COVID-19 claims New Jersey Transit’s Ray Kenny
New Jersey Transit Senior Vice President and General Manager Rail Operations Raymond P. Kenny, 69, has died of COVID-19. Kenny, who began his transportation career in 1970 as an MTA Long Island
Author: William C. Vantuono
U.S. Senate passes $2T stimulus bill; rail/transit to receive billions
By a unanimous 96-0 vote, the U.S. Senate on March 26 passed H.R. 748, its version of a $2 trillion stimulus package for address the devastating economic and societal impacts of the
FRA, responding to joint petition, issues emergency waiver for certain safety regulations
In response to a Petition from the Association of American Railroads (AAR), American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has
R&N opens new rail bridge
Class II Reading & Northern’s new Nesquehoning Bridge Phase 2, the product of more than 20 years of work led by Owner and CEO Andy Muller, Jr., connects the railroad’s Reading and
AHSI: Big Data for better asset health
The railroad industry estimates that advances in fault detection technology are preventing more than 700 road failures monthly on the North American system, based on 2019 preliminary statistics. Among the efforts to
A teck shift in Canada
CN and Teck Resources Limited, a diversified resource company with major business units in copper, steelmaking coal, zinc and energy, on Dec. 4 announced a long-term agreement for shipping steelmaking (metallurgical) coal*
FRA: PTC at 92.4 percent
Based on self-reported Third Quarter 2019 (Q3) PTC (Positive Train Control) Progress Reports, which were due to the Federal Railroad Administration by Oct. 31, 2019, the majority of the 42 railroads subject
CRRC’s “Chief Obligation is to the Chinese State”: Report
“CRRC AND BEIJING’S DASH FOR GLOBAL ROLLING STOCK DOMINANCE,” a report prepared by Radarlock, which describes itself as “a research organization that uses data-driven analysis to understand techno-economic dynamics in world affairs,”
Observations From NEARS Fall Conference: Cowen
Managing Editor’s Note: While the mission of Railway Track & Structures is to provide reporting on topics about or related to railroad engineering, the overall welfare of the railroad industry affects us all.
A look ahead to automatic
Aug. 27, 2019, will arguably be one of the single most important days in North American freight railroading in recent history. On a test track at TTCI (Transportation Technology Center, Inc.) in
FRA NPRM aligns engineer, conductor certification
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to update the regulation that governs locomotive engineer qualification and certification to make it consistent with the corresponding regulation
Amtrak advances Baltimore Penn Station project
Amtrak has executed a Master Development Agreement with Penn Station Partners to redevelop and expand historic Baltimore Penn Station on the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak plans to contribute up to $90 million toward
Commuter rail execs form new trade association
“Commuter rail,” says Metra CEO and Executive Director Jim Derwinski, “needs a distinct voice.” Derwinski and a group of current and former passenger rail industry executives led by former New York Metropolitan
Schaefer new NJT Chief Engineer, Capital Planning
Richard Schaefer, P.E., has joined New Jersey Transit as Chief Engineer in the Capital Planning and Program department.
NJT packs ’em in with $800MM in contracting plans
For New Jersey Transit, the days of subsisting on a starvation capital diet imposed by former Gov. Chris Christie appear over. On March 26, the agency hosted an open house for prime
Calabrese joins Focused Technology Solutions
Forty-year transit industry veteran Joe Calabrese is joining Focused Technology Solutions, a division of The Marmon/Berkshire Hathaway Company, as Senior Advisor, effective April 1.
Railroads miss opportunity with 60 Minutes segment on PTC
“HOW SAFE ARE AMERICA’S RAILROADS? Lesley Stahl reports on a recent string of crashes on U.S. railroads and the delay in implementing life-saving technology that could have prevented them.” Oh brother. I
FRA pulls funding plug on California HSR
For all intents and purposes, California’s high-speed rail project is dead. At least that’s the consensus among several observers of the U.S. high-speed rail scene, which, sadly, appears to be based more
BNSF 2019 capex: Up 5% to $3.57 billion
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.”