BNSF Railway will invest $3.57 billion in capital in 2019—a 5% increase from 2018—toward “maintaining and expanding its network with an unwavering focus on operating a safe railroad that meets customers’ demands.”
Wabtec Corp. Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Stéphane Rambaud-Measson has resigned from his position and as a Director of the company “to pursue other interests,” Wabtec announced on Feb. 12.
The Center for Railway Research and Education in the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University has completed the inaugural session of a new continuing education program focused on sustainability: “Railway Motive Power and Alternative Propulsion.”
Railway Age, February 2019: As railroads continue to expand their data collection technologies across all of their operational areas, they simultaneously continue to expand their ability to analyze this data and convert the data into actionable information—in other words, to generate information that can be directly used in their operation or maintenance activities.
Financial Edge, February 2019: One danger of writing for a monthly periodical is that high-profile situations (say the shutdown of the federal government) might begin and end between two issue publication dates. In a word, to tackle the risk of balancing remaining contemporary without becoming dated, one must be “fearless.”
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Duos Technologies Group Inc. has launched a new operating subsidiary, truevue360™ (tv360) through subsidiary Duos Technologies, Inc., a provider of intelligent security and analytical technology. Tv360 will focus on developing, implementing and marketing artificial intelligence (AI) and “deep learning solutions” for a broad range of industries, among them rail.
Kansas City Southern, joining Class I contemporaries Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, CSX, CN and Canadian Pacific in adopting one form or another of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), has appointed Sameh Fahmy as Executive Vice President PSR, reporting to KCS President and CEO Patrick J. Ottensmeyer.
The extreme cold weather impacted North American rail traffic last week as a Polar Vortex shut down Chicago and most rail traffic, freight and passenger, in the region. How did it affect CBR (crude by rail) movements? What is the short- to medium-term impact? PFL Petroleum, in its Feb. 4, 2019 Railcar Report, offered the following analysis:
Stepping up investment in rail infrastructure could substantially reduce transport sector carbon emissions and energy consumption, according to a report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Jan. 30.
Fourth-quarter 2018 freight car order, delivery, and backlog figures compiled by the Railway Supply Institute represent a sustainable longer-term market for carbuilders, according to analysis conducted by Steve Barger, Kenneth Newman and Ryan Mills of KeyBanc Capital Markets. Orders were “strong” at 19,955 cars. Carbuilders delivered 13,462 units. The backlog now stands at 80,223—the highest level since 2Q16.
