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, I…

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 perform…

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.Ditmeyer has had an extensive career in railroadin…

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. She “continues the sweeping leadership evolution the railroad industry has been undergoing for the past few years,” said Railway Age Editor-in-Chi…

In Part 1 of this two-part series on railroad safety and technology, Steven R. Ditmeyer discusses the fundamentals of signaling and train control and takes a deep dive into PTC (Positive Train Control) and its potential for evolving beyond a safety overlay system with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.Ditmeyer has had an extensive car…

Norfolk Southern is justifiably proud of the partnership it has forged with its craft unions. Executive Vice President and Chief Operatiing Officer Paul Duncan discusses the improvements and special programs that have been instituted at Norfolk Southern with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Among these are START (System Teamwork and…

IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith sits down with KFW-IPEX Bank Global Head of Aviation, Mobility & Transport Dr. Carsten Wiebers to discuss the future of railway asset finance and the challenges and opportunities posed by green financing for the railway sector. Wiebers makes some interesting observations on the tools available to railways and asset o…

Rail Group On Air shines a spotlight on railroad policing during Rail Safety Week 2023 in this podcast with CN Chief Security Officer and Chief of CN Police Service, North America Stephen Covey. This long-time law enforcement professional shares his insights on the complex job of overseeing public safety and security at a Class I railroad whose ter…

This edition of Rail Group on Air spotlights the recently released change management book, Change Questions, by noted executive D. Lynn Kelley Ph.D. with prominent internationally known Lean Management expert John Shook. The pace of organizational change has been increasing. Unfortunately, most change activities fail to deliver anticipated results …

John Orr, Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer of Canadian Pacific Kansas City, provides an in-depth, up close and personal look at North America’s first and only transnational railway in a wide-ranging discussion with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. In his new strategic position at CPKC, Orr is responsible for…

n this conclusion of a two-part series, Jim Hoecker and Steve Griffith of the Rail Electrification Council talk about the transition away from fossil fuels, as well the national electrical grid’s need to expand to handle rapidly increasing demand. What are the opportunities for using railroad rights-of-way to support high-voltage transmission lines…

Is electrification—or re-electrification—a viable means of rail propulsion, particularly for North American freight? In this first of a two-part series, Jim Hoecker and Steve Griffith of the Rail Electrification Council describe the organization’s mission and objectives, and discuss what’s happening with respect to the broader electric grid. How wi…

This is Part 3, “Essential Success Factors,” of a three-part series based upon the new book, Dynamic Multi-Level Decisioning Architecture: Making the Right Decisions at the Right Time, With the Right Authority for Sustained Competitiveness and Relevance, by Sonia Bot, Sheppard Narkier and David Sherr. “It’s about how all industries, including the r…

This is Part 2, “The Business Environment as a Service Platform,” of a three-part series based upon the new book, Dynamic Multi-Level Decisioning Architecture: Making the Right Decisions at the Right Time, With the Right Authority for Sustained Competitiveness and Relevance, by Sonia Bot, Sheppard Narkier and David Sherr. “It’s about how all indust…

This is Part 1, “From Sensors to the Boardroom,” of a three-part series based upon the new book, Dynamic Multi-Level Decisioning Architecture: Making the Right Decisions at the Right Time, With the Right Authority for Sustained Competitiveness and Relevance, by Sonia Bot, Sheppard Narkier and David Sherr. “It’s about how all industries, including t…

Duos Technologies is one of the leaders of artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, machine vision and other advanced technologies the railroads are increasingly leveraging. Chief Technology Officer Jeffrey Necciai and Duos Board Member Ed Harris, former CSX Executive Vice President Operations, join Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantu…

The RAD Torque Systems B-RAD Series of battery-powered torque wrenches, which currently includes B-RAD S, B-RAD Select, Digital B-RAD and B-RAD Select Offset tools, now includes the new B-RAD X and B-RAD EGX-R, a tool customized specifically for the rail industry. The B-RAD EGX-R, which is designed for track bolts, features an extension that elimin…

Federal funding is available for rail improvement and expansion projects through the CRISI (Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements)Program, a $1.43 billion FRA-administered initiative for capital projects that will improve passenger and freight rail transportation systems in terms of safety, efficiency and reliability. CRISI grant…

IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith speaks with John Santamaria of Clever Devices and Alex Pacquet of Alstom on the rise of alternative traction in the rail industry as well as the latest trends in passenger experience and the shift toward predictive maintenance for rail vehicles. John Santamaria, Senior Vice President of Rail, Clever Devices, is respo…

Join RT&S Managing Editor David Lester as he talks with 2022 RT&S Engineer of the Year John Cech from BNSF about challenging projects, the technological movement, what it takes to work in the rail industry, and recruiting the younger generation.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

RT&S Editor in Chief Bill Wilson talks to Railroad Construction Company, Inc., about the Way Interlocking and Subway Structure Rehabilitation.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

Other industries have been where railroading is today: going through technology transformations. And those other industries are not only surviving, but thriving. PS Technology Senior Vice President Abhi Bhan, who comes from those successful industries, discusses lessons-learned, proven approaches and common-sense ROI qualifiers from which the railr…

Norfolk Southern’s TOP|SPG operating plan—which stands for Thoroughbred Operating Plan | Service Productivity Growth—has evolved from NS’s previous plans, TOP 21 among them. Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Cindy Sanborn and Vice President Network Planning and Operations Paul Duncan join Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Va…

Railway Age’s 2011 Railroader of the Year Charles W. “Wick” Moorman IV retired as chairman, president and CEO of Norfolk Southern in 2015, then spent a year as president of Amtrak. Since then, he’s been active in historic preservation, among other ventures, taking the lead, with colleagues Bennett Levin and Henry Posner, in the second restoration o…

Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads: Gene Skoropowski and Tom Mulligan by RT&S, Railway Age, IRJDe către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

RT&S Media Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks to the builder behind the Mid-Coast Corridor Projects in San Diego, Calif., which earned a spot on the 2022 RT&S Top Projects list.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

Ahead of next week’s IAF International Exhibition on Track Technology in Münster, Germany, Plasser & Theurer speaks with IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith in our latest Rail Group on Air podcast. Fabian Hansmann, Deputy Director for Marketing, looks ahead to IAF and the supplier’s key exhibits; Alexander Lehner, Director for Global Customer Services,…

Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with AmeriStarRail's Scott Spencer about the proposed Grand Slam project that would run through downtown Baltimore.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

The North County Transit District's decision to build a fence along the Del Mar bluffs has been debated for years, but recently the topic has really heated up. RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks to both sides of this "fence".De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

Commuter Rail Coalition Director of Government Relations John Cline of Cline Strategic Consulting, industry lobbyists Julie Minerva of Carpi & Clay and Bennett Resnik of Cardinal Infrastructure, and CRC Executive Director KellyAnne Gallagher join Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono for a conversation on what 2022 may hold in store for c…

Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson interviews Union Pacific President and CEO Lance Fritz about the Class 1's capital program and the industry's labor shortage.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

Siemens Mobility North America President and CEO Marc Buncher talks with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono about the 2022 North American rail market. What are the opportunities for the passenger rail industry with the infrastructure bill’s passage? What is missing from the infrastructure deal? Will the bill really help the industry mo…

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks about the state of the industry for the Maintenance-of-Way sector. Special guests include ASLRRA President Chuck Baker and RTA Executive Director Nate Irby.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

In December 2021, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration deployed a Security Directive that shined a spotlight on rail cybersecurity following a series of global cyberattacks that occurred at the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Class I CSX and short-line operator OmniTRAX, as well as several rail companies around the globe.…

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with the Arizona Eastern Railway about the destruction and rebuilding of the Gila River railroad bridge in Arizona.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

The lead editors of Railway Age, Railway Track & Structures and International Railway Journal talk about the top news stories in their sectors during the month of October.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

Why are railroads seeking fuel-saving technologies? How much can they expect to save on fuel costs by using a fuel monitoring and reporting system such as the Wabtec Fuel App? What are some of the challenges railroads have around accurately measuring locomotive fuel consumption? What is required for this system to work? Who will benefit? Wabtec Cor…

Rajani Modiyani, Lead Account Manager for the Global Rail Team at Cummins, discusses clean diesel options, emissions standards technologies and the company’s current hydrogen product offering, and the future of Cummins Rail with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Modiyani, who joined Cummins in 2010 as a Systems Integration Engineer, …

Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Eric Fields about the first lift of a new truss section at the Merchants Bridge site in St. Louis.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

Everything you need to know about Precision Scheduled Railroading—how it got started, who started it and why, its promises and principles, and what it has become, for better or for worse—is here in this discussion featuring two of PSR’s “founding fathers,” Gil Lamphere and Henry Chidgey, who have more than 75 years of combined railroading experienc…

Railway Track & Structures magazine Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Justin Meyer, who is vice president of Engineering for Canadian Pacific. Meyer was selected as RT&S's Engineer of the Year for 2021. Listen to how Meyer discovered his love for the railroad industry and how he managed some complex projects out in the field.…

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks to BNSF's Alan Bloomquist about the BNSF Bridge No. 66.4 over the Little White Salmon River project.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

In this edition of Rail Group On Air, sponsored by ZTR, Business Development Manager – Rail Division Brodie McLellan and Railway IoT Program Manager Neil Shipley focus on the environmental and safety aspects of ZTR’s various technology offerings with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. They discuss engineering a sustainable future for …

In Part 2 of the 2021 RT&S Top Projects, RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks about the Mondo mud spring in California creating havoc with Union Pacific railroad tracks.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

Two new rail ferries, the Maya and the Cherokee, will enter Gulf of Mexico service this year for CG Railway LLC (CGR), a joint venture of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and SEACOR Holdings Inc. CGR, which transports 10,000 annual carloads of diversified commodities from Mobile, Ala., to Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, is replacing its existing two vessels with 590-…

Commuter Rail Coalition Vice Chair Mike Noland (South Shore Line) and Director of Government Affairs John Cline (Cline Strategic Consulting) discuss how the decidedly unsexy issue of excess liability insurance has become an existential threat to commuter railroads with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. They also share the innovative …

CN President and CEO JJ Ruest and Kansas City Southern President and CEO Pat Ottensmeyer discuss the two railroads’ pending merger in detail with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. How confident are the two chief executives that the Surface Transportation Board will approve their jointly filed voting trust application? What will the c…

Locomotive engineers have been qualified and trained with simulation technology for years. Through technology, the opportunity to leverage simulation beyond locomotive engineers is quickly emerging. Heartwood scratched the surface by developing a virtual simulation platform to certify Transportation and Mechanical employees in conducting 49 CFR Par…

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Railroad Construction Company's Frank Spinozza and Lisa Tackach about the New Mid-Suffolk Electric Yard Design-Build Project.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Green Line Extension project manager John Dalton about progress and challenges behind the work.De către RT&S, Railway Age, IRJ