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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 will its transition away from fossil fuels affect the railroads? What are the potential effects of electrification on the railroads? Why should railroads plan to electrify? Are there lessons to be learned from rail electrification in Europe and the Far East? Is there a current example of a rail road right-of-way being used to support transmission development? What is the the role of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in transmission planning and siting? Are there any policies or funding that can prompt the railroads to electrify? Hoecker and Griffith discuss these questions with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

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 rail industry, its partners and adjacent competitors, are evolving in the throes of digital disruption and other external forces, and the role people play in decision-making at all levels of an organization,” say the authors. “Decision-making needs to flow better upwards and downwards, tying the boardroom to the railroad yards, transloading facilities, tracks—the whole rail network and transportation ecosystem. “The bigger story is about each stakeholder needing a better understanding of how to make the right decision at the right time with better, more-focused knowledge, applying hard-earned wisdom to make better decisions with better and traceable outcomes. It’s about the convergence of two long-standing silos, OT (operational technology) and IT (information technology), becoming the cornerstone of effective innovation in large, complex firms like railroads, which need to meet the increasing impact of disruptive forces. The need to address this convergence affects a wide range of disciplines to unveil a much broader scale of end-to-end systems—from the sensors in the field to the boardroom. Out-of-date, isolated data that lacks context causes major paralysis.” Bot, Narkier and Sherr discuss these concepts with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

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 industries, including the rail industry, its partners and adjacent competitors, are evolving in the throes of digital disruption and other external forces, and the role people play in decision-making at all levels of an organization,” say the authors. “Decision-making needs to flow better upwards and downwards, tying the boardroom to the railroad yards, transloading facilities, tracks—the whole rail network and transportation ecosystem. “The bigger story is about each stakeholder needing a better understanding of how to make the right decision at the right time with better, more-focused knowledge, applying hard-earned wisdom to make better decisions with better and traceable outcomes. It’s about the convergence of two long-standing silos, OT (operational technology) and IT (information technology), becoming the cornerstone of effective innovation in large, complex firms like railroads, which need to meet the increasing impact of disruptive forces. The need to address this convergence affects a wide range of disciplines to unveil a much broader scale of end-to-end systems—from the sensors in the field to the boardroom. Out-of-date, isolated data that lacks context causes major paralysis.” Bot, Narkier and Sherr discuss these concepts with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono

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 the rail industry, its partners and adjacent competitors, are evolving in the throes of digital disruption and other external forces, and the role people play in decision-making at all levels of an organization,” say the authors. “Decision-making needs to flow better upwards and downwards, tying the boardroom to the railroad yards, transloading facilities, tracks—the whole rail network and transportation ecosystem. “The bigger story is about each stakeholder needing a better understanding of how to make the right decision at the right time with better, more-focused knowledge, applying hard-earned wisdom to make better decisions with better and traceable outcomes. It’s about the convergence of two long-standing silos, OT (operational technology) and IT (information technology), becoming the cornerstone of effective innovation in large, complex firms like railroads, which need to meet the increasing impact of disruptive forces. The need to address this convergence affects a wide range of disciplines to unveil a much broader scale of end-to-end systems—from the sensors in the field to the boardroom. Out-of-date, isolated data that lacks context causes major paralysis.” Bot, Narkier and Sherr discuss these concepts with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono

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. Vantuono to discuss how Duos is helping the rail industry improve safety, service quality and equipment utilization.

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 eliminates the need for operators to bend or squat down to secure them—a very ergonomic adaptation for track workers. Product Manager Brian Warmerdam, the company’s go-to product expert with 11 years of experience and a former product training specialist, describes these new torque tools to Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. RAD Torque Systems, sponsor of this podcast, is the leading manufacturer of pneumatic, battery-powered and electronic pistol grip torque wrenches. With more than 25 years of gearbox engineering, a RAD Torque wrench is stronger, lighter and faster than others on the market. The company was founded by Dan Provost more than 25 years ago and has quickly grown to be known as the tool of choice for industrial bolting applications around the world. In addition to the B-RAD Series, the company offers several other torque wrench series, including the RAD Pneumatic and E-RAD BLU and V-RAD electronic tools; as well as calibration equipment.

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 grants, however, are not directly available to commuter railroads, as “passenger” rail only includes intercity services like Amtrak. The Commuter Rail Coalition is working to correct this. In the meantime, how can commuter railroads leverage CRISI funding? Is there a “back door” way, if the “front door” is closed? CRC Government Relations DirectorJohn Cline and CEO KellyAnne Gallagher discuss the opportunities with Railway Age Editor-In-Chief William C. Vantuono.

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 responsible for developing and executing short-term and long-term business plans to increase Clever’s market share in the rail industry. John also leads and manages rail industry activities and personnel engaged in Business Development, Project Management & System Deployment, Product Management, and Quality Management sectors within the company. Prior to joining Clever, John worked for New York City Transit for 24 years, most recently as Vice President and Chief Mechanical Officer of the Car Equipment Division within the Department of Subways. John also spent four years as Assistant CMO of NYCT’s Car Equipment Engineering Department and as Assistant Chief Officer of NYCT’s Central Electronics Shop for more than 10 years. John is a licensed professional engineer in three states and is currently Vice Chair of the APTA Rolling Stock Technical Committee. He is an active participant within the UITP Rolling Stock Sub Committee and is also a member of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society and Metropolitan Railway Club. Alex Paquet, Customer Director, Midwest United States, Alstom, since August 2022, is also responsible for Business Development for the Rolling and Component division for Alstom in North America. Alex prides himself on attaining customer satisfaction and has led several customer experience enhancement initiatives over the last several years to achieve that goal. Kevin Smith, Editor-in-Chief, International Railway Journal, joined IRJ in November 2009, becoming chief editor in February 2020. During his time with IRJ, Smith has traveled the world, interviewing leading figures and professionals from the global railway industry and has tracked the sector’s transition into an increasingly digitalized and connected industry. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)

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.

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

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 railroad industry can benefit with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. What are common mistakes businesses make when seeking to modernize technology solutions? How can railroads identify key process functions and plan for continuous enhancement over time? What rail data sources are candidates for dashboards and process improvements? How can efficiencies in tech for compliance management and cost avoidance be leveraged? How can railroads clearly understand information and process silos? This podcast is a preview of a Sept. 13 webinar, Lessons Rail Tech Teams Can Learn from Other Industries.

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. Vantuono to talk about how TOP | SPG “isn’t a radical change in how we work with our customers, but a shift in how we execute our operations to move their shipments more directly and consistently.” The biggest changes affect intermodal markets, NS’s most time-sensitive business. TOP | SPG modifies about 90% of scheduled intermodal and merchandise trains “to reduce terminal congestion, improve network fluidity and create capacity for growth, ultimately simplifying the network through an operating plan with a high level of executability that will drive greater consistency and service improvements for customers.” Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies

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 of Pennsylvania Railroad K4 Pacific steam locomotive 1361 and work with reorganizing the Railroaders Memorial Museum of Altoona. He’s also involved in resurrecting Pennsylvania’s East Broad Top as a tourist attraction and driver of regional economic activity. In this wide-ranging interview with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono, Wick talks about his historic preservation initiatives and tenure as Amtrak president—and offers his very candid, eye-opening observations on the current state of the U.S. rail industry: Precision Scheduled Railroading, customer service, capital investment, the Surface Transportation Board and regulation, and Amtrak’s relationship with its host freight railroads. This is one podcast well-worth a listen!

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