Cindy Sanborn, one of the first women to hold a senior-level executive role at a Class I railroad, will succeed the retiring Michael Wheeler as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Norfolk Southern, effective Sept. 1, 2020.
Two experienced railroad professionals—Sarah Yurasko and Eileen Reilly—have joined the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) in legal and technology consulting roles, respectively. Yurasko is the Association’s new General Counsel, replacing Keith Borman, who retired after 15 years. Reilly’s company, Global Train Services LLC, has signed on as a consultant for Positive Train Control services.
RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2019 ISSUE: The U.S. military’s long association with North American railroading exists on several levels. First, railroads fulfilled the military’s crucial need for movement of troops and equipment both at home and abroad, dating back to at least the Civil War. During World War I, the U.S. government assumed operation of the railroads, but the daily operation was still carried out by the roads’ employees. During World War II, U.S. railroads completed the Herculean task of serving not only the military, but the general boom in wartime traffic resulting from a strengthening economy and manufacturing needs generated mainly by the war. The Korean conflict and the Vietnam War also placed significant demands on the railroads, as have more recent conflicts in the Middle East. Also, railroad infrastructure on foreign soil during wartime required professional railroaders to join the military to build and maintain U.S. and Allied railroads near the zones of hot conflict.
Two vacant seats on the five-member Surface Transportation Board (STB) could be filled by early 2020, as a Democrat—to be paired with an already nominated Republican—has emerged as a likely nominee.
The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (GBRX) promoted Lorie Tekorius from Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to President and COO, with expanded responsibilities.
The League of Railway Women (LRW) has opened nominations for the 2019 “Outstanding Member of the Year” award. The recipient will be recognized during the LRW Annual Membership Meeting to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at Railway Interchange in Minneapolis. LRW corporate partners and individual members are eligible.
HNTB Corp. announced April 8 that Alexa Gangemi, P.M.P., has joined the infrastructure firm as a Transit/Rail Senior Project Manager and Associate Vice President, based in the company’s New York City offices.
Tunnels in general represent a significant financial investment with challenging design, construction, and operational issues. Tunnels that are not adequately planned, designed, and constructed usually require more costly and extensive repairs. Tunnel Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is a data-driven tool that provides a detailed account of the total costs of the project over its expected life.
Canadian Pacific President and CEO Keith Creel has lashed out at the Canadian Transportation Agency’s (CTA) investigation of possible freight rail service problems at the Port of Vancouver, calling the agency’s probe “far-reaching” and “irresponsible.”
Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), the research and testing organization of the Association of American Railroads, announced the promotion of Kari Gonzales to Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
The 2018 University of Delaware Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering “Big Data in Railroad Maintenance Planning Conference,” held Dec. 13-14, spotlighted the progression the industry is making in dealing with Big Data—“converting the mountain of data collected by railway systems into effective maintenance planning information, with a focus on railway needs and practical applications.
Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Economist Luisa Fernandez-Willey will host “U.S. Freight Railroads and the U.S. Economy,” the League of Railway Women’s (LRW) inaugural webinar in its new “Railroading 101” series.
The first replacement trainset for Amtrak’s high-speed service is just a shell of itself – and that’s good news.
The League of Railway Women (LRW) has named Ontario Northland President and CEO Corina Moore its 2018 Outstanding Woman of the Year award. The annual award is presented to a woman in the rail industry “who demonstrates vision, initiative, creativity and guidance in a leadership role within her professional railway field; is innovative, a problem-solver and overcomes challenges; and brings consistent excellence to her organization and surrounding community,” LRW said in announcing Moore’s award.
Shareholders have approved a proposal to merge two of the largest suppliers in the global rail industry.
The late Louis W. Menk once said that locomotive engineers were “nothing more than glorified truck drivers.” Those words stuck in my head throughout my 35-year railroad career—mostly spent as a locomotive engineer. To be quite honest, the thought of them angered me every time I climbed into the cab of my locomotive. I was determined to prove him wrong—to be the best damn engineer in the world.
Union Pacific (UP) has released its 2017 Building America Report, the railroad’s ninth installment of its yearly sustainability report.
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) presented several annual awards at the 2018 CONNECTIONS Convention in Nashville. And one of its executives became the first League of Railway Women Hall of Fame inductee.
Canadian Pacific Railway had its best-ever fourth quarter, with revenues up 5% to $1.71 billion and an operating ratio of 56.1 for the October-December 2017 period. The Calgary-based company said earnings per share increased 159% to $6.77, which included an income tax recovery of $527 million, primarily as a result of U.S. tax reform net of Canadian provincial tax rate increases. Adjusted diluted earnings rose 6% to a new quarterly record of $3.22.
Jonathan Mahler, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, has written what I believe to be the definitive story of New York City’s subway system, to date. Mahler’s piece, available here in its entirety, is provocative, thought-provoking, and even a bit disturbing. In my opinion, anyone involved with rail transit—operators, suppliers, consultants, engineers, legislators, planners—should read this.
