Auto Truck Group names new regional fleet sales manager

Auto Truck Group hired Steve Terry as regional fleet sales manager.

Brandt delivers first R4 Power Units and OTM trackers to UP

Brandt Road Rail Corporation has delivered the first Brandt R4 Power Units and OTM Trackers to Union Pacific (UP).

Everything in its place

Suppliers manufacture and provide the most sophisticated tools for material handling to-date.

With so many materials of various sizes and weights needed to build and maintain the railroads, multi-functional machines are in demand and suppliers across North America are delivering just that.

Harsco names SVP/CFO

Harsco Corporation appointed F. Nicholas Grasberger to senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective April 22, 2013.

Ballast maintenance for the best roadbed

For proper support and drainage along the railroads both big and small, a good ballast maintenance program is key.

Mom Chung and Big Alma to bore SFMTA Central Subway tunnels

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) revealed the names of two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that will excavate and construct the Central Subway tunnels.

Obama renews call for infrastructure investment

President Obama resumed a push for infrastructure investment first outlined in his State of the Union speech. The plan outlines three main points to bring the nation’s infrastructure into a state-of-good-repair and create jobs “that cannot be outsourced.”

M/w challenges: advances in rail measurement

Fast, mobile surveying systems capture rail data with increased productivity and accuracy.

L.B. Foster rebrands Portec Rail Products as L.B. Foster Rail Technologies

L.B. Foster Company said that it is changing the names of several of its subsidiary companies acquired from Portec Rail Products, Inc., to L.B. Foster Rail Technologies

Union Pacific to improve Nebraska infrastructure

Union Pacific Railroad is enhancing Nebraska’s transportation infrastructure by investing more than $29 million in the rail line that runs between Grand Island and Havens.

Harsco Rail secures trio of international orders

Global diversified industrial company Harsco Corporation secured three new international orders within its Harsco Rail group totaling more than $85 million in projected revenues and further adding to the group’s multi-year production backlog.

RailWorks names corporate equipment manager

RailWorks Corporation named Daniel Brown corporate equipment manager.

Chicago-area commuter rail bridge move a success

A commuter rail bridge, believed to be the largest truss bridge ever moved after assembly, was rolled into place over Torrence Avenue near 130th Street in Chicago, Ill.

2012 chief enigneers’ survey: WISH LIST

Safety remains at the top of engineering department’s list of equipment guidelines.

You want to impress a railroad engineer with a piece of maintenance equipment? Make sure it’s versatile, reliable, as well as easy to maintain, to transport and to use. Above all else, it must be safe.

WMATA takes delivery of track geometry vehicle

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has accepted delivery of its first track geometry vehicle (TGV), a specialized railcar equipped with advanced technology to analyze the condition of rail and track infrastructure and to alert WMATA to potential defects.

Rep. Huizenga tours Marquette Rail yard, views tampers

U.S Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), a member of the Financial Services Committee and strong rail advocate, joined Marquette Rail for a tour of its rail yard in Ludington, Mich., to show his support of the rail industry and the shortline railroad rehabilitation tax credit.

Maintenance-of-Way Challenges: Automated tie inspection

Automated crosstie evaluation systems work toward removing  subjectivity and improving accuracy of crosstie inspections.

Not quite the end of the line

To all my faithful readers, this will be the last monthly installment of “Chicago Perspective.” I thank you for giving me a platform for 13 years where my thoughts, opinions, theories and assessments of the industry have been allowed to flourish.  

Illinois to St. Louis HSR corridor enters final stage of construction

The Illinois Department of Transportation and Union Pacific are beginning the final phase of 2012 upgrades to Illinois’ signature high-speed route, Chicago-St. Louis, for future high-speed Amtrak trains.

First twin tunnels section completed for TTC subway extension

The first 1.6 kilometers (one mile) of twin tunnels for the Toronto Transit Commission Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE) in Canada has been completed.