2019 will be remembered as the year of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) and for the great traffic drought in North American railroading. PSR has indeed helped deliver the eye-popping levels of operating ratios (OR) that rail executives could once only dream about, and many of the Class I’s set record ORs throughout the year.
CSX’s first Train Inspection Portal (TIP), southeast of Waycross, Ga., aims to usher in a new era of railroad safety technology.
In West Virginia and Virginia, two Norfolk Southern owned and/or operated rail facilities—a state-financed intermodal terminal near Charleston, W.Va., and the railroad’s shop complex in Roanoke, Va.—have been impacted by closure and layoffs.
R.J. Corman recently tabbed Alín Campián as the company’s New Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Yield Management.
Wabtec Corp. has acquired RELCO Locomotives for $29 million, on a cash- and debt-free basis. All conditions for the acquisition are complete and the transaction will be accretive in year one. RELCO’s projected sales for 2019 are roughly $50 million.
The 57th annual recipient of Railway Age’s Railroader of the Year Award is Kansas City Southern President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, a leader in positioning North American railroads as a critical part of the globally competitive, integrated supply chain. In this interview with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono, Ottensmeyer talks about his efforts on behalf of the North American rail industry to support mutually beneficial trade and robust economic growth to help ensure that the rail industry has a voice, working with public- and private-sector leaders to strengthen bilateral commercial ties.
Knorr Brake Company LLC (KBC) has appointed Jason Connell as President and CEO, effective Jan. 6, 2020. Connell will succeed current president Richard Bowie, who remains with the organization as Vice President – Marketing, Sales and Systems.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Dec. 19 issued two Notices of Proposed Rulemakings (NPRMs), one updating current Track Safety Standards (TSS), the other updating existing Brake System Safety (BSS) requirements. FRA said the proposed rules changes are designed “to promote safety innovation and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens.” Both “will increase rail safety as well as save time.”
Effective Jan. 1, 2020, Jim Cerulli is joining Reading & Northern Railroad (RBMN) team as VP – Coal Marketing. He joins Bill Clark, Senior VP Coal Marketing, Mike Sharadin, AVP – Equipment, and the customer service staff who handle all RBMN’s business under VP Customer Service Susan Ludwig.
Wabtec Corp. recently inaugurated its Wabtec India Engineering and Technology Center (WITEC) in Bengaluru, which is aimed at supporting growth and innovation.
