While technology is driving the new era of railroading, the need for a rock-solid foundation is paramount. The foundation of the railroad industry is training. Just like the Roman Pantheon, an ancient building with a solid foundation and large round pillars that support the stone roof, the pillars of empowerment, compensation and technology must hold up the “roof” of railroading goals that support the desired outcomes like car-count, safety and velocity.
BNSF announced in December 2017 that it had fully installed and was operating under Positive Train Control (PTC) on all mandated subdivisions in advance of the Dec. 31, 2018 interim federal deadline. However, on June 13, it submitted a request to the Federal Railroad Administration for an alternative schedule, a two-year extension to Dec. 31, 2020, because “full implementation status cannot be achieved until all non-BNSF trains and/or equipment operating on its PTC-equipped lines are also PTC-compliant.”
A few weeks ago, the Federal Rail Administration asked for input from the rail industry and the public about the role automation and artificial intelligence (AI) can play in rail. It is a sign that FRA recognizes the rail industry will need to leverage technology to safely and efficiently transport more freight and passengers by rail in the coming decades across the U.S.
Canada’s Guelph Junction Railway (GJR) in 2017 hauled record carloads, declared its first dividend to sole owner City of Guelph, Ont., in more than 20 years, and extended its operating contract with Ontario Southland Railway (OSRX) for up to five more years.
The world’s biggest cruise ship operator is hoping an historic Alaska rail gateway will be a gold mine for its tourist trade.
CN Railway aims to improve safety while supporting efficient service through the province of Quebec with a planned C$210 million ($160 million) investment during 2018.
New York Air Brake (NYAB) has appointed Ulisses Camilo President and CEO. Camilo will succeed current President and CEO Michael J. Hawthorne, who has accepted the position of President and CEO at Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, a sister company within the Knorr-Bremse Group, NYAB’s parent company.
The June 13, 2018 report from PFL Petroleum Services, a full-service railcar company covering the North American rail market (sales and leasing, loaded and empty storage, mobile railcar cleaning, blasting, scrapping and mobile repair) says that CBR (crude by rail) traffic is growing in the U.S. and Canada, albeit with some short-term headwinds.
Rail freight continues to benefit from tight trucking capacity as spot market demand for highway haulage exploded this month.
All politics is local, the saying goes, and U.S. railroads are taking their case for favorable public policy directly to the country’s local political influencers.
