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Watson Bryant—who earned a Railway Age “20 Under 40” award in 2021—brings both railroad operations and commercial experience to her new leadership role at NOPB.

Watson Bryant to Lead NOPB

Tomeka Watson Bryant on June 1 will be elevated to General Manager of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA).

The FRA report found that Amtrak trains experienced approximately 1.3 million minutes of delay during first-quarter 2022, up 9% from the previous quarter. System-wide, first-quarter 2022 train-miles were up 8% from fourth-quarter 2021, coming in at 8,790,595 train-miles, as Amtrak continued to restore service following the pandemic. (Amtrak Photograph)

FRA Issues Amtrak OTP Report Card for 1Q22

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has released a report measuring the performance and service quality of Amtrak intercity passenger train operations for first-quarter 2022 (ending Dec. 31, 2021). Among the findings: the Auto Train, Capitol Limited and Sunset Limited were delayed most.

“Earlier this month, @UnionPacific began filling several of their locomotives with REG’s UltraClean BlenD™. See how running on 100% biofuels can help them reach their sustainability goals. …” REG tweeted on May 9, 2022. (Screenshot of an REG Video, Courtesy of REG.)

UP, Wabtec, REG Launch Renewable Fuels Testing

Union Pacific (UP), in partnership with Wabtec and Renewable Energy Group (REG), earlier this month started a “trial of 100% renewable fuels as part of our comprehensive ESG initiative called Building a Sustainable Future 2030.”

Cowen and Company Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl

Potential Modal Shifts as Diesel Stays Hot: Cowen

U.S. diesel pricing remains elevated, passing along significant costs to shippers via fuel surcharges. At Cowen and Company, we believe sustained high diesel pricing will ultimately benefit the railroads and IMCs (intermodal marketing companies) as shippers explore different modes of transport.

Paul J. Wiedefeld on May 16 retired from his role as General Manager and CEO of WMATA. His original retirement date was June 30, 2022.

WMATA: GM/CEO Wiedefeld, COO Leader Out (UPDATED)

Just one day after Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced that it was removing from service 72 rail operators due to a lapse in recertification, General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld decided to step down—weeks ahead of his expected retirement date—and Chief Operating Officer Joe Leader resigned, the transit agency reported late May 16.

Lee Verhey (left), incoming Executive Director, Railway Supply Institute (RSI) Committee on Tank Cars (CTC); John Bryne, outgoing Vice Chair, RSI CTC.

Verhey to Succeed Byrne at RSI CTC

Lee Verhey will take on the Executive Director role for the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) Committee on Tank Cars (CTC), starting May 23. He succeeds RSI CTC Vice Chair John Byrne, who announced earlier this year that he would retire.

On May 23, Bernard Jackson will become COO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

DART Names Jackson COO

Bernard Jackson is leaving Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) to join Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) as Chief Operations Officer, effective May 23.

(Photo Courtesy of Amtrak OIG, Via Twitter)

OIG to Amtrak: Update (and Verify) Unified Operations Center Business Case

Amtrak’s plans to save costs and consolidate personnel/functions in a Delaware building it purchased for $41.1 million in May 2020 “have not materialized because it didn’t effectively verify the feasibility of its plan before it made the purchase,” according to a new report from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General (OIG).

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