Rail Group On Air

Sometimes it seems like lightning strikes and we see a significant jump in the capabilities of technology. Such is the case with PS Technology’s Precision Train Builder™ (PTB), a suite of abilities that enables railroads to enhance safety using physically accurate simulation. This ability is leading to improvements in both accident analysis and train consist design. But, like most significant technology shifts, it’s usually about many separate things being in the right place at the right time. PS Technology has taken the embedded physics simulation within their locomotive simulator products and connected the dots into a broader picture of railroad safety. Here is where the nexus of technology has resulted in new abilities. The combination of railroad GIS track data, actual locomotive event recorder data, and robust computational analysis have come together to provide new insights about train behavior and safe operations. PST President Seenu Chundru discuss PTB’s capabilities with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

Industry 4.0 (also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution) is a reality. Railroads, including their partners in the transportation supply chain, are at the beginning of their journey to establishing true end-to-end digital continuity. For example: Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT); Positive Train Control (PTC) and Enhanced Train Control (ETC); and AI (artificial intelligence)-based automation such as expanding autonomous inspection to include predictive analytics for track data. How do we know that these solutions and systems are safe and that there are no lurking issues? How do we know that the integration of multiple components from vendors, partners, and even from within meet safety objectives? How do we know if safety integrity is preserved after a change is made? How do we shift the paradigm where safety moves from a cost center to a value-added business driver? In Part 2 of this three-part series, which accompanies an article in Railway Age’s November 2020 issue, Sonia Bot, The BOT Consulting Group Inc., and Tony Zenga, CMTIGroup Inc., make the case for system safety as the necessary discipline for railroads to embed as they move forward in innovating and advancing in the 21st century.

On Jan. 1, 2021, Katie Farmer will become the first woman chief executive of a Class I railroad, BNSF. Farmer knows BNSF inside and out. She’s held leadership positions in every major function of the company, starting as a 22-year-old management trainee at predecessor Burlington Northern in 1992. At BNSF, she will oversee a 32,500-route-mile network that spans 28 states and three Canadian provinces for parent company Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., and lead the Board of Directors. Among Farmer’s priorities: driving productivity and delivering the kind of service BNSF customers have come to expect; modeling the way for communication across the railroad and ensuring that connections continue to be made with all the constituencies it touches; and supporting employees—some 36,000—so they, too, can reach their full potential by taking advantage of the professional development opportunities she was afforded. In this wide-ranging interview with Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak, Katie Farmer talks about leading the railroad and its workforce, “the hard-working men and women at BNSF.” Podcast sponsored by TrinityRail.

Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner and Commuter Rail Coalition Co-Founder Joe Giulietti, accompanied by ConnDOT Public Transportation Bureau Chief Rich Andreski, discuss “Transformation and Innovation in the Commuter Rail Realm” with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Commuter rail customers almost disappeared, practically overnight, but they will come back. The unknowns are, what will a “new normal” look like, and how does the industry adjust to it? Rail transportation in all forms remains hugely popular, is important to social and economic progress, and is playing an important role in addressing climate change. But how well do our customers understand this? And, does staying relevant mean not assuming support for rail and consumer preferences will stay the same?

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with new Railway Tie Association Executive Director Ashley Goodin on the current and future shape of the crosstie market.

This edition of our continuing series with the Commuter Rail Coalition takes a look ahead at technology, policy and performance. What’s next as Positive Train Control evolves to “PTC 2.0”? What’s possible? Jim Derwinski, Metra CEO/Executive Director and CRC Chair; Eileen Reilly, Global Train Services LLC CEO and CRC Board Member; John Cline, Principal, Cline Strategic Consulting and CRC Board Member; and CRC Executive Director KellyAnne Gallagher discuss the issues with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

Industry 4.0 (also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution) is a reality. Railroads, including their partners in the transportation supply chain, are at the beginning of their journey to establishing true end-to-end digital continuity. For example: Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT); Positive Train Control (PTC) and Enhanced Train Control (ETC); and AI (artificial intelligence)-based automation such as expanding autonomous inspection to include predictive analytics for track data. How do we know that these solutions and systems are safe and that there are no lurking issues? How do we know that the integration of multiple components from vendors, partners, and even from within meet safety objectives? How do we know if safety integrity is preserved after a change is made? How do we shift the paradigm where safety moves from a cost center to a value-added business driver? In Part I of this three-part series, Sonia Bot, The BOT Consulting Group Inc., and Tony Zenga, CMTIGroup Inc., make the case for system safety as the necessary discipline for railroads to embed as they move forward in innovating and advancing in the 21st century.

This installment of the Rail Group On Air podcast series sponsored by the Commuter Rail Coalition features Virginia Rail Express CEO Rich Dalton, who discusses COVID-19 recovery, his U.S. Navy experience, PTC implementation, working with numerous Commonwealth of Virginia stakeholders, VRE’s relationship with CSX, Norfolk Southern and Amtrak, and capital projects, for both infrastructure and equipment.

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with RT&S 2020 Engineer of the Year Ed Boyle. Boyle is the vice president of engineering with Norfolk Southern.

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with William Ibbs, a University of California at Berkeley civil engineer professor who has worldwide experience working on high-speed rail projects, about California High-Speed Rail Authority's Road 27 bridge. Ibbs viewpoint is not meant to criticize the work on the Road 27 bridge.