Railway Age magazine

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Sept. 12 announced that the SIR fleet is now entirely made up of the standard R211 subway cars, “a critical part of the MTA’s ongoing modernization efforts systemwide.”

The cars include pre-installed security cameras in each car and feature 58-inch-wide door openings that are eight inches wider than standard door openings on the existing car fleet, which are designed to speed up boarding and reduce the amount of time trains sit in stations, according to the agency. In addition to wider doors, these cars provide additional accessible seating, digital displays that will provide more detailed station-specific information, and brighter lighting and signage, among other features that improve the customer experience.

The R211S cars will replace 52 R44s on the SIR, which joined the railway in1973. In line with best industry practices, R44 cars will be available for a few years as the new fleet is introduced. The new railcar has an average mean distance between failure (MDBF) rate of approximately 125,000-250,000 miles, compared to the R44’s 50,000 miles. The MDBF is a measure of how far the railcar can travel before a mechanical issue occurs and requires unscheduled maintenance. 

Since the new cars were introduced, the SIR says it has seen improved customer satisfaction in waiting times, frequency of delays, cleanliness on board trains, announcements on board trains, service reliability and overall satisfaction on board.

“New rolling stock is a huge part of the MTA’s fully funded Capital Plan, and now Staten Island is the first borough to get a full fleet of R211S train cars” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “The new models not only look great, but they’re key to running more reliable service for the borough’s thousands of daily riders.”

BART ridership saw steady growth this summer with August ridership up 10% compared to a year ago, “a reflection of the ongoing success of BART’s efforts to enhance safety, cleanliness, and customer experience, including the new fare payment system Tap and Ride,” according to the agency.

Tuesday, Aug. 26, was BART’s third-highest ridership day since 2020 at the time, with 210,818 exits. This record was soon bested in the first two weeks of September, which experienced BART’s first and second highest ridership days since 2020 (219,918 exits on Sept. 10 and 213,313 exits on Sept. 9).

Weekend ridership, the agency says, continues to trend upward with Saturdays in August seeing an 11% increase over a year ago and Sundays an 8.1% increase. These increases, BART adds, were bolstered by major events, including a three-day Dead & Company residency at Golden Gate Park, Outside Lands, and the Bay FC vs. Washington Spirit match that sold out Oracle Arena. 

A big win for customers was the launch of Tap and Ride on Aug. 20, which gives BART riders the ability to pay adult fares at BART fare gates using contactless-enabled debit or credit cards and mobile payment methods. Tap and Ride trips accounted for 6.5% of total BART trips after the payment system launched in late August. Weekend Tap and Ride usage was higher than weekdays as tourists and infrequent riders took advantage of this new feature. Twenty-four percent of entries at SFO Station were paid for using Tap and Ride after it launched. 

Also in August, San Francisco city workers began returning to their downtown office and local schools returned to session. With the start of the fall semester at UC Berkeley in mid-August, Clipper BayPass ridership more than doubled from the previous August as the all-in-one transit pass rolled out to the entire Cal student body, according to BART. In March, students approved a referendum that increases annual student fees to provide 50,000 undergraduates and graduate students with unlimited travel on Bay Area transit agencies for two years.

DART President & CEO Nadine Lee on Sept. 12 announced that the official grand opening of the Silver Line will be Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. To commemorate the opening, riders, families, and community partners are invited to join in a day of festivities that showcase the future of mobility in North Texas.  

The 26-mile Silver Line links Plano, Richardson, Dallas, Addison, Carrollton, Coppell, and Grapevine with DFW International Airport, “transforming the way residents travel for work, school, and entertainment,” the agency noted. With state-of-the-art Stadler trains, new stations, and seamless transfers, the Silver Line “delivers convenience and opportunity to one of the fastest growing regions in the nation.”

To mark the milestone, DART is offering free rides across the entire system all day on Saturday, Oct. 25. In addition, the Silver Line will be free to ride from Oct. 25 through Nov. 8, giving everyone the chance to experience the service firsthand.

“The Silver Line opening is a realization of a promise kept to our riders and our region,” said Lee. “This state-of-the-art train will improve connections, create new access to jobs, and drive economic growth across North Texas, with a fitting theme to ‘Discover New Horizons.’ Most importantly, this line shows our riders that we heard them, and we delivered.”

The Silver Line opening date announcement was made at the conclusion of the third annual State of the Agency briefing from Lee on Sept. 12. The briefing included an update on agency priorities and progress from Lee and DART Board of Directors Chair Gary Slagel.

“The Silver Line is a major step forward in building a stronger, more connected region. It is an investment in both today’s riders and future generations. We are proud to open its doors and welcome the community aboard,” added Slagel.

The event also included a panel conversation on how transit ties to “Live, Work, and Play” in the North Texas region. Lee was joined by Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts and Inspire Dallas CEO Carlos F. Aguilar, in conversation with D Magazine Partners President Gillea Allison. 

The Silver Line Grand Opening Celebration on Oct. 25 will feature festivities at select stations, including live music, cultural performances, family programming, and recognition of the sponsors and partners who made the project possible. DART extends its deepest appreciation to its sponsors: Platinum Sponsor Stadler; Gold Sponsors WSP and Ardurra; Bronze Sponsors Cypress Waters – Billingsley and NTX Partners; and General Sponsors AECOM and Archer Western. “Their support reflects a shared commitment to connecting communities and advancing North Texas into the future,” the agency noted.

More information is available here.

The MBTA recently announced that the CapeFLYER train has reached a record number of tickets sold for the Summer 2025 season. More than 10,800 passengers purchased tickets between Boston and Hyannis on summer weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day this year, compared to about 9,700 last year.

The CapeFLYER is a partnership between Keolis, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and the MBTA to improve access to Cape Cod for residents and visitors.

CapeFLYER service has operated since 2013. The train travels between Boston’s South Station, Braintree, Brockton, Lakeville, Wareham, Buzzards Bay, Bourne, and Hyannis. The train includes a bicycle car with racks and tools as well as a café car featuring snacks and beverages.

The trip from South Station to Hyannis takes about two hours and forty minutes.

“The continued rise in CapeFLYER ticket sales shows how vital this service is to residents, visitors, and the communities it serves,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “By providing an affordable and reliable alternative to driving, the Cape Flyer expands access to the Cape, supports local economies, reduces traffic congestion, and delivers a more sustainable way to travel,”

“Massachusetts has so much to offer to residents and visitors. Under the leadership of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, we are privileged to have the ability to provide connected mass transportation services to Cape Cod with our partners at MassDOT, Keolis, and CCRTA. The CapeFLYER finished this year with record ridership and demonstrates how access to mass transportation improves quality of life. To the thousands of passengers that chose the CapeFLYER as their preferred choice of travel, a big thank you for letting us serve you!” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “This is a great reminder that public transit supports all kinds of travels. Not just during the summer, but all seasons, all year long. Take advantage of our $10 Weekend Pass and keep an eye out for robust service to Salem’s Haunted Happenings and so much more.”

The California Legislature passed legislation on Sept. 13 authorizing a ballot measure to create a 14-year, sub-regional sales tax in five Bay Area counties to generate revenue to support Bay Area public transportation systems, Caltrain recently reported. If signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the bill, Senate Bill (SB) 63, introduced by State Senators Scott Wiener and Jesse Arreguín, will allow voters to decide on the revenue measure on the November 2026 ballot.

If voters qualify a measure for the ballot under SB 63 and a majority approve it, the measure will provide critical operating funding for Caltrain, Muni, BART and AC Transit. It will also support rider improvements, smaller bus and ferry services, and dedicate funds to return-to-source projects identified by individual counties. The regional measure, Caltrain says, “is intended to establish a stable funding source that addresses the fiscal shortfalls many Bay Area transit agencies continue to face after the pandemic.”

The passage of the legislation comes as Bay Area transit agencies face looming fiscal cliffs that threaten service. Caltrain projects an average annual deficit of about $75 million beginning in fiscal year 2027. Without new funding, the agency says it would face difficult decisions, including drastic service reductions, station closures and cuts to service frequency. “These challenges stem largely from shifting travel patterns that have changed how people commute, leaving Caltrain with structural budget shortfalls,” the agency noted.

While Caltrain says it has made “significant strides” to regain ridership, reduce costs and increase non-fare revenue, there remains a structural need for ongoing funding sources. Caltrain would receive an average of about $75 million annually from the measure—a 7% allocation of the total funds generated—resulting in Caltrain’s operating deficit being fully funded and Caltrain maintaining its half-hourly service.

SB 63 would:                                           

• “Authorize a sales tax in five counties in the Bay Area including the three counties that Caltrain operates in: San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara.
• “Dedicate percentages of revenue in each of Caltrain’s counties to cover the railroad’s operations deficit, allowing for the preservation of Caltrain’s service level.
• “Establish accountability measures and efficiency reviews to ensure that transit agencies are acting responsibly and appropriately with the funds they are receiving.
• “Allow voters to decide the future of transit in the Bay Area, if the new district’s legislative body places a measure on the ballot, or if the voters circulate petitions to qualify a measure for the ballot.”

“SB 63 is critical for Caltrain and other Bay Area transit systems. We are grateful to the bill authors Senators Weiner and Arreguin as well as the Caltrain delegation for strengthening and passing this critical legislation,” said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard. “Thanks to electrification, we’re seeing our ridership grow faster than ever before because of the faster, more frequent, and more reliable service. Without SB63, we risk having to make service cuts that would put those gains at risk and push more cars back onto already congested roads. SB63 offers a light at the end of the tunnel to keep riders moving, reduce traffic, and build the sustainable transit system our region needs.”

“In May, the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board of Directors (Caltrain) voted to support SB 63 because of its vital ability to provide funding to support our transit operations,” said Caltrain Board Chair Steve Heminger. “Next year, voters will have the choice to establish sustainable funding mechanisms that will ensure Caltrain, and other Bay Area transit systems are able to keep running reliably and safely while supporting our local and surrounding communities.”

Local and state officials and leaders of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority will join LA Metro on Sept. 19 to celebrate the grand opening of the agency’s A Line Extension from Azusa to Pomona, bringing new local rail service to the San Gabriel Valley cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona for the first time since 1951 when the Pacific Electric Railway ceased operations.

The ribbon-cutting celebration will be followed at 11:30 a.m. by Rock the Rails, an event that invites the community to visit each new station while enjoying DJs, live local bands and food trucks from the San Gabriel Valley area. Revenue service will begin at noon.

The $1.5 billion light rail project adds another 9.1 miles to the 48.5-mile Metro A Line, already the world’s longest light rail line, expanding access to regional destinations, including 19 nearby colleges and universities, the Pomona Fairplex, regional parks, historic downtowns, museums, hospitals, medical centers, shopping, dining and entertainment venues.

The project is the ninth project to be completed in LA Metro’s Twenty-Eight by ‘28 initiative, “an ambitious, comprehensive plan to enhance the region’s transit infrastructure in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and leave an infrastructure legacy for Angelenos.”

The post Transit Briefs: NYMTA/SIR, BART, DART, MBTA, Bay Area Transit Systems, LA Metro appeared first on Railway Age.

The tentative agreement with the larger SMART-TD group, which includes conductors, is subject to member ratification and provides:

• “Wage increases of 18.8% over five years. Based on current inflation projections, this increase will translate to real wage growth for covered railroaders, along with pay certainty for the life of the contract
• “Enhancements to world-class health and welfare benefits with no increase to the employee contribution rate. Employees’ 2025 health care premiums have decreased to about $277/month, well below the national average of more than $500/month for employer-provided family coverage.
• “Access to more paid vacation time for employees earlier in their careers.”

“This tentative national agreement with SMART-TD will extend the benefits established by the industrywide pattern—including wage increases and improved benefits—to thousands more freight rail employees,” said Jeff Rodgers, Chairman of the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC) and NCCC. “This represents a substantial advancement, and we value SMART-TD’s participation in a productive process that is expected to benefit rail employees, foster high-quality careers, and contribute to the continued success of America’s freight rail sector.” 

The separate agreement with Yardmasters provides four consecutive annual general wage increases:

• July 1, 2025 – 4.0% increase
• July 1, 2026 – 3.75% increase
• July 1, 2027 – 3.5% increase
• July 1, 2028 – 3.25% increase
• July 1, 2029 – 3.00% increase

By the end of the agreement, Yardmasters will see a compounded increase exceeding 18.75%, “strengthening economic security and reflecting the essential work performed every day in yards across the country,” SMART-TD noted.

“Quality of life for our Yardmasters was at the heart of everything we fought for in this Tentative Agreement,” explained SMART-TD’s Alternate Vice President Chris Bartz, who is an active Yardmaster on the CPKC railroad. “Everyone in this union knows that historically, the youngest of our craft have been on call seven days a week, with no rest days at all when assigned to the guaranteed extra board. This provision finally rights decades of wrongs against our Yardmasters.

“By securing guaranteed rest days, we’re giving members the ability to plan for time off without worrying about the Carrier calling. This is something that has been a very long time coming. Just as importantly, we won language that requires the Carriers to come to the table to negotiate sick days on a clear timeline. Our goal is to ensure Yardmasters achieve the same protections as our T&E brothers and sisters,” Batz added.

For the first time, Yardmasters will have guaranteed rest days on the extra board built into their schedules. This, the union says, “ensures members receive predictable time away from work to recharge, spend time with family, and reduce fatigue.”

The tentative agreement also provides a path for the negotiation of paid sick days, “a major step forward in recognizing the need for Yardmasters to recover,” according to the union. This provision of the tentative agreement “creates a structured negotiation between the carriers, and SMART-TD aimed at bringing the same sick day structure our T&E members have to our Yardmasters,” the union said.

Quality of life improvements in the tentative agreement extends into wins on vacation time, as well, with SMART-TD having secured additional vacation time for its Yardmasters, as well as accelerated accrual of vacation time for newer members. 

The tentative SMART-TD and Yardmasters agreements “continue the steady progress of the 2025 bargaining round, mirroring national agreements already ratified by nine other unions,” including IBEW, BMWED, SMART-MD, IAM, IBB, ATDA, NCFO, TCU and BRC, covering the period through Dec. 31, 2029. These national agreements are in addition to dozens of local agreements reached and ratified this round.

Upon ratification of these agreements and a separate tentative agreement with the Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen (BRS), more than 80% of the union-represented freight rail employees at railroads participating in national handling will be covered by a ratified collective bargaining agreement that follows the industry-wide pattern, SMART-TD said.

More information is available here.

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Dockworkers and terminal operators processed 901,846 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, a relatively flat decline of 1.3% from the record set in August 2024. Imports were down 3.6% to 440,318 TEUs and exports decreased 8.3% to 95,960 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the Port of Long Beach rose 3.7% to 365,567 TEUs.

The Port has moved 6,592,708 TEUs through the first eight months of 2025, up 8.3% from the same period last year.

“Shifting trade policies continue to create uncertainty for businesses and consumers,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “Our Supply Chain Information Highway digital tracker is projecting our peak shipping season to be on pace with last year as retailers start to stock their warehouses in preparation for the winter holidays.”

“I commend our dockworkers for their continued hard work to keep goods moving through the Port during the peak shipping season,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna. “Our reputation as a primary gateway for trans-Pacific trade relies on our ability to safely ensure the secure and speedy shipment of goods.”

Complete cargo numbers are available here.

The post Port of Long Beach: Second-Busiest August on Record appeared first on Railway Age.

The Morgan Stanley 13th annual Laguna Conference covered Industrials, Machinery, Aerospace & Defense, Airlines, Freight Transportation, Autos & Suppliers, and Materials companies. The conference featured CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs, who with insightful remarks shared information about CSX and the railroad industry in general.

Hinrichs, Railway Age’s 2025 Railroader of the Year, stressed the need for the industry to work cooperatively to grow the pie, serve customers better, and to capture truck conversions if the industry’s fortunes are to improve.

He also touted the benefits of interchange opportunities as a key way for the industry to work cooperatively. He noted that CSX partners with BNSF on an intermodal train that BNSF brings into Birmingham, then CSX crews take the train to Atlanta, with the same BNSF locomotives, and the same thing happens in reverse. Hinrichs said this has worked well for years and doesn’t necessarily see that single-line service along this route would offer any huge advantages.

(CSX also has operating partnerships with CPKC and CN.)

Hinrichs fielded questions related to margin growth, operating ratio, and growing market share. He said “Let’s be honest. The past 10-15 years, the main focus has been on restructuring the business to get a lot more efficient and create better margins, which in itself isn’t a bad thing. But that was the No. 1 focus, and you can see all that activist activity and all of the things that went on to drive that obsession with OR improvement, which again, unto itself, is not bad, but there wasn’t, at the same time, the same drive to grow volume.”

Delving further into the issue, Hinrichs said, “I’m not criticizing it, because look at the efficiencies and the operating margins that we have that we didn’t have 10-15 years ago. But if your only pursuit is every quarter trying to show a little better OR, then intermodal business is not going to be your priority, or other truck-competitive carload business, let’s say, because the pricing dynamics are different. We’ve got to be able to demonstrate you can continue to run a very efficient railroad, optimize your margins, pricing, everything on the carload business, and grow and go after that truck-competitive business, whether it’s carload or intermodal.”

The post Hinrichs at Morgan Stanley Conference: ‘Work Cooperatively’ appeared first on Railway Age.

This year, Railway Age and RT&S are pleased to venture to Pittsburgh on Oct. 1-2 for the much-anticipated 2025 Light Rail Conference, featuring a packed lineup of LRT (light rail transit) professionals who are significantly influencing today’s rail transit industry. Among the reasons to attend is “Greentech in Light Rail Vehicles,” presented by Hans Cruse, Stadler Rail North American Streetcar Market Sales Manager.

“Greentech in light rail vehicles is much more than batteries,” says Cruse. “My presentation will demonstrate how Stadler is working to reduce the environmental impact of its light rail vehicles, reduce life cycle costs for the customer and make light rail more attractive for the passenger.”

This edition of our annual in-person Light Rail Conference will be filled with dynamic panels and the chance to network with a wide-reaching group of like-minded professionals. It offer a comprehensive review of the specialized technical, operational, environmental, and socio-economic issues associated with LRT in an urban environment. All this will take place at the Fairmont Pittsburgh.

Presented Oct. 1-2 at the Fairmont Pittsburgh, the 2025 Railway Age and RT&S Light Rail Conference is a must-attend premier conference on LRT for transportation professionals in planning, operations, civil engineering, signaling and train control, and vehicle engineering. Students at the undergraduate and graduate levels are also welcome.

Key sessions will focus on:

• Strategic insights into major new-builds and expansion projects.
• Engineering sessions illustrating how to best support long-term efficiency and safety.
• Capital program oversight, risk mitigation, and performance tracking.
• Resilience planning, sharing adaptive strategies for extreme weather events.
• Improvements to customer-facing technologies such as fare collection, communications and security.
• The viability and scalability of alternative propulsion technologies.
• Confronting funding challenges.

In addition to Hans Cruse, transit leaders on the program include Andy Lukaszewicz and Justin Selepack of Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), Bryan K. Moore and Casey Blaze of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), Henry Posner, Ida Posner and Nate Asplund of Railroad Development Corporation (RDC), Harry Skoblenick of Alstom, Barbara M. Schroeder of Benesch, Rachel J. Burckardt of WSP USA, and many more.

Industry support for the Railway Age / RT&S 2025 Light Rail Conference is strong, including sponsorships from 4AI Systems, Piper Networks, Benesch, RDC and Stadler. To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jonathan Chalon at jchalon@sbpub.com or (212) 620-7224.

The post 2025 Light Rail Conference Focus: “Greentech” LRVs appeared first on Railway Age.

The combination of advances in engine management technology, in the design of heat exchange technology and the chemistry of high-temperature ceramic materials and compounds, provide the basis of enhancing the efficiency and market competitiveness of open-cycle and closed-cycle gas turbine engines, including for future railway propulsion.

Traditional open-cycle gas turbine engines flow atmospheric air through a compressor, combustion chamber and power turbine. Peak fuel efficiency only occurs when the engine operates at maximum power output, with the turbine spinning at maximum RPM with maximum turbine inlet temperature. Engine efficiency decreases drastically as power output decreases. In railway operation, Union Pacific at one time had a small fleet of GTELs (gas turbine-electric locomotives) running at maximum output and peak efficiency to pull heavy freight trains up long gradients. Running at reduced output on flat territory resulted in high fuel consumption and high fuel costs compared to diesel-electric locomotives.

Small gas turbine engines were installed into short, higher-speed passenger trains that operated in the Northeastern and Central U.S. and central Canada. They were the Turboliner and United Aircraft Turbo Train. Running the trains at higher speed in limited-stop service allowed the turbine engines to operate near maximum output and near peak engine efficiency. However, both Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada entually replaced the turbine powered passenger trains with diesel-electric locomotive-hauled equipment. Amtrak expanded electric propulsion on the Northeast Corridor from New Haven, Conn. to Boston, with diesel locomotives assigned to passenger trains elsewhere. But now, development of new materials and computer-controlled engine operation allows for development of a new generation of gas turbine engines that would be suitable for railway propulsion.

Engine developers who recognized the fuel efficiency problem of gas turbine engines developed alternative solutions that date back to the 1960s. One concept was externally heated closed-cycle gas turbine engines that continuously recirculate the same gas through compressors and turbine. While such engines can deliver high efficiency at 25% of power output, the materials of which heat exchange units were made at time incurred temperature restrictions that curtailed peak efficiency and peak power output. Lack of development of suitable heat exchange material resulted in stagnation in further development of closed-cycle gas turbine engines.

The complex-cycle gas turbine engine was an open-cycle, triple-shaft engine that combined two compressors with three turbines, two combustion chambers and two heat exchange units. The high-pressure and power turbines spun on separate shafts, with their own combustion chamber. Inability to accurately and continually control air/fuel ratios manually for each combustion chamber resulted in less-than-optimal engine performance. As a result, in real world operation, the complex-cycle gas turbine rarely delivered peak efficiency over a range of power output. Despite having shown great promise, further development of the complex-cycle gas turbine went stagnant.

Modern reciprocating internal combustion engines operate with advanced technology. Mass-flow rate sensors, air/fuel ratio sensors, air temperature sensors and computer managed fuel injection have greatly improved fuel efficiency. There is theoretical potential to adapt such technology to the old classical complex-cycle gas turbine engine, along with the possibility of introducing new-generation heat exchange technology that operates at much higher temperature and higher effectiveness than earlier generation technology. Modern annular counter-flow heat exchange technology developed by Ed Proeschel offers heat transfer effectiveness of more than 90% compared to 80% for earlier-generation counter-flow heat exchange units.

The annular counter-flow heat exchange unit can be adapted for operation in both open-cycle and closed-cycle gas turbine engines. Modern turbine blades are made from ceramic material that retain mechanical properties at 1,400-degrees C (2,550 degrees F), allowing combustion temperatures of 1,200 degrees C without the need to cool turbine blades. While earlier generation heat exchange units were made from stainless steel, there is an evolving possibility of making heat exchange units from materials such as aluminum-nitride and high-purity boron-arsenide that offer higher coefficients of thermal conductivity than that of steel, at much higher temperatures.

An upgraded complex-cycle gas turbine engine would include annular counter-flow heat exchange units installed downstream of both the low-pressure and high-pressure compressors, with computer-controlled fuel injection into combustion chambers placed upstream of both the high-pressure as well as power output turbine. The high-pressure turbine would operate on a computer-controlled ultra-lean-burn air/fuel ratio to assure sufficient oxygen in its exhaust gas to assure additional combustion to sustain operation of the power output turbine. Sensors connected to the computer would continuously monitor properties of gases flowing from the high-pressure turbine, to assure optimal overall engine performance.

The power output of a computer-monitored and -controlled complex-cycle gas turbine could rival that of the latest locomotive diesel engines rated at more than 4,000 hp and near 50% thermal efficiency. While the complex-cycle gas turbine would be quite compact, the heat exchange units that enhance its performance would occupy a considerable volumetric space within the locomotive carbody. With the potential to develop the turbine engine to output levels of 6,000 to 8,000 hp, railway freight operation would require that a slug unit be coupled to each gas turbine powered locomotive.

Externally heated closed-cycle cycle gas turbine engines continuously recirculate the working gas by cooling it after leaving the power turbine. It replaces the combustion chambers of open-cycle engines with high-temperature heat exchange units, with low-pressure and high-pressure compressors and turbines rotating on a common shaft that drives either an electrical generator or reduction gearbox. Closed-cycle engines can be designed to operate with wide variation in the mass of gas that recirculates within the closed system. Such operation maintains high efficiency over a range of power output as turbines spin at maximum design RPM, with gas entering the turbine at maximum temperature.

A closed-cycle engine that delivers 5,000 hp with mean-average internal system pressure at five times atmospheric pressure (5-ATM), would deliver 1,000 hp at comparable thermal efficiency with mean system pressure reduced to 1-ATM. During operation, some exhaust heat will be reintroduced into the engine downstream of the high-pressure compressor. The combination of heat rejected from the low-pressure compressor intercooler and residual exhaust heat would partially sustain the operation of a bottom-cycle steam engine. Future development of high-temperature heat exchange units made from compounds such as highly purified boron-arsenide with high thermal conductivity promise to assure engine efficiency.

While locomotive diesel piston engines require liquid fuel with very specific properties, internal combustion gas turbine engines have a much wider fuel tolerance and can operate on a much wider range of liquid and gaseous fuel, including low-cost fuel with high solvent properties. Externally heated, closed-cycle gas turbine engines can operate on a much wider range of liquid, gaseous and even solid fuels and without incurring any internal damage to the engine. Over the long term, gas turbine engines can incur savings in fuel cost and engine lubricant cost while offering extended service life, compared to diesel engines.

The complex-cycle gas turbine engine has two sources of reject heat to assist in the operation of a steam engine, preheating water flowing from the water pump to the boiler. Reject heat from the inter-cooler for the low-pressure compressor would provide primary preheating while turbine engine exhaust gas would provide a secondary source of heat that would further raise water temperature. Combustion of liquid or gaseous fuel would convert the preheated water to steam to operate a steam turbine engine at the equivalent of an elevated level of efficiency.

If a gas turbine engine of 6,000 hp operates at near 50% thermal efficiency, its intercooler and exhaust would release the equivalent of 6,000 hp of thermal energy to preheat water to operate a bottom-cycle steam engine. A combined-cycle engine could operate at the equivalent of between 55% and 60% overall thermal efficiency on either liquid or gaseous fuel. The open-cycle turbine engine offers greater flexibility than a reciprocating engine, in the variety of competitively priced fuel that could sustain its operation. Higher overall thermal efficiency combined with lower fuel cost enhances the engine’s marketability.

Solid-state technology involving specially chemically treated shapes of silicon that are heated on one side, with coolant applied to an opposite side, can directly convert heat into electric power, at 5% conversion efficiency. Future research into such solid-state conversion of heat into electric power would require involvement of artificial intelligence technology, to raise conversion efficiency when converting rejected engine (exhaust) heat to electric power, to assist in locomotive propulsion. The ideal long-term objective of AI research would involve matching the efficiency of a diesel engine in converting heat into electric power.

A three-shaft open-cycle gas turbine engine using modern electronic engine management technology installed in duplicate or even triplicate would operate efficiently and reliably over a wide range of power output, even for extended duration cycles. Likewise, a single-shaft closed-cycle gas turbine engine using modern and evolving ceramic-based, annular configuration heat-exchange technology could operate at competitive levels of efficiency using a wide range of fuels, including stored thermal energy. The exhaust heat of both types of engines would sustain the operation of a bottom-cycle steam engine, allowing the combined-cycle engine to deliver very competitive levels of thermal efficiency.

While locomotive diesel engines require massive volumes of lubricating oil, turbine engines require a fraction of the amount of lubricant to assure proper operation of engine bearings. Turbine engines also avoid the problem of internal friction and engine wear caused by piston rings sliding on cylinder walls, thereby extending usable service life. While turbine engines are compact, the heat exchange units attached to them will occupy a substantial amount of volume, which would likely be available inside a locomotive carbody. The combination of a gas turbine engine with a steam bottom-cycle engine represents a future propulsion option for railway operation.

Harry Valentine holds a mechanical engineering from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, where he undertook post-graduate research in transportation. He has worked in engineering and research capacities for Cummins Engines Company, Langson Energy (turbine engine builder), Quasiturbine Engines Company of Montreal, and in rail vehicle redesign at a rebuilding shop in Montreal. He is widely published in the energy and transportation industries.

The post Re-evaluating Gas Turbine Engines for Railway Propulsion appeared first on Railway Age.

CN’s Transcona Shops Mechanical team in Winnipeg has achieved two years injury-fee, the result of fellow railroaders “holding themselves accountable, building trust and caring deeply for each other’s well-being,” the Class I noted in a LinkedIn post.

“The positive choices we make at work ripple outward, keeping not only our teams safe, but also supporting healthier families and stronger communities,” CN said. “Congratulations to the team for this milestone, and for showing what’s possible when safety is lived a core value, not just a set of rules.”

In related news, CN on Sept. 15 announced a partnership with the New Orleans Saints during See Tracks? Think Train® Week, taking place Sept. 15-19.

As part of the campaign, CN Police officers will join members of the New Orleans Saints in visiting schools across New Orleans to raise awareness about the importance of staying safe around railway tracks. Students will take part in activities designed to empower them to be safety leaders in their communities.

“We’re proud to partner with CN on this important safety initiative,” said Matt Webb, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for the New Orleans Saints. “Our organization has strong ties to young people across New Orleans, and with rail safety more important than ever, we’re committed to delivering this life-saving message in a way that truly resonates with our community.”

“We are incredibly proud to partner with the New Orleans Saints. This collaboration underscores our commitment to safety and our determination to reduce unsafe behaviors on or near railway property. Together, we can strengthen the efforts of community organizations and inspire youth to be role models when it comes to rail safety,” said CN Chief of Police and Chief Security Officer Shawn Will.

This initiative, the Class I says, is another example of how CN supports communities along its network and beyond. Together with the New Orleans Saints, CN is working towards a shared vision of zero track tragedies.

CPKC on Sept. 15 announced that it has joined OLI Canada and OLI in the U.S. this week to raise rail safety awareness in communities across Canada and the U.S.

“Rail safety is a priority at CPKC. We remain focused on public education across our network on how to stay safe around tracks and trains,” said CPKC Chief of Police Canada Dale Ruzycki. “Our goal is that everyone has the knowledge to make safe choices and get home safely each day.”

“See Tracks, Think Train® Week serves as an important opportunity to inform the public about the risks associated with unsafe behavior around railways and the importance of making safety a priority,” said CPKC Chief of Police U.S. Kelly Clough. “Through collaboration with Operation Lifesaver and our partners, we are committed to promoting awareness and reducing incidents through proactive education and outreach.”

“Every incident, every injury, every death related to trespassing is preventable – our goal is to get to zero. As we have work to do to get there, Rail Safety Week is an opportunity for us to remind Canadians that rail safety is a shared responsibility. We all have a role to play. When it comes to a person vs. a train, there is no undo button,” Chris Day, National Director, OLI Canada.

“Rail safety education is important for everyone, whether you’re driving, walking or riding near the tracks. See Tracks? Think Train® Week is a vital reminder that safe choices save lives,” said OLI Executive Director Rachel Maleh. “OLI is grateful for CPKC’s partnership in raising awareness and encouraging safe behaviors around tracks and trains. Know the facts, recognize the signs, make good decisions and share the message. Together, we can help #STOPTrackTragedies.”

In Mexico, Rail Safety Week is Sept. 22-27, 2025, and CPKC de México will be out all week as employee volunteers deliver the rail safety program, Alto Total, to schools and museums distributing information to pedestrians and motorists.

The post Class I Briefs: CN, CPKC appeared first on Railway Age.

This grassroots effort to keep massive trucks off the highways includes county and municipal officials, as well as public works directors and county engineers from all 50 states. Their joint letter (download below), delivered on Sept. 15 to congressional offices, was organized by CABT.

The number of local leaders lining up against bigger trucks—a 40% increase compared to a similar effort in 2023—”underscores broad-based opposition around the country to measures under consideration in Congress,” according to CABT.

“Large shipping companies are pushing numerous proposals that would raise the allowable federal weight limit on trucks from the current 80,000 pounds. They are trying to attach the proposals to the critical, must-pass surface transportation reauthorization, known as the highway bill,” the non-profit coalition noted.

These include a pilot project for 91,000-pound trucks to assess their crash rate, allowing huge log trucks weighing up to 154,000 pounds, “arguably the most dangerous trucks on the road,” according to CABT, and a proposal that would give governors control over setting interstate weight limits in their states, “creating a patchwork of state weight limits that would be devastating to interstate commerce.”

“Local communities across the country feel the impact of policy decisions made in Washington, D.C. Congress needs to understand their decisions have real consequences to local governments, including our budgets,” said Supervisor Jeff Krueger of New Market Township, Minn.

The joint letter states, “Local communities and our residents are what drive this country. We work every day to make sure the needs and safety of our residents are met. Allowing heavier and longer trucks will most certainly set us back in our efforts.”

Krueger, who also serves as Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of Townships, as well as on the National Association of Towns and Townships Board of Directors, said that “while these proposals are for interstate weight and length increases, local infrastructure will be impacted.”

“It is very simple—trucks do not load and unload on interstates. Whether for gas or meals or to deliver their freight, trucks ultimately make their way onto local roads and bridges. This impacts us all,” he said.

According to CABT, studies have shown heavier and longer trucks damage infrastructure, especially bridges, adding that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), in its 2016 Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight Limits Study, recommended against any such increases.

And a recent study by CABT, The Impacts of Heavier Trucks on Local Bridges: 2025 Update, concluded that more than 68,000 local bridges would be put at-risk by 91,000-pound trucks, which is five and a half tons over the current weight limit, the coalition noted. The study found the cost to replace those bridges is more than $78 billion, which would be borne by state and local governments. None of the various proposals to increase truck weight includes any additional funding for infrastructure.

Kevan Stone, CEO/Executive Director of the National Association of County Engineers, explained the importance of the local bridge study in light of the proposals Congress is considering.

“A number of our members worked on the initial report and the 2025 update. The results are alarming,” said Stone. “The cost to replace local bridges at-risk from 91,000 pounds has skyrocketed by $18 billion in just two years. Where does that money come from? Not from Washington and state budgets are already stretched. Once again, local taxpayers will have to pay in both funding and public safety.”

“While major corporations will profit, it is local governments who have to figure out how to pay for that damage,” said Johnson County, Texas Commissioner Rick Bailey, an author of the bridges study. “The proposals would destroy our aging, failing, off-system roadways; as highlighted in the study, bridges are at the greatest risk and would not be budgetarily attainable. If lawmakers approve bigger trucks, this is nothing more than Congress creating an unfunded mandate on local governments and our taxpayers. It is not right.”

The post Local Officials Oppose Increases in Truck Size Weight appeared first on Railway Age.

The directive, issued by the NTSB on Sept. 3, 2025, calls for railroads to equip maintenance vehicles with collision avoidance technology that can detect people or objects before a crash. The recommendations were delivered to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), all Class 1 railroads, and other associations, including the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).

Piper’s flagship Limits Compliance and Collision Avoidance System (LCCAS) is currently installed on more than 800 maintenance vehicles in the U.S., most operating in Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC), the company noted. The system integrates GPS with Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), advanced LiDAR, and Ultra-Wideband sensors to provide precise positioning of rail bound vehicles. This technology, Piper says, “helps ensure that vehicles remain within their designated work limits, protects workers operating in close proximity to those vehicles, and prevents collisions with obstacles or other vehicles in the vicinity.” LCCAS is integrated with back-office dispatch systems for the delivery of work orders to both vehicle operators and employees-in-charge (EIC), and monitors vehicle telemetry in real time to report any rule violations or incidents.

Piper’s new offering leverages the comprehensive safety functionality of the LCCAS in the form of a “lightweight, easy-to-deploy kit” that addresses the specific recommendations issued by the NTSB, according to the company. It includes Piper’s advanced solid-state LiDAR devices to provide 360-degree visibility for vehicles to detect the presence of obstacles or workers and provide immediate alerts and braking if required. This safety overlay, Piper says, “ensures that all maintenance vehicles, including those with swinging or articulating booms can operate safely alongside track workers.” The kits include quick mounting in-cab vehicle displays to provide audible and visual alerts for operators. It also includes ruggedized tablets for foremen and workers in charge to monitor operations in real-time to ensure compliance with safety regulations.

“This new kit is the product of many years of experience with our broadly deployed Limits Compliance and Collision Avoidance System,” said Piper Networks CEO Robert Hanczor. “Our ability to package this technology in a way that meets the very specific recommendations of the NTSB demonstrates our commitment to railroad maintenance safety and gives our customers a robust solution that’s ready to deploy with minimal configuration.”

Piper’s LiDAR technology plays a critical role in the safe operation of railroads and transit agencies, the company noted. Designed for use in rugged terrain and urban areas, including tunnels, it offers many advantages over traditional camera-based perception systems, including the ability to detect obstacles and workers in total darkness while also remaining resilient to bright lights from other vehicles operating in the area. Its IP-67 housing, Piper says, ensures that it meets the environmental standards set by the industry. Additionally, when used in conjunction with Piper’s digital twin rail mapping software, it identifies the dynamic clearance envelope of the track to ensure that fixed infrastructure, such as signal or catenary poles, doesn’t create false alerts for the operator.

The ready-safe kit can be expanded to include additional functionality, including integration into braking for full-service braking and the real-time data management provides control centers with comprehensive awareness of operational safety across entire fleets of maintenance vehicles.

Piper will introduce the kit to the industry at the 2025 AREMA Annual Conference and Expo, Booth 823 in Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 14-17, and the 2025 APTA TRANSform Conference and Expo in Boston, Mass., Sept. 14-17.

The post Piper Networks Launches NTSB-Compliant Collision Avoidance Kit appeared first on Railway Age.

As Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena makes the rounds in Washington, including a visit to the Oval Office, to lobby for support of UP’s acquisition of Norfolk Southern, the intended merger partners continue their media blitz with announcement of a new domestic intermodal service they say will “increase supply chain options for customers between Louisville and key Western and Southern markets.”

Described as an “intermodal gateway” with a scheduled mid-October launch (prior to their merger application’s STB filing), the bidirectional service will originate and terminate in the Louisville market, interchanging between NS and UP at the latter’s new Kansas City Intermodal Terminal (KCIT). Railcars will be routed to and from Los Angeles and Lathrop, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Houston, Tex. It will provide automotive, consumer goods, food and beverage, healthcare and manufacturing customers “truck-competitive transit times and expanded market reach.”

At its Louisville terminal, which NS said has been “historically focused on international intermodal,” the railroad is “modifying its terminal footprint to expand parking and track capacity, enabling service tailored to the domestic market’s growing needs. Norfolk Southern continues to modernize its intermodal franchise through strategic investments in terminal infrastructure, advanced technologies, and customer-focused tools and processes.” NS noted that it operates “the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S., with 54 terminals and connections to every major container port on the Atlantic Coast, as well as major ports along the Gulf Coast and Great Lakes.”

UP said KCIT “provides a critical interchange point, connecting domestic and international shipments of grains, consumer goods, refrigerated products and auto parts in the growing Midwest region to major markets across the U.S.,” adding that recent changes to its network operations allow domestic containers to move 25% faster, saving up to 25 hours of transit time to and from Southern California to KCIT. Union Pacific has invested $1.4 billion in its intermodal products, opening four new terminals and modernizing 12 others since 2021 to proactively support market demand and compete with trucks.”

“Our customers want easier, more reliable freight solutions that they can depend on, and our robust service delivers that,” said Kenny Rocker, Executive Vice President – Marketing and Sales at Union Pacific. “Enhancements to the newly expanded KCIT and Norfolk Southern investments in Louisville allow us to compete with trucks, removing thousands from the nation’s congested highways.”

“Our enhancements in the Louisville market reflect how intently we listen to our customers and translate their feedback into thoughtful planning and strategic infrastructure investments,” said Ed Elkins, Chief Commercial Officer at Norfolk Southern. “This is a growth area for our customers, so we are stepping up with service to help them reach untapped markets with a more reliable, sustainable alternative to trucking.”

The post NS, UP Leveraging Louisville appeared first on Railway Age.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Sept. 8 granted an Association of American Railroads (AAR) petition to open a proceeding to consider revisions to the Board’s regulations governing ex parte communications. Ex parte is a Latin term meaning “from one side only” or “for one party.” In legal matters, it refers to actions or communications that happen without the involvement or knowledge of all parties.

In Docket No. EP 782, PETITION FOR RULEMAKING—AMENDMENTS TO REGULATIONS GOVERNING EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS (download below), STB concluded that “a proceeding should be opened to consider changes to the rules governing ex parte communications,” granting AAR’s petition “to the extent that it requests that the Board open a proceeding.” STB noted that it “makes no determination regarding the merits of the petition.”

AAR filed its petition May 16, 2025, contendingthat revisions to the Board’s regulations “will improve stakeholder engagement and make it easier for the agency to process matters efficiently while maintaining transparency and fairness.” The AAR asserted that each of its petition proposals “is consistent with practices at other federal agencies.” STB received replies to AAR’s petition June 5, 2025, from the Private Railcar Food and Beverage Association (PRFBA) and the Freight Rail Customer Alliance (FRCA) opposing the petition, arguing that “AAR’s proposal is unnecessary and likely to reduce transparency in Board proceedings.”

Prior to granting AAR’s petition, STB T conducted several listening sessions with practitioners, led by Vice Chairman Michelle Schultz, that generated recommendations for streamlining the Board’s processes and procedures for ex parte communications. “AAR’s proposal thus raises issues that the agency has already begun to explore and the Board concludes that it is appropriate to open a rulemaking proceeding to consider the petition and the responses,” STB said. “Accordingly, to the extent that it requests that the Board open a proceeding, the Board will grant AAR’s petition to institute a rulemaking proceeding… In view of the feedback received during the practitioner listening sessions, the Board also anticipates inviting the public to comment on other ways the Board’s rules on ex parte communications could be modified. The Board will establish procedures for public comment in a subsequent decision.”

The post STB Grants AAR Ex Parte Petition appeared first on Railway Age.

The DART Board on Sept. 9 approved service cuts that will start January 2026, according to WFAA-TV, an ABC affiliate in Dallas. In addition to seven bus routes that will be discontinued, other bus and light rail routes, it said, will have reduced weekday peak service frequencies.

“A Title VI equity assessment found the $24 million service change proposal would ‘disparately affect minority communities,’ but DART staff also proposed a mitigation plan that includes making replacement services available for discontinued ones and restoring peak frequency to previous levels for certain routes as part of future service changes,” the media outlet reported.

According to DART Chief Communications officer Jeamy Molina, the approved service changes “reflect the least possible impact to our riders, ensuring that essential connections remain intact while allowing us to address the operational realities of a growing transit system,” WFAA-TC reported.

The service changes, the media outlet said, are due “in part from a new General Mobility Program approved earlier this year to return 5% of the sales tax revenue to the cities that contributed more to the [DART] agency than they received in transit services. Plano was among cities eligible for the program.”

DART Board Member Anthony Ricciardelli, who represents Plano, cited a 2023 Ernst & Young report at the Board meeting “that he said found a $65 million disparity between what Plano contributes to DART and expenditures DART makes in Plano.” 

“I find that $65 million disparity between what Plano contributes to DART and what DART reinvests in Plano through services to be unsustainable,” WFAA-TV reported Ricciardelli as saying.

According to WFAA-TV, “Plano, Highland Park, Irving, Carrollton and Farmers Branch were among DART member cities last year that officially said they wanted to reduce their sales tax allocations to DART, and Plano officials had pushed for legislation to reduce DART funding.”

LACMTA on Sept. 11 released the FEIR for the C Line Extension to Torrance, which would expand light rail service deeper into the South Bay, from the Metro K Line’s Redondo Beach (Marine) station to the planned Torrance Transit Center station (see map above). The project is slated to provide faster and more reliable connections while giving riders a 19-minute trip from Torrance to LAX. The project is funded in part by the voter-approved Measures R and M.

Construction could start as early as 2027, and the extension is estimated to open in 2036, LACMTA reported. 

The FEIR reflects input from more than 2,000 public comments and includes design refinements, clarifications, and corrections. LACMTA also released updated cost estimates and a report about the real estate acquisitions that would be required to complete the project.

All these materials are available on a website designed to make the FEIR easier to navigate, according to LACMTA. It includes frequently asked questions and a short video to help the public review the report and understand the next steps.

In May 2024, the LACMTA Board approved the proposed route, the Hybrid Alternative, also known as the Locally Preferred Alternative, to follow its existing Harbor Subdivision right-of-way. It combines elevated, at-grade (street level) and trench (below street level) sections. At key crossings, such as 170th Street and 182nd Street, the tracks will be placed below roadways in trenches to improve safety, reduce noise and avoid traffic delays for pedestrians and motorists.

LACMTA also has proposed improvements to an existing freight line, which it said would “create a safer, quieter rail corridor.” By making use of LACMTA-owned right-of-way, the route is said to minimize the impact to local property while balancing cost efficiency and community concerns.

The extension will allow riders to travel to Inglewood entertainment venues, including SoFi Stadium, the YouTube Theater, the Kia Forum, Intuit Dome, LAX and downtown Los Angeles with convenient transfers to Metro’s growing rail system serving Santa Monica, East Los Angeles and beyond. The alignment would extend the line approximately 4.5 miles from Redondo Beach (Marine) Station to the Torrance Transit Center and includes two new stations serving Redondo Beach and Torrance. Once in operation, the extension would support more than 11,500 daily trips, attract up to 1.49 million new riders annually and reduce vehicle miles traveled on local roads by nearly 19.5 million miles each year.

By 2045, jobs in the South Bay are projected to grow nearly twice as fast as the population, while congestion could increase by almost 30%, according to LACMTA. The C Line Extension to Torrance, it said, “offers a cost-effective way to add capacity, ease traffic, and strengthen the region’s economy.”

The Metro Board of Directors is expected to consider certification of the FEIR and project approval this fall. If approved, LACMTA said it will move forward with design and engineering, First/Last Mile planning with cities and preparations for construction.

The post Transit Briefs: DART, LACMTA appeared first on Railway Age.

The government of Canada on Sept. 11 reported that the Contrecoeur Container Terminal project in Montréal, Quebec, is part of the first series of projects being referred to the new Major Projects Office (MPO) for consideration, and that several strategies, including for the Port of Churchill and Alto High-Speed Rail projects, “could be truly transformative for this country.”

According to the government, the Contrecoeur Container Terminal project at the Port of Montreal in Central and Eastern Canada would expand the current port infrastructure, adding port terminals and additional wharves, as well as other infrastructure that would increase the port’s handling capacity by about 60% along the St. Lawrence River, one of Canada’s trade arteries. The project would include the construction of a 675-meter wharf with two berths to accommodate vessels from 39,000 to 75,400 deadweight tons, as well as the development of a seven-track rail yard, a container storage and handling area, an intermodal rail yard, support buildings, rail and road access, and a truck control area.

Minister @DLeBlancNB announced that the #PortMTL Contrecœur expansion project is included on the preliminary list of major national projects under Bill C-5 https://t.co/eePB3D3qqO#MajorProject #ContrecoeurTerminal pic.twitter.com/lHqffZsi0j

“Investing in critical port infrastructure now will prevent significant congestion and capacity issues, which could lead to higher transportation costs for businesses and consumers,” the government of Canada said. “Greater port capacity builds resilience in Canada’s supply chain and empowers Canadian exporters to sell their products on international markets.”

The Contrecoeur Container Terminal project is part of the first series of projects being advanced to the MPO for consideration. The other projects are: LNG Canada Phase 2, Kitimat, British Columbia; Darlington New Nuclear Project, Bowmanville, Ontario; McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project, East-Central Saskatchewan; and Red Chris Mine expansion, Northwest British Columbia. Together, these projects are said to represent investments of more than C$60 billion.

“The first projects have achieved many regulatory milestones and have undertaken extensive engagement with Indigenous Peoples, provincial governments, local authorities, proponents, and other stakeholders,” the government of Canada reported. “For these first projects, the work of the MPO will be to close final regulatory and permitting gaps, coordinate with provinces and territories, and ensure financing plans can be achieved. As well, it will recommend to the federal government to ensure proponents can make final investment decisions in the right timeframe.”

In addition to these projects, the government of Canada said it “believes that there are several strategies for projects that could be truly transformative for this country, which are at an earlier stage and require further development.” Those related to rail include:

• “Port of Churchill Plus: Rooted in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, including in co-operation with Manitoba’s Crown-Indigenous Corporation, this project will upgrade the Port of Churchill and expand trade corridors with an all-weather road, an upgraded rail line, a new energy corridor, and marine ice-breaking capacity. The approach will prioritize Indigenous equity ownership in developing the projects needed to turn the Port of Churchill into a major four‑season and dual-use gateway for the region. Expanded export capacity in the North through Hudson Bay will contribute to increased and diversified trade with Europe and other partners, while more strongly linking Churchill to the rest of Canada.”
• “Alto High-Speed Rail: Canada’s first high-speed railway, spanning approximately 1,000 km from Toronto to Québec City and reaching speeds of up to 300 km/hour to cut travel times in half and connect close to half of Canada’s population. This is a project that could create 51,000 jobs during construction and inject up to $35 billion into our GDP—with a target of 25 million tonnes in emissions savings. The MPO will work to accelerate engineering, regulatory, and permitting work to enable construction of the project to start in four years, cutting the original eight-year timeline in half.”

The government of Canada said the MPO will create business development teams that will work with private-sector proponents, provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples to advance these two concepts plus four others—Critical Minerals Strategy, Wind West Atlantic Energy, Pathways Plus, and Arctic Economic and Security Corridor—so that projects “have certainty in regulatory process and timing to accelerate Canada’s ability to attract broad sources of capital to grow, diversify, and strengthen our economy.”

• Canada Dumps VIA Rail Brand for Private ‘Alto’ HSR
• For Canada’s HBRY, Port of Churchill, another C$175MM

The post Canada’s MPO Set to Review New Projects appeared first on Railway Age.

Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. (G&W Canada) on Sept. 11 reported that subsidiary Alberta Heartland Railway (AHR) has entered into various agreements with Gasia Energy Corp., including a long-term lease of more than 50 acres at Gasia’s planned energy complex in Strathcona County, Alberta, where the railroad intends to construct and operate a multi-service rail terminal.

Located east of the North Saskatchewan River on Highway 830 between Highway 15 and Township Road 560, the proposed terminal is near several large industrial facilities within the Alberta Industrial Heartland and contiguous to Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CN rail lines, according to G&W Canada. Once fully built, the terminal will offer multiple loop tracks, storage for up to 1,200 railcars, and railcar-to-truck transloading.

“After launching Red Deer Railway, our first short line in western Canada, late last year and securing a rail switching contract at the Heartland Petrochemical Complex earlier this year, shippers in the Alberta Industrial Heartland are recognizing G&W Canada’s broad logistics expertise and our commitment to safe, reliable, and efficient rail service,” said Michael Miller, CEO of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., parent company of G&W Canada. “As the global energy market remains critical for economic growth, Gasia and other shippers can reach customers overseas and throughout Canada and the rest of North America with AHR’s connection to the full North American freight-rail network.”

“Gasia is pleased to be partnering with AHR and to be its anchor tenant for loading bitumen and other products from the Gasia Homestead Diluent Recovery Unit (DRU) Project,” Gasia CEO Samer Salameh said. “The Homestead DRU will allow Canadian producers to deliver heavy crude throughout North America safely and efficiently using rail, and the AHR loading facility will provide an exceptional opportunity to transload and transport undiluted bitumen (Neatbit) with access to both CPKC and CN Class I rail systems.”

According to G&W Canada, construction of both AHR’s terminal and Gasia’s DRU is expected to be carried out in multiple phases, contingent upon the receipt of various approvals.

G&W Canada reported that the proposed terminal and related freight operation would expand its footprint to include 11 short lines spanning more than 1,000 miles across five provinces, independent railcar and locomotive repair operations, and a contract rail services business.

Separately, Cando Rail & Terminals will use a recently closed C$100 million loan from Canada Infrastructure Bank to double the capacity of its CN-served Sturgeon Terminal in Alberta.

The post AHR to Launch Alberta Rail Terminal appeared first on Railway Age.

This just in, from Union Pacific: “CEO Jim Vena was honored to meet [POTUS 47] in the Oval Office, a special place for America with a longstanding history. They discussed how creating an American transcontinental railroad is a win for U.S. competition, consumers, and the unionized workers whose jobs will be protected when the merger is approved, allowing railroads to grow and take more trucks off taxpayer funded highways. They also addressed the safety and security of all Americans, and that we regularly collaborate with communities to keep our employees and customers’ cargo safe.”

Note UP’s statement says “when,” not “if,” the merger is approved.

Vena’s hat-in-hand pilgrimage to POTUS 47, where he no doubt spent the first 10 minutes fawning over and congratulating the President—as is expected of even world leaders darkening this President’s White House doorstep—is no surprise. Vena has put UP shareholders on the hook for a $2.5 billion breakup fee should the merger with NS be disallowed by regulators. Vena’s career and reputation are on the line. Ukraine’s Volodymir Zelenskyy learned at great pain current White House protocols. 

That said, the STB is an independent (of the Executive Branch) regulatory agency, but pardon impartial observers for their skepticism, especially following POTUS 47’s firing of STB Democratic member Robert E. Primus, whose past votes suggested he would be a “no” vote on UP+NS. 

Add to this the Republican-controlled Senate’s scuttling Sept. 11 of that chamber’s precedents by lowering the 60-vote threshold for approving Presidential nominees to just a simple majority. The result effectively blocks in-the-minority Democrats from effectively challenging or delaying White House nominees. While the rules change was not directed at STB nominees to fill vacancies, surely UP’s lobbyists reported this as a means, through the White House, of packing the STB with POTUS 47 partisans. And there you have purpose in the Vena trek to Washington. 

Now, should UP and NS file a formal merger application by Oct. 29, as expected, STB members voting on the merger carry an unprecedented burden to provide detailed, fully understandable-to-the-public reasoning as to their votes. There must not be the slightest suggestion a vote was politically motivated. Their careers and reputations equally are on the line. To quote comic David Letterman, “I wouldn’t wish this on a monkey on a rock.”

From what we know of the two sitting Republican members—and we think we know them well—is that they would be livid, and justifiably so, at any suggestion a fix could be in. Vena has dumped them in a most undeserved briar patch.

The post Mr. Vena Goes to Washington appeared first on Railway Age.

We don’t know much about art, but apparently famous painters go through different periods. Picasso had three: Blue Period from 1901-1904, Rose Period from 1904-1906, and Cubism from 1907-1917.

Transposing that to the rails, and we have the Meltdown Period from 2014-2022, Recovery Period from 2023-Spring 2025, and in recent months the railroads are flirting with their BAOE Period: Beautiful Absence Of Emergencies. Even hurricane season has been canceled. It’s like watching disaster movies non-stop for 11 years and then all of a sudden there’s nothing on TV apart from nature shows with blue skies and cheeky monkeys. This routine normalcy is going to take some getting used to.

With that as a backdrop, last week’s operating data, through Sept. 5, includes Labor Day on Sept. 1; the third of the four big public holidays during the year that impact rail operations. With lower customer activity suppressing volumes by 8% compared to the week prior, the railroads did what they always do: accelerate.

In the past we’ve fixated on these big public holidays because many of them have been instrumental in turning struggling Class I networks around; Thanksgiving 2022 was the accelerant that finally pushed Union Pacific out of its meltdown state, for example. However, Labor Day is different this year because, as we say at the top: There’s nothing to fix. None of these networks need to be pulled out of the ditch, and the ability to clear yard backlogs in a soft volume week isn’t that relevant when backlogs are modest.

As a result, we’ll just see the vanilla effects this year, which is a bump in speed for a week or two, followed by a normalization that approximates pre-holiday healthy levels.

Out of interest, in the table below we’ve compared Labor Day week 2025 with the same week last year, and you can see some nice gains for three of the four U.S. networks in terms of velocity, dwell and cars online.

It was only Norfolk Southern that wasn’t able to post YoY gains. NS had the best operational improvement momentum in the industry between July 2023 and the end of 2024, but it feels like that’s come off the boil a little in recent months (metrics remain good in absolute terms). We also worry about the degree of strategic stasis and motivation of the staff at Atlanta HQ (including the Network Operations Center) over the next 18 months as they await a merger decision.

The post Labor Day Turns Good to Great, Albeit Temporarily appeared first on Railway Age.

Shannon Drown has been promoted to Chief Commercial Officer – Railroad. In her new role, Drown has responsibility for steering the commercial teams for Railroads, Switching, Distribution Centers, and Industrial Development.

Chase Armstrong has been promoted to Chief Commercial Officer – Contracted Services. Continuing his leadership of the commercial team for emergency response, railroad construction, signaling solutions and track material, Armstrong’s focus, R.J. Corman says, “remains on delivering consistent quality and customer satisfaction.”

Nick Edelen has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer – Contracted Services. He will continue to oversee all aspects of R. J. Corman Railroad Services Emergency and Non-Emergency operations, as well as Signaling and Material Sales. In this role, Edelen “will drive initiatives focused on safety, efficiency, and innovation, empowering teams to deliver outstanding results across the organization’s diverse rail services.”

“Shannon, Chase, and Nick have each demonstrated exceptional leadership and a deep commitment to R. J. Corman’s mission,” said R.J. Corman Railroad Group President and CEO Justin Broyles. “Their dedication to excellence and drive to find efficient and innovative solutions for our customers have been instrumental in building long-term partnerships. I look forward to seeing the impact they make in their new roles at R. J. Corman.”

These leadership appointments, the company says, “are part of R. J. Corman Railroad Group’s broader efforts to enhance its executive team and position the company for future achievements, and they reflect the ongoing commitment to providing innovative rail solutions.”

The post Key Leadership Appointments for R.J. Corman appeared first on Railway Age.

“Import volumes dipped slightly in August, indicating the traditional surge of drayage activity spanning late Q3 to early Q4 will not materialize for the 2025 peak season,” according to ITS Logistics’ recently released September forecast for its US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index. “However, front-loaded freight is now moving inland, causing congestion in key rail lanes from the coasts and bolstering domestic truckload activity in select regions. With inventory now moving across the U.S., shippers must focus on protecting it from rising rates of cargo theft as the industry enters the hectic holiday season.”

ITS Logistics, a Nevada-based third-party logistics (3PL) firm, releases each month an index forecasting port container and dray operations for the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf regions; ocean and domestic container rail ramp operations are also highlighted for both the West and East inland regions.

“For the most part, shippers have already moved inventory into North America during various frontloading surges throughout the year,” said Paul Brashier, Vice President of Global Supply Chain for ITS Logistics. “This freight is now being transported inland from coastal areas, which is reflected in high inbound ocean and domestic container volumes and higher outbound truckload rates from areas with expansive DC and warehouse footprints—including Southern California, Dallas, Chicago, and Atlanta.”

U.S. container imports for August totaled 2,519,722 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 1.6% year-over-year, but down 3.9% from July’s near-record highs, according to The National Retail Federation projects that tariff policies will result in a 5.6% decrease in total inbound volume for 2025—which, given year-to-date volumes, could mean a drop as stark as 17.5% is coming in the final few months of 2025. ITS Logistics confirms that dips in demand in August will likely continue through October.

According to ITS Logistics, “declining import volumes and peak season activity are occurring within another exceptionally tumultuous regulatory period for supply chain professionals.” August 29 marked the last day of the de minimis exemption, subjecting 92% of all U.S. cargo shipments to new duties and causing nearly a dozen countries and global shipping companies to temporarily pause shipments to the U.S. That same day, a U.S. appeals court ruled most tariffs issued by POTUS 47 to be illegal. While the majority of shippers are waiting for the Supreme Court’s final decision—now expected in November—before making any changes, “the ruling compounds the uncertainty companies face as they prepare for 2026 RFP season.” A stay on the tariff ruling is in place until Oct. 14, which is also when the next phase of USTR port fees on Chinese vessel owners and operators is slated to take effect.

Freight that has already entered the domestic market faces its own challenges, according to ITS Logistics. With large volumes of front-loaded inventory now moving inland, increases in ocean containers and intermodal equipment “will likely cause congestion to key rail lanes for the next several months.” For time-sensitive shipments, ITS Logistics advises onboarding additional drayage and cross-dock capacity to add flexibility and avoid delays.

At the same time, organized cargo theft and freight fraud have reached record-high levels across both rail and trucking. According to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), theft on railways surged 40% in 2024, costing Class I rail operators more than $100 million. Verisk CargoNet reported a 13% increase in truck-based fraud incidents in the second quarter of 2025, citing “increases in organized crime and targeting of consumer goods.” These trends, ITS Logistics says, “underscore the need for shippers to partner with providers who leverage strong relationships and innovative strategies to keep freight secure across all modes.”

“In peak season especially, stolen inventory and fraud incidents create delays that cost shippers far more than the lost load itself,” Brashier said. “That’s why it’s essential to partner with carriers who not only provide real-time visibility but also maintain rigorous onboarding and fraud-prevention standards to protect freight from port to final destination.”

The post ITS Logistics Issues September US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index appeared first on Railway Age.

The North American rail industry has never faced more simultaneous pressures. Federal tariffs and mandates, regulators requiring training updates and technology upgrades, supply chain disruptions, labor negotiations that could shut down networks, activist investors challenging financial returns, and new environmental regulations that reshape operations overnight.

For rail executives, the question isn’t whether you’ll face your next crisis. It’s whether you’ll be ready to lead through it when it arrives.

After studying more than 100 organizational transformations, including dozens within rail operations and heavy industry, I’ve identified a pattern among leaders who don’t just survive uncertainty—they transform it into competitive advantage. They follow a four-stage cycle that turns crisis into opportunity.

When new federal safety regulations hit Louisa Martinez’s freight network (all names changed to maintain corporate privacy requirements) —requiring complete signaling system overhauls across 15,000 miles of track—her first instinct wasn’t to call an emergency planning session. Instead, she spent three days in the field, asking track supervisors, signal maintainers and yard workers one question: “What are you seeing about this challenge that I’m not?”

What she discovered changed everything. While corporate was panicking about compliance costs, frontline crews were identifying track segments where new technology could improve efficiency beyond regulatory requirements. They saw opportunities to consolidate maintenance windows and reduce delays that had plagued certain corridors for years.

The lesson: Your track-level employees see realities that boardroom discussions miss. Before you plan your response to any crisis, collect intelligence from those closest to the operations. They often hold the keys to solutions that pure compliance thinking overlooks.

Rail operations demand precision, but uncertainty demands flexibility. The challenge is creating clarity that enables both.

Louisa didn’t try to plan every detail of her massive transformation. Instead, she established three “Safety-First Decision Anchors” that every team could use:

• If it compromises safety, we don’t do it—period.
• We share knowledge across all divisions immediately.
• We test small, learn fast, and scale what works.

These anchors meant that when crews encountered unexpected conditions during installations, they could make quick decisions without waiting for corporate approval. A signal maintainer in Kansas could immediately share a solution with teams in Montana, Montreal or Monterrey. Pilot programs could prove concepts before system-wide rollouts.

Your job isn’t to eliminate uncertainty—it’s to create decision-making frameworks that work within uncertainty.

Here’s where most rail transformations fail. You have a clear plan, but you still have multiple stakeholder groups pulling in different directions.

Consider James Chen, who led the operational integration of two major rail networks after an acquisition. These systems had been competitors for decades, with different safety protocols, equipment standards and operational philosophies. The potential for safety incidents during integration was enormous.

Instead of imposing one system on the other, James brought safety teams from both networks together with a single challenge: design the safest rail operation in North America using the best practices from both systems.

Within eight weeks, crews stopped identifying as “Company A” or “Company B” and started identifying as the team setting new industry safety standards. They weren’t just merging railroads—they were building something neither could achieve alone.

The key: Give people a shared mission that’s bigger than their individual concerns. In rail, safety is that mission.

Momentum in rail operations isn’t about speed. It’s about sustained progress in the right direction. After achieving early wins, the strongest rail leaders understand a crucial insight: Success in one area reveals new challenges in others.

As Louisa’s safety transformation succeeded, she started noticing other pressures that had been masked by the original crisis. Supply chain issues affecting equipment deliveries. Labor negotiations heating up. Environmental regulations requiring new operational procedures. Each success gave her the credibility and organizational confidence to tackle the next challenge.

This is the hidden truth about leading through uncertainty: The four stages—Heighten Awareness, Increase Clarity, Build Alignment, Drive Momentum—form a continuous cycle. Your success in addressing one challenge gives you the visibility and capability to see the next one coming.

Our industry operates in an environment where a single decision can affect thousands of miles of track, hundreds of communities and millions of tons of cargo. We can’t afford to wait for perfect information or ideal conditions.

The rail leaders who thrive in this environment understand that uncertainty isn’t something to eliminate. It’s something to navigate systematically. They use these four stages not once, but continuously, as each challenge reveals new opportunities for operational excellence.

The next time you face a crisis—and in rail, there’s always a next time—remember: You don’t need all the answers. You need to know which questions to ask first, and of whom to ask them.

Your track crews are waiting to tell you what they see. Are you ready to listen?

Pauline Lipkewich has been railroading since 2011, including leading the global group sales team at Rocky Mountaineer and growing revenues more than five times in less than four years.  She has also worked alongside Class I operators at CN, Kansas City Southern and Norfolk Southern, specifically targeting safety performance and operational effectiveness improvements. She runs KingdomBuilding Leadership, Inc., a boutique firm committed to helping individuals and organizations go further, faster by leveraging behaviors and culture as a key competitive advantage. Pauline’s love of leadership, heavy industry and unlocking the potential in people is the genesis in bringing The Rail Way to life. Her ability to build trust and performance with the individuals and organizations she works with has been demonstrated through the awards and recognition her teams and clients have received. Pauline has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Arts (Leadership), both from the University of Guelph. If you have an idea for a future column for The Rail Way, contact Pauline directly at pauline.lipkewich@kingdombuildingleadership.com or +1.780.991.9993. The Rail Way, a division of KingdomBuilding Leadership, Inc., strives to be the preeminent voice on leadership, people, behaviors and culture for the transportation industry while transforming how the rail sector develops generational railroaders and creates value for all stakeholders. KingdomBuilding Leadership, Inc. specializes in organizational transformation by focusing on high performance leadership behaviors, people and culture. Leveraging three pillars of performance, clients witness rapid, profound and sustainable results—often taking them from industry laggard to industry leader—when implementing proven methods and strategies and utilizing tools.

The post How Rail Leaders Navigate Uncertainty and Come Out Stronger (Part 1 in a Series) appeared first on Railway Age.

To help ocean carriers manage their logistics and support efficiency in their supply chains, BNSF offers Intermodal service into several private Intermodal facilities through a program called Matchback. 

The strategy increases utilization out of each container by reloading those 20- and 40-foot boxes with export commodities, moving them on a train to the West Coast for transport by ship to points beyond. The program “matches back” the container with a different product, turning an otherwise empty trip into a revenue-generating one. 

“We’ve been offering this service to ocean carriers for nearly two decades,” explained Ben Murray, director of sales for BNSF’s Consumer Products team. “It offers the potential to move more than air back in those containers.” 

Under Matchback, BNSF partners with ocean carriers and logistics companies to move empty containers from our intermodal hubs to those logistic companies’ Intermodal facilities, where they are then reloaded onto a new train and sent back to West Coast ports. From there they’re loaded onto ships bound for China and other Southeast Asia countries. 

One of the companies BNSF works with is Rail Modal Group (RMG), which owns and operates inland ports at Amarillo, Texas; Fremont, Nebraska; and Minot, North Dakota. RMG, BNSF’s largest Matchback partner, averages 15-20 trains a month and recently loaded its 1,000th train for BNSF out of Minot.

 RMG supports the Matchback program by repositioning containers to underserved protein and agricultural product export markets, like Fremont. Producers at these locations need sustainable ways to move their freight other than by long-haul trucking that may require transloading, both of which add cost.  

At RMG’s facilities there’s track for up to two trains at a time, and their tracks connect with BNSF’s main line. When RMG receives empty containers, they dray (truck) them to local producers that can load bulk as well as refrigerated commodities.  

“We have storage and the ability to load many different types of commodities,” said Todd Whitmore, RMG’s chief commercial officer. “Cargo can include products like soybean meal, dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), cotton, whey powder, frozen beef and pork, animal hides and resins. We call them ‘grocery trains’ because of the diverse nature of the commodities on board.” 

Some commodities can be bagged or boxed for loading into the container. For bulk commodities like DDGs, the commodity is fed by conveyor into the back of the container, with bulkheads to keep product from flowing out.

Once the containers are filled, RMG returns them to its nearby facility, loads them onto the planned full train, all while working with BNSF on finalizing the outbound train plan. When that outbound train has been released, RMG has already secured spots for each container on the ocean carriers’ vessels and then monitors them until they get to their ports of destination. At destination, the containers are unloaded by the customer. For products like grain, they use container unloaders that lift and tip the container, allowing the grain to flow out. 

“We are an integrated supply chain company,” said Whitmore. “In addition to owning and operating the intermodal assets, we provide full, door-to-door logistics solutions for local producers — handling everything from export documentation to specialized refrigerated services for the country’s largest protein producers. In essence, we’re connecting stakeholders in a complicated logistics process and making it seamless.” 

It’s a win-win-win situation. The railroad and the ocean carrier get loaded moves going both directions, and customers have more container supply where they need it. You might say… it’s a perfect match. 

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