Joseph H. Boardman, former Amtrak President and CEO and Federal Railroad Administrator, and Railway Age’s 2014 Railroader of the Year, died March 7, 2019, of a stroke while vacationing with his family in Florida. He was 70.
Two of the railroad industry’s most experienced attorneys, Kevin Sheys and Ed Fishman, have joined the Washington D.C. office of law firm Hogan Lovells, in the Global Transportation Regulatory practice.
“HOW SAFE ARE AMERICA’S RAILROADS? Lesley Stahl reports on a recent string of crashes on U.S. railroads and the delay in implementing life-saving technology that could have prevented them.” Oh brother. I think you know what CBS 60 Minutes reported on March 3. It’s not pretty. But in my humble opinion, the rail industry can take most of the responsibility for what turned out to be a damaging report, because no one in the rail industry wanted to go on camera. More on that later. Here, after the fact unfortunately, is my attempt to shed light on some of the misconceptions and negative picture of our industry the 60 Minutes program perpetuated.
Former Surface Transportation Board (STB) member Deb Miller, a Kansas Democrat, has withdrawn her name from contention for renomination by President Trump to a second term.
R. J. Corman Railroad Group has joined the Association of American Railroads as a full member.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) submitted testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee in mid-February supporting the American Trucking Association’s (ATA) proposal to increase the fuel tax by $0.20 per gallon, noting that “an increase in the fuel tax could be helpful as a short-term bridge to a longer-term future that, we think, should include a vehicle miles traveled fee or a weight-distance fee.”
In one of his first appearances before Congress as President of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), Chuck Baker testified before the Senate Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety on the role Class II and III railroads play in supporting intermodal connections across the U.S. surface transportation network.
Wabtec Corporation has completed its merger with GE Transportation. The combined company, which is expected to boast revenues greater than $8 billion in 2019, has a compelling growth profile—especially as market conditions improve in its industries. Wabtec announced the transaction completion at the same time as its 4Q18 and full-year 2018 financials.
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has partnered with five railroads with operations in the state—Norfolk Southern, Georgia Northeastern Railroad, Georgia Southern Railway, Ogeechee Railroad Co. and St. Mary’s Railway West—to add “Stop” or “Yield” signs at nearly 600 crossings that do not have automatic warning devices.
OmniTRAX, Inc. has elected Cameron Scott and David Garin to its Board of Directors. Scott’s addition coincides with his retirement as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Union Pacific Feb. 28, 2019; Garin’s service follows an extensive career that culminated in his most recent role as Group Vice President, Industrial Products at BNSF.