s podcast series features Surface Transportation Board Chair Patrick Fuchs in conversation with Editor-in Chief William C. Vantuono. Now in his second five-year term expiring Jan. 14, 2029, Fuchs was first Senate-confirmed in 2019. Fuchs earned second-term support from dozens of rail shipper groups who citied his expertise and offered depictions as “calm,” “transparent” and “seriously thoughtful.” Railroads, which rarely take positions on pending nominations, acknowledged support. In his six years at the STB, Fuchs’ “just the facts” approach has had him siding with railroads and shippers. As examples, his railroad-favorable dissent rejecting an STB-initiated Final Offer Rate Review was cited by an appellate court, while he issued a partial dissent to side with shippers in a recent high-value tank car case. Sponsored by BNSF Railway, The Greenbrier Companies, Amsted Rail, Loram, Trinity Rail and Union Pacific.
Railway Age’s 2025 Railroader of the Year is CSX President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Hinrichs, who joined the railroad industry in September 2022 and in a little more than two years has made immediate and long-term positive impacts. His collaborative approach to labor relations—for example, CSX being the first Class I to offer paid sick leave and forge preliminary agreements with its unions prior to the start of national bargaining—has gone a long way toward transforming the dynamic between management and rail labor from adversarial distrust to engaged problem-solving. Hinrichs firmly believes that for CSX to fully realize its growth potential, labor and management must function as one team, with mutual respect and trust. He knows that change is difficult, but he also knows it’s necessary. And as a long-time railroad customer in his prior role as President of Ford Motor Company, he knows the importance of providing good service. CSX’s overall excellent performance is a testament to that. Joe Hinrichs—only the third CSX executive to be named Railroader of the Year (he was preceded by Michael Ward in 2009 and Hays Watkins in 1984)—will be presented with the award at the traditional dinner hosted by the Western Railway Club at the Union League Club of Chicago on March 11, 2025. He sat down with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono at CSX’s Jacksonville, Fla., headquarters for this interview.
In 2021, the U.S. Congress directed the Secretary of Transportation to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – Transportation Research Board (TRB) “to conduct a study on the operation of freight trains that are longer than 7,500 feet.” Railway Age reported on the 105-page study, “Long Freight Trains: Ensuring Safe Operations, Mitigating Adverse Impacts – TRB Special Report 353.” Sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration, the TRB convened a 12-member committee “with experience in freight and passenger railroad operations, state rail transportation, national rail safety oversight, and freight and passenger rail research” that met 16 times (six in person) to examine impacts of long trains and invited presentations from individuals and organizations. Meetings focused on railroad technology and highway-rail grade crossings. This Rail Group On Air podcast features six of those members and TRB Senior Program Officer and Study Director, Consensus and Advisory Studies David O. Willauer, who coordinated their participation:• Debra L. Miller (Chair), Former Secretary, Kansas Department of Transportation and former Surface Transportation Board Vice Chair.• Gary F. Knudsen, Locomotive Engineer, BNSF Railway (retired).• Allan Rutter, Freight Analysis Program Manager, Texas A&M Transportation Institute and former Federal Railroad Administrator.• Dr. John M. Samuels (National Academy of Engineering), President, Revenue Variable Engineering and retired Senior Vice President Operations Planning and Budget, Norfolk Southern.• Peter F. Swan, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management, Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University.• Paul E. Vilter, Assistant Vice President Planning, Commercial Services, and Sustainability, Amtrak (retired).
The Indiana Rail Road (INRD) named Joe Gioe President and CEO in mid-August 2024. A career railroader with 20 years of industry experience, he has held leadership positions at two Class I railroads, with most of his tenure at BNSF, where he was twice named Employee of the Year for intermodal train execution and delivery of major infrastructure projects in Transportation and Service Design. He also served as Assistant Vice President Network Optimization and Vice President Transportation at Norfolk Southern. A third-generation railroader whose family roots go back to the Central Railroad of New Jersey and Conrail, Gioe began his career as a conductor, locomotive engineer and front-line supervisor in 2005 and rose through management roles of increasing responsibility. Gioe joins Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono in a wide-ranging discussion on customer service, efficiency, safety, traffic growth and employee development at INRD.
Speaking with IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith on this episode is Martin Howell, Transport Markets Director for the UK and Ireland at Worldline, a payment service provider, which also operates a number of operational systems for the railway in Britain. The discussion focuses on possible changes to ticketing in Britain and what Worldline is hoping to see from the new Labour government as it sets about reforming the country’s railway sector. Sponsored by Worldline. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)
New Jersey Transit President and CEO and Northeast Corridor (NEC) Commission Co-Chair Kevin Corbett and Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono discuss key issues involved with the 453-mile Washington D.C.-New York-Boston NEC, the nation’s busiest passenger rail system. The NEC—its main line and connecting corridors to Harrisburg, Pa.; Spuyten Duyvil, N.Y.; and Springfield, Mass.—support more than 800,000 daily trips on eight regional/commuter railroads and Amtrak’s intercity services. These services, of which NJ Transit is by far the largest provider, connect eight states and the District of Columbia on infrastructure segments with four different owners. The Northeast Corridor Commission convenes the NEC’s key stakeholders in state government, commuter agencies, the federal government and Amtrak.Given the huge SOGR (state of good repair) backlog on the NEC, what are the most pressing issues to be addressed? How does the Commission respond to critics who say that new, multi-billion-dollar capital projects like the Gateway Program should have been deferred and the money invested in SOGR projects? How can investment be balanced? The federal government has been investing billions in the NEC in recent years. Should the NEC states, and the public transportation agencies that are the primary users, have a larger cost share? Corbett addresses these questions and more in this edition of Rail Group On Air.
In its inaugural podcast, we hear from Walter Kastinger, head of sales at Linsinger’s mobile rail milling division. Kastinger presents the rail milling solutions that visitors to this year’s InnoTrans can expect to see at Linsinger’s exhibit at the outside display area. This includes a new rail milling train called Railmaster®; a new innovative rail surface treatment technology, Linsinger Smart Surface Technology; and a further development of Linsinger’s proven rail measurement technology.
Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer joined Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono at the 2024 Rail Insights Conference for this discussion on the changes that have been under way at the Class I railroad. Much has been accomplished, and much more work needs to be done.
How can Class I scheduled railroad operations translate into volume growth? What are the opportunities for industrial development? Why are short line and regional partnerships key to overall rail industry success? Is more culture change needed at the Class I’s? Farrukh A. Bezar offers his perspectives during this discussion with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Bezar has more than 30 years of consulting, investment and industry experience in the transportation, logistics, financial services and supply chain industries. His areas of expertise include strategic planning and growth strategy, operations improvement, sales effectiveness and mergers and acquisitions support. A Founding Partner of Miami-based Lynwood Partners, he is a strategic advisor, board member and investor across the transportation and logistics sector. Bezar spent five years at CSX as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer and Senior Vice President, Marketing. Launching his career as a Senior Analyst, Intermodal Marketing & Sales at the Santa Fe Railway, he has also held senior-level positions at The Clarendon Group, Oliver Wyman, A.T. Kearney and Booz Allen & Hamilton.
Norfolk Southern on June 17 released its 2024 Midyear Report on Safety Accomplishments, which summarizes the railroad’s organizational actions, safety improvements and partnerships enacted in the past 16 months. “When we make a promise, we deliver on that promise,” NS President and CEO Alan Shaw noted. “That started with our Six-Point Safety Plan announced last spring. While the initiatives in the plan are based on the preliminary findings following the [Feb. 3, 2023] East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, our focus is on increasing safety across all our operations —in every facility and every community where we operate.”In this Rail Group On Air Podcast, Shaw discusses all these safety initiatives with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. He also talks about strategy and opportunities following the proxy battle with Ancora Holdings. “I’m encouraged that we preserved the right and the ability to implement our groundbreaking strategy,” he said. “I also know that shareholders were very clear: They expect results—and we’ve delivered lots of results.”
Danielle Smith, Premier of Canada’s Alberta Province, discusses freight and passenger rail in the Province from economic, social and environmental standpoints with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are essential to Canada’s economy and the nation’s growing role as an exporter, as well as Alberta’s overall prosperity, Smith believes. A former columnist and media personality who has been serving as the 19th Premier of Alberta and leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) since October 2022, Smith also strongly supports passenger rail—and is a bit of an enthusiast. The Alberta government on April 29 announced a Passenger Rail Plan aimed at increasing passenger rail service in the province. It will assess the feasibility of passenger rail in the province, including regional (intercity), commuter and high-speed services, “will look forward decades and identify concrete actions that can be taken now, as well as in the future, to build the optimal passenger rail system for the province.” Alberta’s government has released a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) to “seek world-class knowledge and consultant services as a first step toward the development of the Passenger Rail Master Plan for Alberta.” Following this process, a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued to select a consultant to develop the Passenger Rail Master Plan, which is expected to be completed by summer 2025.
Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Ed Elkins began his railroad career at Norfolk Southern in 1988 as a Road Brakeman after serving in the United States Marine Corps. Appointed CMO in 2021, he leads the company’s Intermodal, Automotive and Industrial Products business divisions, and also manages the Real Estate, Industrial Development, Short Line Marketing, Field Sales, and Customer Logistics business groups. In this Rail Group On Air Podcast, Elkins and Railway Age Editor-in Chief William C. Vantuono discuss NS’s accomplishments in 2023 attracting new business and growing existing business, as well as expectations going forward. What markets and commodities offer the most growth potential?In 2023, NS invested $1 billion in infrastructure improvements. Elkins talks about the role marketing plays in the Class I’s capital investment strategy and funding allocation. He also touches upon the tools, financial or other, that can be leveraged to incentivize businesses to locate on the railroad.Beginning as brakeman in 1988, Elkins served as a a conductor, locomotive engineer and relief yardmaster. Following time in Operations, he spent two decades in Intermodal Marketing. In 2016, he was named Group Vice President of Chemicals Marketing, and in 2018 promoted to Vice President Industrial Products. Currently, Elkins serves as the Vice Chair of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and sits on the boards of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers and TTX Company. He also serves on the Georgia State University Marketing RoundTable and is a member of The Conference Board, Inc. on the Council for CMOs. Elkins is a native of Southwest Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and an MBA from Old Dominion University with a concentration in Port & Maritime Economics.
As Norfolk Southern Vice President Transportation, Joe Gioe is responsible for leading a culture of safe, predictable and consistent service by empowering transportation team members to meet the needs of NS customers. He also leads the Performance Excellence (PE) group, which is responsible for establishing operating processes and measuring performance. The group partners closely with Operations leaders and their teams, including Transportation, Advanced Train Control, Engineering and Safety. PE’s mission is standardizing NS’s needs to achieve its performance mission. The PE team does this through standardizing process. At the ballast line, the PE team works to integrate processes, regardless of craft, from multiple disciplines so NS can provide the best service and grow. PE is housed in the Operations department but touches many different teams throughout NS. The team is focused on safety first, followed by supporting operational excellence. The team cascades best practices throughout the network to increase information delivery speed.PE also provides daily tactical support to departments throughout Operations. The team is working on standardizing best practices and getting standard operating procedures embedded throughout Operations, laying the bedrock for safety. The team is also focused on enhancing and refining technology to deliver reliable, resilient service. PE’s long-term goal are to position Norfolk Southern as the leader in continuous improvement, to standardize and then optimize, to be a constant learning organization, and to be proactive with adapting. Appointed Vice President Transportation in 2023, Joe Gioe has 19 years of experience in the rail industry. He joined Norfolk Southern in 2021 as Assistant Vice President Network Optimization. Previously, he was at BNSF Railway, where he held roles of increasing responsibility in Transportation and Service Design. A third-generation railroader whose family roots go back to the Central Railroad of New Jersey and Conrail, Gioe began his career as a conductor and locomotive engineer. He earned a Bachelor of Applied Science from Colorado State University Global.
In Part 2 of this two-part series on railroad safety and technology, Steven R. Ditmeyer takes a deep dive into ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems), specifically, highway/rail grade crossing warning devices that interface with motor vehicles, with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.Ditmeyer has had an extensive career in railroading that started in 1960 on the St. Louis Terminal Railroad. He received a B.S. in Industrial Management from MIT and an M.A. in Economics from Yale. In the private sector, he worked for six railroads and a railroad equipment manufacturer. In the public sector, he served as an Army Transportation Corps officer on active duty in the Logistics Directorate of the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in the Reserves in the 3rd Railway Brigade, as Associate Administrator for Policy and for R&D at the Federal Railroad Administration, as acting general manager of The Alaska Railroad, as associate professor of economics and transportation at National Defense University, and as economist and rail technology expert at the World Bank. His career has cut across multiple disciplines, including freight and passenger railroading, engineering, economics, research and development, policy, marketing, management, operations, information technology, systems analysis, command and control systems and education. In his early days at FRA, Ditmeyer was involved in the creation of Amtrak, the preliminary engineering and economic studies for the Northeast Corridor Project, and the establishment of the Transportation Technology Center. As head of policy at FRA, he initiated the sale of The Alaska Railroad by the Federal Government to the State of Alaska and was involved in developing the legislation for the deregulation of the freight railroad industry. At Burlington Northern, he was intimately involved in development and testing of the first PTC system (ARES) and the first natural gas locomotives. Following retirement, he helped structure and teach in railway management programs as an adjunct faculty member at Michigan State University and the University of Delaware, and HEC and EML Business Schools, both in France.
Railway Age’s 2024 Railroader of the Year Award, the 61st annual, goes to an experienced and highly respected North American rail industry leader: CN President and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Robinson. She “continues the sweeping leadership evolution the railroad industry has been undergoing for the past few years,” said Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. “She continues to break new ground, bringing fresh ideas and a perspective based on change, growth and service. Tracy is leading CN during challenging times, strengthening and transforming the company and solidifying its position in the North American and global supply chains. While she brought many years of experience to CN, including leadership positions at Canadian Pacific and in Canada’s energy sector, she is dedicated to developing a new generation of railroaders from diverse backgrounds.” Vantuono in December 2023 interviewed Robinson at CN’s Montreal headquarters. She will be presented with the Railroader of the Year award March 12, 2024 at the traditional dinner held at the Union League Club of Chicago, hosted by the Western Railway Club.
In Part 1 of this two-part series on railroad safety and technology, Steven R. Ditmeyer discusses the fundamentals of signaling and train control and takes a deep dive into PTC (Positive Train Control) and its potential for evolving beyond a safety overlay system with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.Ditmeyer has had an extensive career in railroading that started in 1960 on the St. Louis Terminal Railroad. He received a B.S. in Industrial Management from MIT and an M.A. in Economics from Yale. In the private sector, he worked for six railroads and a railroad equipment manufacturer. In the public sector, he served as an Army Transportation Corps officer on active duty in the Logistics Directorate of the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in the Reserves in the 3rd Railway Brigade, as Associate Administrator for Policy and for R&D at the Federal Railroad Administration, as acting general manager of The Alaska Railroad, as associate professor of economics and transportation at National Defense University, and as economist and rail technology expert at the World Bank. His career has cut across multiple disciplines, including freight and passenger railroading, engineering, economics, research and development, policy, marketing, management, operations, information technology, systems analysis, command and control systems and education. In his early days at FRA, Ditmeyer was involved in the creation of Amtrak, the preliminary engineering and economic studies for the Northeast Corridor Project, and the establishment of the Transportation Technology Center. As head of policy at FRA, he initiated the sale of The Alaska Railroad by the Federal Government to the State of Alaska and was involved in developing the legislation for the deregulation of the freight railroad industry. At Burlington Northern Railroad, he was intimately involved in development and testing of the first PTC system (ARES) and the development and testing of the first natural gas locomotives. Following retirement, he helped structure and teach in railway management programs as an adjunct faculty member at Michigan State University and the University of Delaware, and HEC and EML Business Schools, both in France.
Norfolk Southern is justifiably proud of the partnership it has forged with its craft unions. Executive Vice President and Chief Operatiing Officer Paul Duncan discusses the improvements and special programs that have been instituted at Norfolk Southern with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Among these are START (System Teamwork and Responsibility Training), and a training and mentoring program for new conductors that matches experienced railroaders with trainees. “We’ve got conductors that are more than willing to help train new folks and are very good at it. We work with our local chairman at the various locations where we’re bringing on conductor trainees to ensure that we’re matching them up with folks that match in personality traits as well as leadership,” Duncan says. Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies, which has teamed with Norfolk Southern to develop sustainable, high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel gondolas constructed of a lighter-weight steel that reduces unloaded weight by up to 15,000 pounds.
IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith sits down with KFW-IPEX Bank Global Head of Aviation, Mobility & Transport Dr. Carsten Wiebers to discuss the future of railway asset finance and the challenges and opportunities posed by green financing for the railway sector. Wiebers makes some interesting observations on the tools available to railways and asset owners looking to get ahead of the competition. Sponsored by KFW-IPEX Bank.
Rail Group On Air shines a spotlight on railroad policing during Rail Safety Week 2023 in this podcast with CN Chief Security Officer and Chief of CN Police Service, North America Stephen Covey. This long-time law enforcement professional shares his insights on the complex job of overseeing public safety and security at a Class I railroad whose territory stretches thousands of miles across Canada and the United States with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
This edition of Rail Group on Air spotlights the recently released change management book, Change Questions, by noted executive D. Lynn Kelley Ph.D. with prominent internationally known Lean Management expert John Shook. The pace of organizational change has been increasing. Unfortunately, most change activities fail to deliver anticipated results and those that do often fail to sustain. The Change Questions book addresses these critical issues by providing a proven process with a strong record of sustainment that can be used by anyone responsible for implementing organizational change. The book includes a case study with examples and stories of transformation at Union Pacific Railroad during an eight-year period. Using the Change Questions resulted in a dramatic increase in operational performance and a 96% sustainment rate over hundreds of change initiatives. Lynn Kelley and Railway Age Contributing Editor Sonia Bot, Chief Executive of the BOT Consulting Group Inc., join Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono for this podcast.
John Orr, Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer of Canadian Pacific Kansas City, provides an in-depth, up close and personal look at North America’s first and only transnational railway in a wide-ranging discussion with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. In his new strategic position at CPKC, Orr is responsible for network operations planning and design, procurement, labor relations and regulatory affairs. Previously, Orr served as Executive Vice President Operations for Kansas City Southern, overseeing the Transportation, Engineering, Mechanical, Network Operations, Health-Safety-Environmental and Labor Relations teams from 2021-2023. A fourth-generation railroader, Orr began his railroad career at CN in 1985, holding various leadership positions including Senior Vice President and Chief Transportation Officer. Podcast sponsored by Trinity Rail.
n this conclusion of a two-part series, Jim Hoecker and Steve Griffith of the Rail Electrification Council talk about the transition away from fossil fuels, as well the national electrical grid’s need to expand to handle rapidly increasing demand. What are the opportunities for using railroad rights-of-way to support high-voltage transmission lines? How could this be a viable source of revenue for railroads? How do ESG goals figure here? Hoecker and Griffith discuss these and other topics with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Is electrification—or re-electrification—a viable means of rail propulsion, particularly for North American freight? In this first of a two-part series, Jim Hoecker and Steve Griffith of the Rail Electrification Council describe the organization’s mission and objectives, and discuss what’s happening with respect to the broader electric grid. How will its transition away from fossil fuels affect the railroads? What are the potential effects of electrification on the railroads? Why should railroads plan to electrify? Are there lessons to be learned from rail electrification in Europe and the Far East? Is there a current example of a rail road right-of-way being used to support transmission development? What is the the role of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in transmission planning and siting? Are there any policies or funding that can prompt the railroads to electrify? Hoecker and Griffith discuss these questions with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
This is Part 3, “Essential Success Factors,” of a three-part series based upon the new book, Dynamic Multi-Level Decisioning Architecture: Making the Right Decisions at the Right Time, With the Right Authority for Sustained Competitiveness and Relevance, by Sonia Bot, Sheppard Narkier and David Sherr. “It’s about how all industries, including the rail industry, its partners and adjacent competitors, are evolving in the throes of digital disruption and other external forces, and the role people play in decision-making at all levels of an organization,” say the authors. “Decision-making needs to flow better upwards and downwards, tying the boardroom to the railroad yards, transloading facilities, tracks—the whole rail network and transportation ecosystem.“The bigger story is about each stakeholder needing a better understanding of how to make the right decision at the right time with better, more-focused knowledge, applying hard-earned wisdom to make better decisions with better and traceable outcomes. It’s about the convergence of two long-standing silos, OT (operational technology) and IT (information technology), becoming the cornerstone of effective innovation in large, complex firms like railroads, which need to meet the increasing impact of disruptive forces. The need to address this convergence affects a wide range of disciplines to unveil a much broader scale of end-to-end systems—from the sensors in the field to the boardroom. Out-of-date, isolated data that lacks context causes major paralysis.”Bot, Narkier and Sherr discuss these concepts with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
This is Part 2, “The Business Environment as a Service Platform,” of a three-part series based upon the new book, Dynamic Multi-Level Decisioning Architecture: Making the Right Decisions at the Right Time, With the Right Authority for Sustained Competitiveness and Relevance, by Sonia Bot, Sheppard Narkier and David Sherr. “It’s about how all industries, including the rail industry, its partners and adjacent competitors, are evolving in the throes of digital disruption and other external forces, and the role people play in decision-making at all levels of an organization,” say the authors. “Decision-making needs to flow better upwards and downwards, tying the boardroom to the railroad yards, transloading facilities, tracks—the whole rail network and transportation ecosystem. “The bigger story is about each stakeholder needing a better understanding of how to make the right decision at the right time with better, more-focused knowledge, applying hard-earned wisdom to make better decisions with better and traceable outcomes. It’s about the convergence of two long-standing silos, OT (operational technology) and IT (information technology), becoming the cornerstone of effective innovation in large, complex firms like railroads, which need to meet the increasing impact of disruptive forces. The need to address this convergence affects a wide range of disciplines to unveil a much broader scale of end-to-end systems—from the sensors in the field to the boardroom. Out-of-date, isolated data that lacks context causes major paralysis.”Bot, Narkier and Sherr discuss these concepts with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono
This is Part 1, “From Sensors to the Boardroom,” of a three-part series based upon the new book, Dynamic Multi-Level Decisioning Architecture: Making the Right Decisions at the Right Time, With the Right Authority for Sustained Competitiveness and Relevance, by Sonia Bot, Sheppard Narkier and David Sherr. “It’s about how all industries, including the rail industry, its partners and adjacent competitors, are evolving in the throes of digital disruption and other external forces, and the role people play in decision-making at all levels of an organization,” say the authors. “Decision-making needs to flow better upwards and downwards, tying the boardroom to the railroad yards, transloading facilities, tracks—the whole rail network and transportation ecosystem. “The bigger story is about each stakeholder needing a better understanding of how to make the right decision at the right time with better, more-focused knowledge, applying hard-earned wisdom to make better decisions with better and traceable outcomes. It’s about the convergence of two long-standing silos, OT (operational technology) and IT (information technology), becoming the cornerstone of effective innovation in large, complex firms like railroads, which need to meet the increasing impact of disruptive forces. The need to address this convergence affects a wide range of disciplines to unveil a much broader scale of end-to-end systems—from the sensors in the field to the boardroom. Out-of-date, isolated data that lacks context causes major paralysis.”Bot, Narkier and Sherr discuss these concepts with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono
Duos Technologies is one of the leaders of artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, machine vision and other advanced technologies the railroads are increasingly leveraging. Chief Technology Officer Jeffrey Necciai and Duos Board Member Ed Harris, former CSX Executive Vice President Operations, join Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono to discuss how Duos is helping the rail industry improve safety, service quality and equipment utilization.
The RAD Torque Systems B-RAD Series of battery-powered torque wrenches, which currently includes B-RAD S, B-RAD Select, Digital B-RAD and B-RAD Select Offset tools, now includes the new B-RAD X and B-RAD EGX-R, a tool customized specifically for the rail industry. The B-RAD EGX-R, which is designed for track bolts, features an extension that eliminates the need for operators to bend or squat down to secure them—a very ergonomic adaptation for track workers. Product Manager Brian Warmerdam, the company’s go-to product expert with 11 years of experience and a former product training specialist, describes these new torque tools to Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.RAD Torque Systems, sponsor of this podcast, is the leading manufacturer of pneumatic, battery-powered and electronic pistol grip torque wrenches. With more than 25 years of gearbox engineering, a RAD Torque wrench is stronger, lighter and faster than others on the market. The company was founded by Dan Provost more than 25 years ago and has quickly grown to be known as the tool of choice for industrial bolting applications around the world. In addition to the B-RAD Series, the company offers several other torque wrench series, including the RAD Pneumatic and E-RAD BLU and V-RAD electronic tools; as well as calibration equipment.
Federal funding is available for rail improvement and expansion projects through the CRISI (Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements)Program, a $1.43 billion FRA-administered initiative for capital projects that will improve passenger and freight rail transportation systems in terms of safety, efficiency and reliability. CRISI grants, however, are not directly available to commuter railroads, as “passenger” rail only includes intercity services like Amtrak. The Commuter Rail Coalition is working to correct this. In the meantime, how can commuter railroads leverage CRISI funding? Is there a “back door” way, if the “front door” is closed? CRC Government Relations DirectorJohn Cline and CEO KellyAnne Gallagher discuss the opportunities with Railway Age Editor-In-Chief William C. Vantuono.
IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith speaks with John Santamaria of Clever Devices and Alex Pacquet of Alstom on the rise of alternative traction in the rail industry as well as the latest trends in passenger experience and the shift toward predictive maintenance for rail vehicles. John Santamaria, Senior Vice President of Rail, Clever Devices, is responsible for developing and executing short-term and long-term business plans to increase Clever’s market share in the rail industry. John also leads and manages rail industry activities and personnel engaged in Business Development, Project Management & System Deployment, Product Management, and Quality Management sectors within the company. Prior to joining Clever, John worked for New York City Transit for 24 years, most recently as Vice President and Chief Mechanical Officer of the Car Equipment Division within the Department of Subways. John also spent four years as Assistant CMO of NYCT’s Car Equipment Engineering Department and as Assistant Chief Officer of NYCT’s Central Electronics Shop for more than 10 years. John is a licensed professional engineer in three states and is currently Vice Chair of the APTA Rolling Stock Technical Committee. He is an active participant within the UITP Rolling Stock Sub Committee and is also a member of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society and Metropolitan Railway Club. Alex Paquet, Customer Director, Midwest United States, Alstom, since August 2022, is also responsible for Business Development for the Rolling and Component division for Alstom in North America. Alex prides himself on attaining customer satisfaction and has led several customer experience enhancement initiatives over the last several years to achieve that goal. Kevin Smith, Editor-in-Chief, International Railway Journal, joined IRJ in November 2009, becoming chief editor in February 2020. During his time with IRJ, Smith has traveled the world, interviewing leading figures and professionals from the global railway industry and has tracked the sector’s transition into an increasingly digitalized and connected industry. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)
Join RT&S Managing Editor David Lester as he talks with 2022 RT&S Engineer of the Year John Cech from BNSF about challenging projects, the technological movement, what it takes to work in the rail industry, and recruiting the younger generation.
RT&S Editor in Chief Bill Wilson talks to Railroad Construction Company, Inc., about the Way Interlocking and Subway Structure Rehabilitation.
Other industries have been where railroading is today: going through technology transformations. And those other industries are not only surviving, but thriving. PS Technology Senior Vice President Abhi Bhan, who comes from those successful industries, discusses lessons-learned, proven approaches and common-sense ROI qualifiers from which the railroad industry can benefit with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. What are common mistakes businesses make when seeking to modernize technology solutions? How can railroads identify key process functions and plan for continuous enhancement over time? What rail data sources are candidates for dashboards and process improvements? How can efficiencies in tech for compliance management and cost avoidance be leveraged? How can railroads clearly understand information and process silos? This podcast is a preview of a Sept. 13 webinar, Lessons Rail Tech Teams Can Learn from Other Industries.
Norfolk Southern’s TOP|SPG operating plan—which stands for Thoroughbred Operating Plan | Service Productivity Growth—has evolved from NS’s previous plans, TOP 21 among them. Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Cindy Sanborn and Vice President Network Planning and Operations Paul Duncan join Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono to talk about how TOP | SPG “isn’t a radical change in how we work with our customers, but a shift in how we execute our operations to move their shipments more directly and consistently.” The biggest changes affect intermodal markets, NS’s most time-sensitive business. TOP | SPG modifies about 90% of scheduled intermodal and merchandise trains “to reduce terminal congestion, improve network fluidity and create capacity for growth, ultimately simplifying the network through an operating plan with a high level of executability that will drive greater consistency and service improvements for customers.” Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies
Railway Age’s 2011 Railroader of the Year Charles W. “Wick” Moorman IV retired as chairman, president and CEO of Norfolk Southern in 2015, then spent a year as president of Amtrak. Since then, he’s been active in historic preservation, among other ventures, taking the lead, with colleagues Bennett Levin and Henry Posner, in the second restoration of Pennsylvania Railroad K4 Pacific steam locomotive 1361 and work with reorganizing the Railroaders Memorial Museum of Altoona. He’s also involved in resurrecting Pennsylvania’s East Broad Top as a tourist attraction and driver of regional economic activity. In this wide-ranging interview with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono, Wick talks about his historic preservation initiatives and tenure as Amtrak president—and offers his very candid, eye-opening observations on the current state of the U.S. rail industry: Precision Scheduled Railroading, customer service, capital investment, the Surface Transportation Board and regulation, and Amtrak’s relationship with its host freight railroads. This is one podcast well-worth a listen!
Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads: Gene Skoropowski and Tom Mulligan by RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ
RT&S Media Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks to the builder behind the Mid-Coast Corridor Projects in San Diego, Calif., which earned a spot on the 2022 RT&S Top Projects list.
Ahead of next week’s IAF International Exhibition on Track Technology in Münster, Germany, Plasser & Theurer speaks with IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith in our latest Rail Group on Air podcast. Fabian Hansmann, Deputy Director for Marketing, looks ahead to IAF and the supplier’s key exhibits; Alexander Lehner, Director for Global Customer Services, reflects on Plasser & Theurer’s changing approach to customer service, including new rental services and second-hand machine supply; and Florian Auer, Director of Technologies and Innovation, looks at the future of railway infrastructure maintenance and the adoption of new technologies. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)
Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with AmeriStarRail's Scott Spencer about the proposed Grand Slam project that would run through downtown Baltimore.
The North County Transit District's decision to build a fence along the Del Mar bluffs has been debated for years, but recently the topic has really heated up. RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks to both sides of this "fence".
Commuter Rail Coalition Director of Government Relations John Cline of Cline Strategic Consulting, industry lobbyists Julie Minerva of Carpi & Clay and Bennett Resnik of Cardinal Infrastructure, and CRC Executive Director KellyAnne Gallagher join Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono for a conversation on what 2022 may hold in store for commuter rail priorities.
Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson interviews Union Pacific President and CEO Lance Fritz about the Class 1's capital program and the industry's labor shortage.
Siemens Mobility North America President and CEO Marc Buncher talks with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono about the 2022 North American rail market. What are the opportunities for the passenger rail industry with the infrastructure bill’s passage? What is missing from the infrastructure deal? Will the bill really help the industry move the needle as far as technology is concerned, or is it more of a state-of-good-repair play? What of note will occur in the freight rail industry this year? Podcast sponsored by Siemens Mobility North America.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks about the state of the industry for the Maintenance-of-Way sector. Special guests include ASLRRA President Chuck Baker and RTA Executive Director Nate Irby.
In December 2021, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration deployed a Security Directive that shined a spotlight on rail cybersecurity following a series of global cyberattacks that occurred at the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Class I CSX and short-line operator OmniTRAX, as well as several rail companies around the globe. The TSA regulations took effect December 31, and rail operators across the U.S. are facing looming deadlines. But achieving compliance across the four required TSA mandates isn’t a quick fix, and the regulations spark additional questions: Why is the federal government rapidly getting involved in rail cybersecurity? What kind of cyberattacks are now targeting rail systems and rolling stock, and what’s next? Are rail cybersecurity measures in place sufficient to fend off sophisticated attacks? Are existing rail technology platforms such as PTC and onboard/wayside fault detection and health monitoring capable of supporting cybersecurity measures? Railway Age Editor in Chief William C. Vantuono discusses these topics with rail cybersecurity expert Josh Lospinoso, CEO and co-founder of podcast sponsor Shift5.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with the Arizona Eastern Railway about the destruction and rebuilding of the Gila River railroad bridge in Arizona.
The lead editors of Railway Age, Railway Track & Structures and International Railway Journal talk about the top news stories in their sectors during the month of October.
Why are railroads seeking fuel-saving technologies? How much can they expect to save on fuel costs by using a fuel monitoring and reporting system such as the Wabtec Fuel App? What are some of the challenges railroads have around accurately measuring locomotive fuel consumption? What is required for this system to work? Who will benefit? Wabtec Corp. Principal IoT Platforms and Application Leader Adebayo Onigbanjo discusses these topics and more with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Podcast sponsored by Wabtec Corp.
Rajani Modiyani, Lead Account Manager for the Global Rail Team at Cummins, discusses clean diesel options, emissions standards technologies and the company’s current hydrogen product offering, and the future of Cummins Rail with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Modiyani, who joined Cummins in 2010 as a Systems Integration Engineer, supports OEMs and customers exploring hydrogen solutions as well as traditional diesel market opportunities. She has an Engineering degree from the Cummins College of Engineering in Pune, India; a Master’s of Science in Engineering from Purdue University; and an MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Podcast sponsored by Cummins.
Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Eric Fields about the first lift of a new truss section at the Merchants Bridge site in St. Louis.
Everything you need to know about Precision Scheduled Railroading—how it got started, who started it and why, its promises and principles, and what it has become, for better or for worse—is here in this discussion featuring two of PSR’s “founding fathers,” Gil Lamphere and Henry Chidgey, who have more than 75 years of combined railroading experience. This in-depth session with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono isn’t a quick listen, but well worth the time. We think you’ll find it informative, educational and fascinating. Gil and Henry have seen and done it all.
Railway Track & Structures magazine Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Justin Meyer, who is vice president of Engineering for Canadian Pacific. Meyer was selected as RT&S's Engineer of the Year for 2021. Listen to how Meyer discovered his love for the railroad industry and how he managed some complex projects out in the field.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks to BNSF's Alan Bloomquist about the BNSF Bridge No. 66.4 over the Little White Salmon River project.
In this edition of Rail Group On Air, sponsored by ZTR, Business Development Manager – Rail Division Brodie McLellan and Railway IoT Program Manager Neil Shipley focus on the environmental and safety aspects of ZTR’s various technology offerings with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. They discuss engineering a sustainable future for the railway industry: the importance of clean technologies and how ZTR is helping to reduce locomotive idling and significantly cut down emissions, as well as the role digitization plays in enhancing railway safety, supporting higher training and skills standards, and improving efficiencies.
In Part 2 of the 2021 RT&S Top Projects, RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks about the Mondo mud spring in California creating havoc with Union Pacific railroad tracks.
Two new rail ferries, the Maya and the Cherokee, will enter Gulf of Mexico service this year for CG Railway LLC (CGR), a joint venture of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and SEACOR Holdings Inc. CGR, which transports 10,000 annual carloads of diversified commodities from Mobile, Ala., to Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, is replacing its existing two vessels with 590-foot-long ships that can each carry 135 railcars, up from 115 railcars on the existing ferries, with a top speed of 14 knots, up from seven knots. Currently, the trip across the Gulf takes about five days, or half the time required for the overland route. The vessels’ additional capacity and faster speed could potentially boost annual carload capacity by 40%. William C. Vantuono and Heather Ervin, Editors-in-Chief of Railway Age and Marine Log, respectively, talk with CGR President Hoffman Lijeron about the company’s operations and the new vessels.
Commuter Rail Coalition Vice Chair Mike Noland (South Shore Line) and Director of Government Affairs John Cline (Cline Strategic Consulting) discuss how the decidedly unsexy issue of excess liability insurance has become an existential threat to commuter railroads with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. They also share the innovative solution in need of bi-partisan support as it’s being shopped on Capitol Hill.
CN President and CEO JJ Ruest and Kansas City Southern President and CEO Pat Ottensmeyer discuss the two railroads’ pending merger in detail with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. How confident are the two chief executives that the Surface Transportation Board will approve their jointly filed voting trust application? What will the capital investment and operating impacts be for KCS while the company is in trust? If the voting trust is not approved, what happens next? Would CN and KCS proceed with a merger application without one? KCS’s New Orleans-Baton Rouge line is the only stated overlap, which Ruest says will be divested if the merger is approved, and which was an anticipated condition of merging. Are CN and KCS anticipating any other conditions? And what, and where, are the most significant growth and service improvement opportunities for the combined railroad? Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies, Virtual Sample Railcar™.
Locomotive engineers have been qualified and trained with simulation technology for years. Through technology, the opportunity to leverage simulation beyond locomotive engineers is quickly emerging. Heartwood scratched the surface by developing a virtual simulation platform to certify Transportation and Mechanical employees in conducting 49 CFR Part 232 brake tests at Norfolk Southern, and obtained a Federal Railroad Administration simulation training waiver to meet the regulatory requirements. With simulation technology, including augmented and virtual reality, regulatory and maintenance training can be at employee fingertips. Can railroads train, qualify and improve their workforce with simulation tools? FRA Staff Director, Railroad Safety Partnerships Rob Castiglione, Heartwood Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer Neil Wadhawan and Consultant Brian Keller discuss this emerging technology with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Railroad Construction Company's Frank Spinozza and Lisa Tackach about the New Mid-Suffolk Electric Yard Design-Build Project.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Green Line Extension project manager John Dalton about progress and challenges behind the work.
MidRail LLC Chairman Gil Lamphere offers his views on the competition between Canadian Pacific and CN to acquire Kansas City Southern, discussing the details of voting trusts and the role of the Surface Transportation Board, and other railroad merger-related issues, with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Lamphere has nearly 40 years of experience as a principal investor and financier in rail industry and other private equity transactions. He has headed four private equity firms and has extensive operational experience as a chairman and/or board member for a wide range of publicly traded and private companies. Lamphere is the former Chairman of the Illinois Central Railway, Co-Founder of MidSouth Rail Corporation and a former board member of CN, CSX and Florida East Coast Railway. He led teams and boards that bought, managed and changed operations at those railroads, and at Southern Pacific, with alumni leading CP, creating gains for investors in excess of $2 billion.
Canadian Pacific President and CEO Keith Creel, Executive Vice President Operations Mark Redd and Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing OfficerJohn Brooks discuss CP’s proposed merger with Kansas City Southern with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Podcast Sponsored by Trinity Rail.
One month after Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern announced their intent to merge into CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City), CN made a counter-offer it said is a “superior proposal” that “will result in a safer, faster, cleaner and stronger railway.” KCS, while moving forward with the CP deal, is now considering CN’s proposal. CN President and CEO JJ Ruest and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rob Reilly discuss the merits of their offer with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies, Virtual Sample Railcar™.
For the first time, Railway Age and Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp. sister publication Marine Log join forces to discuss the global rail and marine intermodal logistics scene with Bill Shea, CEO of DCLI (Direct Chassis Link Inc.) and Chairman of supply chain technology company Blume Global, and Pervinder Johar, Blume Global CEO. They offer their views on challenges the intermodal industry faces; preparing for future logistics disruptions; the role of advanced technology; supply chain visibility and sustainability; seamlessly transition data from ocean carrier to rail in transit; and growth opportunities with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono and Marine Log Editor-in-Chief and RA Ports and Intermodal Editor Heather Ervin.
The European Commission has designated 2021 as the European Year of Rail and is planning a series of events and initiatives throughout the year to promote rail as a sustainable transport mode. In this episode, IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith’s guest is Philippe Citroën, Director General of the European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE). Citroën reveals his hopes and expectations for the European Year of Rail, his views on the future of European railway research and the role of the European rail industry in Europe’s Rail. He also discusses the challenges and opportunities for the sector as it strives to achieve the ambitious targets in the EC’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)
Shift5’s mission is to make the world’s fleets smarter and safer. Shift5 is a product company that deploys hardware and software onto civilian and military platforms—from rail and aircraft to maritime, space, and weapons systems. In this podcast, sponsored by Shift5, CEO and Co-founder Josh Lospinoso and President, Chief Growth Officer and Co-Founder Michael Weigand discuss the company’s applications for freight and passenger rail in the areas of mechanical reliability and cybersecurity with MidRail LLC Chairman Gil Lamphere and Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. U.S. railways are turning to Shift5’s freight and transit security solution for continuous monitoring of railway vulnerabilities, a rules engine that generates alerts automatically, and work packages that enable rail cybersecurity analysts to address threats immediately. Detection and responsive management of cyber health results in long-term savings.
PTC has made much progress at reducing railroad operational risks, but optimizing safety and efficiency never stops. As railroads continue to innovate, further improvements and operational advancements will be deployed. Safety HMI (human-machine interface) technology, combined with continued human factors design considerations, can mitigate known hazards and safely allow for expanded functionalities. Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono discusses the expanding scope of automation and increasing recognition of HMI, in terms of safety-critical train control interfaces, with Blake Kozol, CEO, Deuta America Corporation; Kelly Nichols, Principal System Engineer and Project Engineering Lead, Collins Aerospace; Carolynn Johnson, Human Factors and Research Manager, Daedalus; Ryan McKinley, President and Safety Engineer, Vital Assurance; and Eileen Reilly, CEO, Global Train Services LLC. Podcast sponsored by Deuta America.
IRJ Editor-in-Chief, Kevin Smith is joined by Carlo Borghini, Executive Director of Shift2Rail, to discuss the successor to the Shift2Rail European railway research program, Europe’s Rail. The European Commission (EC) confirmed a proposal to proceed with the program in February 2021. Borghini discusses what Europe’s Rail will look like and its potential impact on rail research, and the sector’s pursuit of the goals outlined in the EC’s Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)
Commuter Rail Coalition: Four Women in Rail, Four Different Paths by RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with the leaders behind the Long Island Rail Road Mainline Expansion Project, which deals with adding a third line of track within the existing right-of-way.
Early on March 21, the big announcement came: Canadian Pacific Railway will acquire Kansas City Southern in a cash and stock transaction worth $29 billion in U.S. dollars. The combined Class I will be named Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CPKC. If approved by the United States Surface Transportation Board, the merger will be the first Class I transaction of its type since the late 1990s. The result will be a single, integrated rail system connecting ports on the U.S. Gulf, Atlantic and Pacific coasts with key overseas markets, with reach via new single-line hauls across the combined company’s continent-wide network. Importantly, CP and KCS say, “no customer will experience a reduction in independent railroad choices as a result of the transaction, and customers will benefit from a seamless integration of the two systems without service disruption.” Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono speaks with Canadian Pacific President and CEO Keith Creel, 2021 Railroader of the Year, and Kansas City Southern President and CEO Pat Ottensmeyer, 2020 Railroader of the Year. Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies, Virtual Sample Railcar™.
Currently, rail carries 23% of all Nevada freight tonnage. Targeted rail improvements could op-timize existing freight networks to improve travel time reliability, reduce vehicle emissions and support Nevada’s economic development., according to the Nevada Department of Transporta-tion (NDOT). The Nevada State Rail Plan, prepared by Strategic Rail Finance (SRF), outlines op-tions to improve and integrate rail through local and private sector investment in eight regions of the state. Rail improvements listed in the plan become eligible for federal grant funding, opening the opportunity for local government and economic development partners to potential-ly pursue the rail improvements in the future. NDOT State Railroad Coordinator Lee Bonner and SRF Chairman and CEO Mike Sussman discuss how the plan “creates a blueprint for potential rail improvements to augment existing freight systems; provide jobs, tax revenue and business opportunities; and enhance mobility, traffic safety and the environment, fully utilizing rail for an integrated and sustainable statewide freight transportation network,” with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Direct Chassis Link, Inc. (DCLI) is the largest provider of marine and domestic container chassis to the U.S. intermodal industry. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., the company owns, leases and manages more than 154,000 marine chassis and 89,000 domestic chassis serving customers involved in the global movement of containerized goods. DCLI Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Houfek and Senior Vice President Government and Public Relations Mike O’Malley discuss the intermodal market, focusing on rail’s critical role in the transportation supply chain and logistics, with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
In this Rail Group On Air podcast, part of our series with the Commuter Rail Coalition, North County Transit District Executive Director and CEO Matt Tucker, BNSF Assistant Vice President Passenger Operations DJ Mitchell and CRC Executive Director KellyAnne Gallagher discuss the San Diego Pathing Study with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Released in November 2020, the study provides an implementation blueprint for a unique NCTD/BNSF partnership that will bring capacity and service improvements for commuter and intercity passenger rail and freight rail to Southern California’s LOSSAN (Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo) rail corridor, the second-busiest rail corridor in the U.S. In a typical year, the LOSSAN rail corridor moves approximately $1 billion of freight and more than eight million rail passengers. DB Engineering & Consulting USA, Inc., the international consulting division of Germany’s national railroad Deutsche Bahn, prepared the study, which identifies and prioritizes infrastructure improvements that are tied to a specific increase in service capacity over the near-, mid- and long-term future. DB E&C applied an approach to rail operations and infrastructure planning that allows rapidly iterating service design, operational adjustments and infrastructure improvements in order to derive an attractive solution. The blueprint will assist NCTD and its rail partners in growing service along a corridor that is currently bottlenecked by single track and other infrastructure deficiencies.
The first lines of Riyadh’s six-line, 176-km metro network are due to commence operation in the final quarter of 2021. As the world’s largest single-phase metro project nears its conclusion, IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith speaks with Carter Rohan, project director for the Riyadh Metro Transit Consultants (RMTC) project management consultancy (PMC), and Lindsay Vamplew, project director for the Riyadh Advanced Metro Project Execution and Delivery (RAMPED) PMC, which have overseen project delivery. Rohan and Vamplew address the challenges of delivering such a vast scale of work in a country with no past experience in metro construction, and in Saudi Arabia’s tough environmental conditions. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson takes a look back at 2020 and provides a forecast for 2021. He also interviews HNTB's Ronnie Hakim and Herzog's Troy Elbert.
New Jersey Transit met the December 31, 2020 federally mandated deadline for implementing Positive Train Control. NJT President and CEO Kevin Corbett discusses the project’s complexity, and the “come from behind” coordination and cooperation it took with numerous stakeholders to reach the finish line with time to spare, with Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Railway Age’s 58th Railroader of the Year, Canadian Pacific President and CEO Keith Creel, talks with Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono about his career, and his mission at CP, in this audio version of the video interview. Creel has been instrumental in Canadian Pacific forging a leadership role in the industry, while acknowledging the railroad’s place in history and its role in driving the North American economy forward. He has helped renew Canadians’ and CP employees’ sense of pride in a company that connected a nation, and connected Canada to the rest of the world. Under his steady hand, and under very difficult circumstances this past year, CP has been a safe, efficient and productive railroad, enabling its customers to connect with domestic and global markets. Podcast sponsored by Amsted Rail and TrinityRail.
Railroad Financial Corp. President and Railway Age Financial Editor David Nahass; Cowen and Company Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl; and Cowen and Company Transportation Equipment Analyst Matt Elkott join Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono to offer their perspectives on 2021, a year in which the world hopes to see the end of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. What are the prospects for freight rail growth? For railcar orders and deliveries growing? Will intermodal continue to lead the way? How is the rail industry’s trucking competition faring?
Jim Derwinski, Commuter Rail Coalition Chair and CEO/Executive Director, Metra; John Cline, CRC Government Affairs Director and Principal, Cline Strategic Consulting; Chuck Spitulnik, CRC Counsel and Partner, Kaplan Kirsch Rockwell; and KellyAnne Gallagher, CRC Executive Director, discuss access, capacity, and public convenience and necessity issues of importance to commuter railroads with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Cogniac is a startup enterprise-class AI image and video analysis company providing enterprise-class software for automating railroad visual inspection tasks. Based in San Jose, Calif., the company has landed two contracts with U.S. Class I railroads and a Mexican client in the past year. Cogniac is also working with the AAR to help reshape and modernize federally mandated inspection regulations. Dr. Amy Wang, a technologist and the co-founder and VP Systems at Cogniac, discuss advances in deep learning to achieve better-than-human accuracy and continuously improve railroad inspection workflows with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Industry 4.0 (also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution) is a reality. Railroads, including their partners in the transportation supply chain, are at the beginning of their journey to establishing true end-to-end digital continuity. For example: Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT); Positive Train Control (PTC) and Enhanced Train Control (ETC); and AI (artificial intelligence)-based automation such as expanding autonomous inspection to include predictive analytics for track data. How do we know that these solutions and systems are safe and that there are no lurking issues? How do we know that the integration of multiple components from vendors, partners, and even from within meet safety objectives? How do we know if safety integrity is preserved after a change is made? How do we shift the paradigm where safety moves from a cost center to a value-added business driver? In Part 3, the conclusion of this three-part series on System Safety, Sonia Bot chief executive of The BIT Consulting Group Inc., and Tony Zenga, owner of CMTIGroup Inc., draw attention to three often neglected or not fully understood aspects of system safety practices. They are integration into the systems engineering lifecycle, designing for safety, and process-based safety performance management. By having these technical aspects in place, a system safety practice can effectively achieve its potential and influence the maturation of the organization’s safety culture.
Sometimes it seems like lightning strikes and we see a significant jump in the capabilities of technology. Such is the case with PS Technology’s Precision Train Builder™ (PTB), a suite of abilities that enables railroads to enhance safety using physically accurate simulation. This ability is leading to improvements in both accident analysis and train consist design. But, like most significant technology shifts, it’s usually about many separate things being in the right place at the right time. PS Technology has taken the embedded physics simulation within their locomotive simulator products and connected the dots into a broader picture of railroad safety. Here is where the nexus of technology has resulted in new abilities. The combination of railroad GIS track data, actual locomotive event recorder data, and robust computational analysis have come together to provide new insights about train behavior and safe operations. PST President Seenu Chundru discuss PTB’s capabilities with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Industry 4.0 (also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution) is a reality. Railroads, including their partners in the transportation supply chain, are at the beginning of their journey to establishing true end-to-end digital continuity. For example: Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT); Positive Train Control (PTC) and Enhanced Train Control (ETC); and AI (artificial intelligence)-based automation such as expanding autonomous inspection to include predictive analytics for track data. How do we know that these solutions and systems are safe and that there are no lurking issues? How do we know that the integration of multiple components from vendors, partners, and even from within meet safety objectives? How do we know if safety integrity is preserved after a change is made? How do we shift the paradigm where safety moves from a cost center to a value-added business driver? In Part 2 of this three-part series, which accompanies an article in Railway Age’s November 2020 issue, Sonia Bot, The BOT Consulting Group Inc., and Tony Zenga, CMTIGroup Inc., make the case for system safety as the necessary discipline for railroads to embed as they move forward in innovating and advancing in the 21st century.
On Jan. 1, 2021, Katie Farmer will become the first woman chief executive of a Class I railroad, BNSF. Farmer knows BNSF inside and out. She’s held leadership positions in every major function of the company, starting as a 22-year-old management trainee at predecessor Burlington Northern in 1992. At BNSF, she will oversee a 32,500-route-mile network that spans 28 states and three Canadian provinces for parent company Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., and lead the Board of Directors. Among Farmer’s priorities: driving productivity and delivering the kind of service BNSF customers have come to expect; modeling the way for communication across the railroad and ensuring that connections continue to be made with all the constituencies it touches; and supporting employees—some 36,000—so they, too, can reach their full potential by taking advantage of the professional development opportunities she was afforded. In this wide-ranging interview with Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak, Katie Farmer talks about leading the railroad and its workforce, “the hard-working men and women at BNSF.” Podcast sponsored by TrinityRail.
Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner and Commuter Rail Coalition Co-Founder Joe Giulietti, accompanied by ConnDOT Public Transportation Bureau Chief Rich Andreski, discuss “Transformation and Innovation in the Commuter Rail Realm” with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Commuter rail customers almost disappeared, practically overnight, but they will come back. The unknowns are, what will a “new normal” look like, and how does the industry adjust to it? Rail transportation in all forms remains hugely popular, is important to social and economic progress, and is playing an important role in addressing climate change. But how well do our customers understand this? And, does staying relevant mean not assuming support for rail and consumer preferences will stay the same?
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with new Railway Tie Association Executive Director Ashley Goodin on the current and future shape of the crosstie market.
This edition of our continuing series with the Commuter Rail Coalition takes a look ahead at technology, policy and performance. What’s next as Positive Train Control evolves to “PTC 2.0”? What’s possible? Jim Derwinski, Metra CEO/Executive Director and CRC Chair; Eileen Reilly, Global Train Services LLC CEO and CRC Board Member; John Cline, Principal, Cline Strategic Consulting and CRC Board Member; and CRC Executive Director KellyAnne Gallagher discuss the issues with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Industry 4.0 (also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution) is a reality. Railroads, including their partners in the transportation supply chain, are at the beginning of their journey to establishing true end-to-end digital continuity. For example: Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT); Positive Train Control (PTC) and Enhanced Train Control (ETC); and AI (artificial intelligence)-based automation such as expanding autonomous inspection to include predictive analytics for track data. How do we know that these solutions and systems are safe and that there are no lurking issues? How do we know that the integration of multiple components from vendors, partners, and even from within meet safety objectives? How do we know if safety integrity is preserved after a change is made? How do we shift the paradigm where safety moves from a cost center to a value-added business driver? In Part I of this three-part series, Sonia Bot, The BOT Consulting Group Inc., and Tony Zenga, CMTIGroup Inc., make the case for system safety as the necessary discipline for railroads to embed as they move forward in innovating and advancing in the 21st century.
This installment of the Rail Group On Air podcast series sponsored by the Commuter Rail Coalition features Virginia Rail Express CEO Rich Dalton, who discusses COVID-19 recovery, his U.S. Navy experience, PTC implementation, working with numerous Commonwealth of Virginia stakeholders, VRE’s relationship with CSX, Norfolk Southern and Amtrak, and capital projects, for both infrastructure and equipment.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with RT&S 2020 Engineer of the Year Ed Boyle. Boyle is the vice president of engineering with Norfolk Southern.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with William Ibbs, a University of California at Berkeley civil engineer professor who has worldwide experience working on high-speed rail projects, about California High-Speed Rail Authority's Road 27 bridge. Ibbs viewpoint is not meant to criticize the work on the Road 27 bridge.
In Part 3, the conclusion of our series on “PSR 2.0,” Sonia Bot and John Orr discuss their systematic and modern approach for delivering value while taking Precision Scheduled Railroading to the next logical steps in its evolution: Precision Scheduled Transportation, pushing the envelope now and in the future toward a major shift in thinking and delivering an integrated transportation system. “When you share objectives, your overall value increases; taking a shared systematic approach for implementing PSR 2.0 ensures low risk, high gain and least cost. Start with the end state in mind, in this case, the future vision of PSR 2.0. Then assess the current state to establish the starting position. In well-defined value-added iterations, the journey to the future vision progresses. It’s an iterative journey, with new discoveries or entry of new forces that could not have been predicted. Knowing when to pivot—and having the organizational capability to do so—are key, as progression on the familiar, comfortable path is self-limiting and counterproductive. Each railroad and ecosystem partner must follow this progression according to their respective timing and pace of adoption.”
Recently installed Amtrak President and CEO Bill Flynn and Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating and Commercial Officer Stephen Gardner discuss the company’s role as a provider of national passenger rail service with Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. What is their long-term vision for Amtrak? What role do they see intercity passenger rail playing in the national transportation network? What is Amtrak’s plan for long-distance trains? For short- to medium distance corridor services? Is Amtrak truly bound by politics, as is widely perceived? What is the solution to the problem of having to request funding from Congress every year? Is it fair to characterize Amtrak, as some critics have said, as a “monopoly”? Flynn and Gardner talk candidly about these and other issues as Amtrak approaches its 50th year.
This edition of Railway Age’s Rail Group On Air podcast series with the Commuter Rail Coalition features Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District/South Shore Line President and CRC Vice Chairman Mike Noland. Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono and Noland discuss system capacity enhancements, expansion programs, bipartisan support for NICTD, COVID-19 safety, PTC deployment and the symbiotic relationship between the South Shore commuter rail and freight operators.
MTA Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng and Chief Innovation Officer Will Fisher describe enhancements to the LIRR’s Train Time® App, which now provides real-time information to customers. “The Route of the Dashing Commuter” is now the route of the informed commuter. Podcast sponsored by the Commuter Rail Coalition.
Sound Transit is constructing a floating rail bridge in the state of Washington. The project is full of challenges and could be the most complex of its kind in the world. RT&S talks with Sound Transit's Sepehr Sobhani, who is a principal construction manager on the job.
CN President and CEO JJ Ruest, in his second Rail Group on Air appearance, describes his vision for CN’s future as the industry pushes forward following a challenging second quarter Ruest, Railway Age’s 2019 Railroader of the Year, discusses the best opportunities for business growth, and the railroad’s commitment to its 2020 C$2.9 billion capital plan, with Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Podcast sponsored by TrinityRail.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), issued on June 19 a final rule authorizing the bulk transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail. Specifically, the rule will permit the bulk transportation of LNG in DOT-113C120W9 specification tank cars with enhanced outer tank requirements and additional operational controls. Scott Nason, Application Development Manager – Rail & ISO Markets at Chart Inc., discusses the market potential and safety aspects of LNG by rail with Railroad Financial Corp. President and Railway Age Financial Editor David Nahass and Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Renowned railway industrial designer Cesar Vergara, Principal of Vergarastudio, talks with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono about the numerous challenges facing passenger rail agencies and railcar engineers and designers created by the COVID-19 pandemic and requirements for social distancing and cleaning/disinfecting of equipment.
This installment in Railway Age’s Rail Group On Air Podcast series with the Commuter Rail Coalition features New Jersey Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett, who discusses NJT’s approach to ridership recovery and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the agency’s long-term capital plans and strategy.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief talks to Wayne Presby of the Mount Washington Railway Company about a re-railing project full of innovation.
This Rail Group On Air Podcast is part of our series featuring members of the Commuter Rail Coalition. This edition features executives from the Metra (Chicago) leadership team: Executive Director and CEO and CRC Chairman Jim Derwinski, Chief Operating Officer Bruce Marcheschi, Division Director Chicago Union Station Rich Oppenheim, and Director of Dispatching Greg Godfrey. They talk about the challenges of operating the Metra commuter rail system in the complex Chicago Terminal area, the nation’s railroad crossroads.
This Rail Group On Air podcast, the second of three and based on a feature story published on line and in the July print and digital issues of Railway Age, introduces Precision Scheduled Railroading 2.0 as envisioned by Sonia Bot and John F. Orr. PSR 2.0 takes Precision Scheduled Railroading to the next level, within individual railroads and across railroad and transportation “ecosystems.” It demands an entrepreneurial culture focused on business rigor, forging productive partnerships, safeguarding origin-to-destination traffic flow and increasing knowledge. Sonia D. Bot, chief executive of The BOT Consulting Group Inc., has worked at the forefront of technology, media, and telecommunications companies worldwide, and was instrumental in PTC implementation on CN’s U.S. lines. John F. Orr, a top-level operations executive for railroading and transportation ecosystems, is a fourth-generation railroader who rose through the ranks and became CN’s Chief Transportation Officer. With E. Hunter Harrison and his successors, Orr delivered PSR operations, and continues the mission today throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) works diligently to prevent the size and weight limits for tractor-trailer trucks to be increased from current federal limits. Public safety is at stake. Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono talks with Sheriff Donald B. Smith, who served as the 53rd Sheriff of Putnam County, New York, for 16 years, and Sgt. Andrew Matthews, a retired Connecticut State Police trooper and current executive director of the National Troopers Coalition. Both are part of the leadership of CABT, for which they serve as members of the law enforcement advisory board.
Bentley Systems Director, Product Management – Building, Electrical, Plant and Structure Eduardo Lazzarotto discusses Building Information Modeling and Digital Twins technologies, especially how they can be applied to rail transit station design to support social distancing made necessary by COVID-19, with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono talks with the leadership team at BNSF Railway: Carl Ice, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Railway Age’s 2016 Railroader of the Year; Executive Vice President Operations Katie Farmer; and Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Bobb. Sponsored by TrinityRail.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Brightline Executive Vice President of Rail Infrastructure Mike Cegelis on how work is moving along on the Orlando Extension project.
Wabtec Transit President Lilian Leroux discusses the global supplier of transit vehicle systems’ role in supporting all forms of passenger rail as a sustainable, safe means of transportation with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono hostsCommuter Rail Coalition Secretary-Treasurer Steven Abrams, Executive Director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (Tri-Rail). Joining them is Joe Yesbeck, National Director Rail and Transit at T.Y. Lin, a global engineering, planning and consulting firm that partnered with Tri-Rail to bring the commuter railroad’s right-of-way to a state of good repair. Abrams also addresses complex negotiations involving Tri-Rail, Brightline/Virgin Trains USA and Miami-Dade County to establish commuter rail service on the Florida East Coast Railway right-of-way into Miami Central Station.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks construction projects, maintenance and dealing with the pandemic with CSX Vice President of Engineering Ricky Johnson.
Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), as we know it today, is rapidly reaching an inflection point. The current version of PSR has produced measurable financial, operational and service improvements for railroads. Yet, some internal growing pains continue, accompanied by shock waves absorbed by shippers, non-PSR railroads, industry partners, advocates and policymakers. This Rail Group On Air podcast, the first of three, introduces PSR 2.0 as envisioned by Sonia Bot and John F. Orr. PSR 2.0 takes Precision Scheduled Railroading to the next level, within individual railroads and across railroad and transportation “ecosystems.”
How deep is the current downturn in the operating lease market? Will there be fundamental changes in the lease market related to the mix of softening demand, PSR and modal change that will have a permanent impact on railcar demand? For how long can we expect the market disruption to occur? What, if anything, scares lessors about the future of railcar leasing? Railcar leasing has always been a relationship-centric business. Do lessors see any changes in the way companies address their future railcar needs? Railroad Financial Corp. President and Railway Age Financial Editor David Nahass asks three experts: Paul Deasy President, Chicago Freight Car Leasing – A Sasser Family Company; Jeff Lytle, President – Rail, CIT; and Greg Schmid, Managing Director – Rail, RESIDCO.
CN President and CEO JJ Ruest, Railway Age’s 2019 Railroader of the Year, joins Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono to talk about freight rail‘s role in the rapidly-evolving global supply chain, and adapting to changing market conditions in a post-pandemic economy. Sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies and Virtual Sample Railcar™.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks to transit mapper and author Christof Spieler about certain transit systems in the U.S., Ottawa's passenger rail efficiency, transit life after COVID-19, and more.
The officers of the Commuter Rail Coalition—Executive Director KellyAnne Gallagher, Chair Jim Derwinski (Metra), Vice Chair Mike Noland (NICTD) and Secretary/Treasurer Steven Abrams (SFRTA)—join Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono to talk about the issues affecting commuter rail, an essential part of the nation’s passenger rail system.
American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Senior Director, Petrochemicals,. Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Benedict talks with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono about safety, regulatory and legislative matters involving AFPM member companies and the North American freight rail industry.
Railway Track & Structures magazine Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson and Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono discuss the economic impact of the pandemic and what impact it will make on the rail industry moving forward.
As the rail industry’s centralized provider of interoperable rail data, Railinc, a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads, was purpose-built to tackle big challenges with the power of data. Railinc manages 11 million daily messages among more than 570 rail carriers. Railway Age reached out to talk to Railinc chief executive Allen West to get a sense of how the North Carolina company is handling the COVID-19 situation.
Railway Track & Structures magazine Editor-in-Chief talks to Jerry Pfuntner of Finley Engineering Group about the design and construction of the Tawatina Bridge.
Railway Supply Institute President Mike O’Malley and Vice President Government and Public Affairs Nicole Brewin cover a wide range of topics with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Among them: The state of the rail supply industry during COVID-19, Committee on Tank Cars position on railcars for crude oil storage, the freight car market, FAST Act reauthorization, Section 130 Grade Crossing Program, and SOE (State-Owned Enterprise) North American penetration/Buy America requirements.
Canadian Pacific President and CEO Keith Creel, Executive Vice President Operations Mark Redd and Executive Vice President Marketing John Brooks talk with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono about business growth, capital investment and today’s challenging operating environment. Sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies.
Highlights from Amtrak’s April 23, 2020 press conference with new President and CEO Bill Flynn, Board Chair Tony Coscia and Senior Executive Vice President Stephen Gardner. The three answer questions about Amtrak’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the company’s future as it deals with a 95% ridership decline and mounting operating losses. How much will the government’s $1.02 billion CARES Act infusion help?
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Mark Taylor, Superintendent of Operations at White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad about the White Pass Loop project. The White Pass Loop Project was a 2020 RT&S Top Project.
Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer John Scheib discusses the railroad’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its “can-do” culture that’s keeping the trains moving and employees safe. Podcast sponsored by TrinityRail®.
Railway Age Capitol Hill Contributing Editor Frank N. Wilner discusses the current state of rail labor national bargaining with Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson and Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono recap the latest updates dealing with COVID-19 and the rail industry.
Strategic Rail Finance Chairman and CEO Michael Sussman and President John Elliott discuss how railroads can leverage P3 (public-private partnership) resources to grow business with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Rail Group On Air's William C. Vantuono and Bill Wilson talk to the American Public Transportation Association on the ins and outs of federal stimulus money for transit agencies and how many of them are dealing with COVID-19 on the front lines.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks to Alicia Trost at the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) on how the agency is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this edition of the Rail Group on Air Special Podcast Series: The Coronavirus and the Rail Industry, Kansas City Southern President and CEO Pat Ottensmeyer and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Songer describe how KCS’s dedicated work force is responding to the crisis, and the steps the railroad is taking to protect them as they endeavor to keep freight traffic moving. Sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies.
In this special COVID-19 edition of Rail Group On Air, Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono talks with Eric Starks and Todd Tranausky of FTR Transportation Intelligence and David Nahass of Railroad Financial Corporation about how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the freight railroad industry and the rail equipment market. You’ll find the discussion a realistic, insightful appraisal of what’s really going on, and what the future may hold.
International Railway Journal Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith talks with the International Union of Railways on how they are handling COVID-19 in Europe.
Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William Vantuono and Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson provide analysis of CARES, the federal stimulus bill, the financial crisis of the transit industry, and more.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief talks with Valley Transportation Authority's Brandi Childress on how the agency responded to a positive COVID-19 case with one of its train operators.
Railway Track & Structures magazine's Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Sound Transit's John Gallagher on how the coronavirus is impacting his transit agency.
Listen to Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono’s March 2020 interview with Union Pacific Chief Operating Officer Jim Vena on Unified Plan 2020, UP’s version of PSR, Precision Scheduled Railroading, and how it’s changing and improving the way UP serves its customers. Vena spent 40 years at CN before retiring in June 2016 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In January 2019, he came out of retirement to join Union Pacific as COO. Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks about erosion on the West Coast and how SANDAG is working around it to continue to run its trains.
Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono interviews 2020 Railroader of the Year President and CEO Pat Ottensmeyer.
Virgin Trains USA's Orlando Extension; NRC Chairman Jim Hansen by RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ
Flooding put pressure on a Norfolk Southern rail bridge in Brunswick, Mo., in October, and crews had to find a way to take the span down and rebuild as quickly as possible.