GIO Rail Taps TekTracking’s TIMPS

GIO Rail, a Canadian company providing services ranging from industrial switching to railcar repair and storage to track maintenance, has chosen TekTracking LLC’s TIMPS (Track Inspection, Maintenance, Planning and Scheduling Software) platform for managing

Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, 67

CALGARY ––Flags across the Canadian Pacific Kansas City transnational railroad network are flying at half-mast in honor of Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, who served as final President and CEO of Kansas City Southern from 2015 until April 14, 2023, upon completion of the Canadian Pacific-KCS combination that created CPKC. Ottensmeyer died July 28. He was 67.

Amtrak NEC Susquehanna River Rail Bridge Project Under Way

PERRYVILLE, Md. – Work on Amtrak’s $2.7 billion Susquehanna River Rail Bridge Project on the Northeast Corridor in Maryland has begun with pre-construction work that includes removal of remnant bridge piers from the Susquehanna River and utility upgrades in the town of Perryville, Md.. This work sets the stage for start of actual bridge construction later next year.

Rail Insights 2024 with NS EVP and COO John Orr – RAIL GROUP ON AIR

Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer joined Railway AgeEditor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono at the 2024 Rail Insights Conference for this wide-ranging discussion on the changes that have been under way

Commercial and Operational Strategies for Class I Volume Growth – Rail Group On Air

How can Class I scheduled railroad operations translate into volume growth? What are the opportunities for industrial development? Why are short line and regional partnerships key to overall rail industry success? Is more culture change needed at the Class I’s? Farrukh A. Bezar offers his perspectives during this discussion with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

NRHS, Railway Age, RT&S Announce Second Annual Outstanding Railroad Historic Preservation Award

The National Railway Historical Society has kicked off its second annual recognition of a railroad’s historic preservation efforts. NRHS is again partnering with Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures to present the Outstanding Railroad Historic Preservation Award in recognition of a working common-carrier railroad for its efforts to preserve railroad history in the United States, Canada or Mexico.

BNSF Suffers South Dakota Bridge Collapse

SIOUX CITY, S.D. – At approximately 11:00 PM Central Time June 23, amid the heatwave, torrential rain and flooding plaguing the Midwest in recent days, the center span of BNSF’s Aberdeen Subdivision bridge over the Big Sioux River in South Dakota collapsed. The location is North Sioux City, just northwest of Sioux City (which is served by BNSF’s Sioux City Subdivision and a Union Pacific subdivision of the same name). Track washouts in the region are disrupting BNSF traffic.

NS CEO Alan Shaw, ‘Doing What’s Right’ – Rail Group On Air Podcast

Norfolk Southern on June 17 released its 2024 Midyear Report on Safety Accomplishments (download below), which summarizes the railroad’s organizational actions, safety improvements and partnerships enacted in the past 16 months.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Discusses Railways – Rail Group On Air

Danielle Smith, Premier of Canada’s Alberta Province, discusses freight and passenger rail in the Province from economic, social and environmental standpoints with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw remains in place and said he “is confident that we will have a strong and constructive relationship with our new directors.”

NS: Proxy Battle Ends With Favorable Results

The votes from Norfolk Southern’s May 9 42nd Annual Meeting Shareholders have been tabulated and the results are clear. Following a months-long proxy battle launched by activist investor Ancora Holdings Group and

NS Deploys Second DTI Portal

From our colleagues at Railway Age.

Jim Foote, 1954-2024

From our colleagues at Railway Age: James M. Foote, a third-generation railroader who began his career at 18 as a Soo Line nighttime mechanical department employee in his native Superior, Wisc., died April 16. He was 70.

Norfolk Southern’s Alan Shaw and John Orr: Rail Group on Air Podcast

Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Orr discuss their joint strategy and vision for improving service and safety and enabling business growth with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

Norfolk Southern’s Alan Shaw and John Orr: Rail Group on Air Podcast

Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Orr discuss their joint strategy and vision for improving service and safety and enabling business growth with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

Caltrain OCS Fully Energized

From Our Colleagues at Railway Age:

SAN CARLOS, Calif. ––Caltrain, with partners Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) and Balfour Beatty, have energized and tested the OCS (overhead catenary system) on the entire 51-mile Caltrain Electrification Project between San Francisco and San Jose. The next step is testing the system’s Stadler Rail-built EMUs (electric multiple-units) at maximum operating speed and prepare for electrified revenue service, expected to commence in September 2024.

Bridge Collapse Shuts Down Port of Baltimore — From Our Colleagues at Railway Age

BALTIMORE – The tragic early morning collapse of the I-695 Francis Scott Key Bridge, which spans the Patapsco River, following a bridge strike by a container ship weighing 95,000 gross tons, has brought the Port of Baltimore, an important trade hub, to a halt. The Port of Baltimore has suspended all vessel traffic into and out of the port until further notice. The accident is a serious blow to the port operations of both CSX and Norfolk Southern, particularly for intermodal container, automotive and coal traffic.

NS EVP and Chief Marketing Officer Ed Elkins: Rail Group On Air Podcast

Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Ed Elkins began his railroad career at Norfolk Southern in 1988 as a Road Brakeman after serving in the United States Marine Corps. Appointed CMO in 2021, he leads the company’s Intermodal, Automotive and Industrial Products business divisions, and also manages the Real Estate, Industrial Development, Short Line Marketing, Field Sales, and Customer Logistics business groups. In this Rail Group On Air Podcast, Elkins and Railway Age Editor-in Chief William C. Vantuono discuss NS’s accomplishments in 2023 attracting new business and growing existing business, as well as expectations going forward. What markets and commodities offer the most growth potential?

NS Performance Excellence, with VP Transportation Joe Gioe – RAIL GROUP ON AIR

As Norfolk Southern Vice President Transportation, Joe Gioe is responsible for leading a culture of safe, predictable and consistent service by empowering transportation team members to meet the needs of NS customers. He also leads the Performance Excellence (PE) group, which is responsible for establishing operating processes and measuring performance. The group partners closely with Operations leaders and their teams, including Transportation, Advanced Train Control, Engineering and Safety.

Foundations of Rail Safety With Steve Ditmeyer – Part 2, ITS: Rail Group On Air

In Part 2 of this two-part series on railroad safety and technology, Steven R. Ditmeyer takes a deep dive into ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems), specifically, highway/rail grade crossing warning devices that interface with motor vehicles, with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

CN’s Tracy Robinson, 2024 Railroader of the Year: Rail Group On Air

Railway Age’s 2024 Railroader of the Year Award, the 61st annual, goes to an experienced and highly respected North American rail industry leader: CN President and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Robinson.

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