Rail Group On Air

Railway Age's 2025 Railroader of the Year is CSX President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Hinrichs, who joined the railroad industry in September 2022 and in a little more than two years has made immediate and long-term positive impacts. His collaborative approach to labor relations—for example, CSX being the first Class I to offer paid sick leave and forge preliminary agreements with its unions prior to the start of national bargaining—has gone a long way toward transforming the dynamic between management and rail labor from adversarial distrust to engaged problem-solving. Hinrichs firmly believes that for CSX to fully realize its growth potential, labor and management must function as one team, with mutual respect and trust. He knows that change is difficult, but he also knows it's necessary. And as a long-time railroad customer in his prior role as President of Ford Motor Company, he knows the importance of providing good service. CSX's overall excellent performance is a testament to that. Joe Hinrichs—only the third CSX executive to be named Railroader of the Year (he was preceded by Michael Ward in 2009 and Hays Watkins in 1984)—will be presented with the award at the traditional dinner hosted by the Western Railway Club at the Union League Club of Chicago on March 11, 2025. He sat down with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono at CSX's Jacksonville, Fla., headquarters for this interview.

In 2021, the U.S. Congress directed the Secretary of Transportation to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – Transportation Research Board (TRB) “to conduct a study on the operation of freight trains that are longer than 7,500 feet.” Railway Age reported on the 105-page study, “Long Freight Trains: Ensuring Safe Operations, Mitigating Adverse Impacts – TRB Special Report 353.” Sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration, the TRB convened a 12-member committee “with experience in freight and passenger railroad operations, state rail transportation, national rail safety oversight, and freight and passenger rail research” that met 16 times (six in person) to examine impacts of long trains and invited presentations from individuals and organizations. Meetings focused on railroad technology and highway-rail grade crossings. This Rail Group On Air podcast features six of those members and TRB Senior Program Officer and Study Director, Consensus and Advisory Studies David O. Willauer, who coordinated their participation: • Debra L. Miller (Chair), Former Secretary, Kansas Department of Transportation and former Surface Transportation Board Vice Chair. • Gary F. Knudsen, Locomotive Engineer, BNSF Railway (retired). • Allan Rutter, Freight Analysis Program Manager, Texas A&M Transportation Institute and former Federal Railroad Administrator. • Dr. John M. Samuels (National Academy of Engineering), President, Revenue Variable Engineering and retired Senior Vice President Operations Planning and Budget, Norfolk Southern. • Peter F. Swan, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management, Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University. • Paul E. Vilter, Assistant Vice President Planning, Commercial Services, and Sustainability, Amtrak (retired).

The Indiana Rail Road (INRD) named Joe Gioe President and CEO in mid-August 2024. A career railroader with 20 years of industry experience, he has held leadership positions at two Class I railroads, with most of his tenure at BNSF, where he was twice named Employee of the Year for intermodal train execution and delivery of major infrastructure projects in Transportation and Service Design. He also served as Assistant Vice President Network Optimization and Vice President Transportation at Norfolk Southern. A third-generation railroader whose family roots go back to the Central Railroad of New Jersey and Conrail, Gioe began his career as a conductor, locomotive engineer and front-line supervisor in 2005 and rose through management roles of increasing responsibility. Gioe joins Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono in a wide-ranging discussion on customer service, efficiency, safety, traffic growth and employee development at INRD.

Speaking with IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith on this episode is Martin Howell, Transport Markets Director for the UK and Ireland at Worldline, a payment service provider, which also operates a number of operational systems for the railway in Britain. The discussion focuses on possible changes to ticketing in Britain and what Worldline is hoping to see from the new Labour government as it sets about reforming the country's railway sector. Sponsored by Worldline. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)

New Jersey Transit President and CEO and Northeast Corridor (NEC) Commission Co-Chair Kevin Corbett and Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono discuss key issues involved with the 453-mile Washington D.C.-New York-Boston NEC, the nation's busiest passenger rail system. The NEC—its main line and connecting corridors to Harrisburg, Pa.; Spuyten Duyvil, N.Y.; and Springfield, Mass.—support more than 800,000 daily trips on eight regional/commuter railroads and Amtrak's intercity services. These services, of which NJ Transit is by far the largest provider, connect eight states and the District of Columbia on infrastructure segments with four different owners. The Northeast Corridor Commission convenes the NEC's key stakeholders in state government, commuter agencies, the federal government and Amtrak. Given the huge SOGR (state of good repair) backlog on the NEC, what are the most pressing issues to be addressed? How does the Commission respond to critics who say that new, multi-billion-dollar capital projects like the Gateway Program should have been deferred and the money invested in SOGR projects? How can investment be balanced? The federal government has been investing billions in the NEC in recent years. Should the NEC states, and the public transportation agencies that are the primary users, have a larger cost share? Corbett addresses these questions and more in this edition of Rail Group On Air.

In its inaugural podcast, we hear from Walter Kastinger, head of sales at Linsinger's mobile rail milling division. Kastinger presents the rail milling solutions that visitors to this year's InnoTrans can expect to see at Linsinger's exhibit at the outside display area. This includes a new rail milling train called Railmaster®; a new innovative rail surface treatment technology, Linsinger Smart Surface Technology; and a further development of Linsinger's proven rail measurement technology.

Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer joined Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono at the 2024 Rail Insights Conference for this discussion on the changes that have been under way at the Class I railroad. Much has been accomplished, and much more work needs to be done.

How can Class I scheduled railroad operations translate into volume growth? What are the opportunities for industrial development? Why are short line and regional partnerships key to overall rail industry success? Is more culture change needed at the Class I's? Farrukh A. Bezar offers his perspectives during this discussion with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Bezar has more than 30 years of consulting, investment and industry experience in the transportation, logistics, financial services and supply chain industries. His areas of expertise include strategic planning and growth strategy, operations improvement, sales effectiveness and mergers and acquisitions support. A Founding Partner of Miami-based Lynwood Partners, he is a strategic advisor, board member and investor across the transportation and logistics sector. Bezar spent five years at CSX as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer and Senior Vice President, Marketing. Launching his career as a Senior Analyst, Intermodal Marketing & Sales at the Santa Fe Railway, he has also held senior-level positions at The Clarendon Group, Oliver Wyman, A.T. Kearney and Booz Allen & Hamilton.

Norfolk Southern on June 17 released its 2024 Midyear Report on Safety Accomplishments, which summarizes the railroad's organizational actions, safety improvements and partnerships enacted in the past 16 months. “When we make a promise, we deliver on that promise,” NS President and CEO Alan Shaw noted. “That started with our Six-Point Safety Plan announced last spring. While the initiatives in the plan are based on the preliminary findings following the [Feb. 3, 2023] East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, our focus is on increasing safety across all our operations —in every facility and every community where we operate.” In this Rail Group On Air Podcast, Shaw discusses all these safety initiatives with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. He also talks about strategy and opportunities following the proxy battle with Ancora Holdings. “I'm encouraged that we preserved the right and the ability to implement our groundbreaking strategy,” he said. “I also know that shareholders were very clear: They expect results—and we've delivered lots of results.”

Danielle Smith, Premier of Canada's Alberta Province, discusses freight and passenger rail in the Province from economic, social and environmental standpoints with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are essential to Canada's economy and the nation's growing role as an exporter, as well as Alberta's overall prosperity, Smith believes. A former columnist and media personality who has been serving as the 19th Premier of Alberta and leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) since October 2022, Smith also strongly supports passenger rail—and is a bit of an enthusiast. The Alberta government on April 29 announced a Passenger Rail Plan aimed at increasing passenger rail service in the province. It will assess the feasibility of passenger rail in the province, including regional (intercity), commuter and high-speed services, “will look forward decades and identify concrete actions that can be taken now, as well as in the future, to build the optimal passenger rail system for the province.” Alberta's government has released a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) to “seek world-class knowledge and consultant services as a first step toward the development of the Passenger Rail Master Plan for Alberta.” Following this process, a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued to select a consultant to develop the Passenger Rail Master Plan, which is expected to be completed by summer 2025.

Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Ed Elkins began his railroad career at Norfolk Southern in 1988 as a Road Brakeman after serving in the United States Marine Corps. Appointed CMO in 2021, he leads the company's Intermodal, Automotive and Industrial Products business divisions, and also manages the Real Estate, Industrial Development, Short Line Marketing, Field Sales, and Customer Logistics business groups. In this Rail Group On Air Podcast, Elkins and Railway Age Editor-in Chief William C. Vantuono discuss NS's accomplishments in 2023 attracting new business and growing existing business, as well as expectations going forward. What markets and commodities offer the most growth potential? In 2023, NS invested $1 billion in infrastructure improvements. Elkins talks about the role marketing plays in the Class I's capital investment strategy and funding allocation. He also touches upon the tools, financial or other, that can be leveraged to incentivize businesses to locate on the railroad. Beginning as brakeman in 1988, Elkins served as a a conductor, locomotive engineer and relief yardmaster. Following time in Operations, he spent two decades in Intermodal Marketing. In 2016, he was named Group Vice President of Chemicals Marketing, and in 2018 promoted to Vice President Industrial Products. Currently, Elkins serves as the Vice Chair of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and sits on the boards of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers and TTX Company. He also serves on the Georgia State University Marketing RoundTable and is a member of The Conference Board, Inc. on the Council for CMOs. Elkins is a native of Southwest Virginia. He earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Virginia's College at Wise and an MBA from Old Dominion University with a concentration in Port & Maritime Economics.

As Norfolk Southern Vice President Transportation, Joe Gioe is responsible for leading a culture of safe, predictable and consistent service by empowering transportation team members to meet the needs of NS customers. He also leads the Performance Excellence (PE) group, which is responsible for establishing operating processes and measuring performance. The group partners closely with Operations leaders and their teams, including Transportation, Advanced Train Control, Engineering and Safety. PE's mission is standardizing NS's needs to achieve its performance mission. The PE team does this through standardizing process. At the ballast line, the PE team works to integrate processes, regardless of craft, from multiple disciplines so NS can provide the best service and grow. PE is housed in the Operations department but touches many different teams throughout NS. The team is focused on safety first, followed by supporting operational excellence. The team cascades best practices throughout the network to increase information delivery speed. PE also provides daily tactical support to departments throughout Operations. The team is working on standardizing best practices and getting standard operating procedures embedded throughout Operations, laying the bedrock for safety. The team is also focused on enhancing and refining technology to deliver reliable, resilient service. PE's long-term goal are to position Norfolk Southern as the leader in continuous improvement, to standardize and then optimize, to be a constant learning organization, and to be proactive with adapting. Appointed Vice President Transportation in 2023, Joe Gioe has 19 years of experience in the rail industry. He joined Norfolk Southern in 2021 as Assistant Vice President Network Optimization. Previously, he was at BNSF Railway, where he held roles of increasing responsibility in Transportation and Service Design. A third-generation railroader whose family roots go back to the Central Railroad of New Jersey and Conrail, Gioe began his career as a conductor and locomotive engineer. He earned a Bachelor of Applied Science from Colorado State University Global.

In Part 2 of this two-part series on railroad safety and technology, Steven R. Ditmeyer takes a deep dive into ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems), specifically, highway/rail grade crossing warning devices that interface with motor vehicles, with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Ditmeyer has had an extensive career in railroading that started in 1960 on the St. Louis Terminal Railroad. He received a B.S. in Industrial Management from MIT and an M.A. in Economics from Yale. In the private sector, he worked for six railroads and a railroad equipment manufacturer. In the public sector, he served as an Army Transportation Corps officer on active duty in the Logistics Directorate of the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in the Reserves in the 3rd Railway Brigade, as Associate Administrator for Policy and for R&D at the Federal Railroad Administration, as acting general manager of The Alaska Railroad, as associate professor of economics and transportation at National Defense University, and as economist and rail technology expert at the World Bank. His career has cut across multiple disciplines, including freight and passenger railroading, engineering, economics, research and development, policy, marketing, management, operations, information technology, systems analysis, command and control systems and education. In his early days at FRA, Ditmeyer was involved in the creation of Amtrak, the preliminary engineering and economic studies for the Northeast Corridor Project, and the establishment of the Transportation Technology Center. As head of policy at FRA, he initiated the sale of The Alaska Railroad by the Federal Government to the State of Alaska and was involved in developing the legislation for the deregulation of the freight railroad industry. At Burlington Northern, he was intimately involved in development and testing of the first PTC system (ARES) and the first natural gas locomotives. Following retirement, he helped structure and teach in railway management programs as an adjunct faculty member at Michigan State University and the University of Delaware, and HEC and EML Business Schools, both in France.

Railway Age's 2024 Railroader of the Year Award, the 61st annual, goes to an experienced and highly respected North American rail industry leader: CN President and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Robinson. She “continues the sweeping leadership evolution the railroad industry has been undergoing for the past few years,” said Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. “She continues to break new ground, bringing fresh ideas and a perspective based on change, growth and service. Tracy is leading CN during challenging times, strengthening and transforming the company and solidifying its position in the North American and global supply chains. While she brought many years of experience to CN, including leadership positions at Canadian Pacific and in Canada's energy sector, she is dedicated to developing a new generation of railroaders from diverse backgrounds.” Vantuono in December 2023 interviewed Robinson at CN's Montreal headquarters. She will be presented with the Railroader of the Year award March 12, 2024 at the traditional dinner held at the Union League Club of Chicago, hosted by the Western Railway Club.

In Part 1 of this two-part series on railroad safety and technology, Steven R. Ditmeyer discusses the fundamentals of signaling and train control and takes a deep dive into PTC (Positive Train Control) and its potential for evolving beyond a safety overlay system with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Ditmeyer has had an extensive career in railroading that started in 1960 on the St. Louis Terminal Railroad. He received a B.S. in Industrial Management from MIT and an M.A. in Economics from Yale. In the private sector, he worked for six railroads and a railroad equipment manufacturer. In the public sector, he served as an Army Transportation Corps officer on active duty in the Logistics Directorate of the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in the Reserves in the 3rd Railway Brigade, as Associate Administrator for Policy and for R&D at the Federal Railroad Administration, as acting general manager of The Alaska Railroad, as associate professor of economics and transportation at National Defense University, and as economist and rail technology expert at the World Bank. His career has cut across multiple disciplines, including freight and passenger railroading, engineering, economics, research and development, policy, marketing, management, operations, information technology, systems analysis, command and control systems and education. In his early days at FRA, Ditmeyer was involved in the creation of Amtrak, the preliminary engineering and economic studies for the Northeast Corridor Project, and the establishment of the Transportation Technology Center. As head of policy at FRA, he initiated the sale of The Alaska Railroad by the Federal Government to the State of Alaska and was involved in developing the legislation for the deregulation of the freight railroad industry. At Burlington Northern Railroad, he was intimately involved in development and testing of the first PTC system (ARES) and the development and testing of the first natural gas locomotives. Following retirement, he helped structure and teach in railway management programs as an adjunct faculty member at Michigan State University and the University of Delaware, and HEC and EML Business Schools, both in France.

Norfolk Southern is justifiably proud of the partnership it has forged with its craft unions. Executive Vice President and Chief Operatiing Officer Paul Duncan discusses the improvements and special programs that have been instituted at Norfolk Southern with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Among these are START (System Teamwork and Responsibility Training), and a training and mentoring program for new conductors that matches experienced railroaders with trainees. “We've got conductors that are more than willing to help train new folks and are very good at it. We work with our local chairman at the various locations where we're bringing on conductor trainees to ensure that we're matching them up with folks that match in personality traits as well as leadership,” Duncan says. Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies, which has teamed with Norfolk Southern to develop sustainable, high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel gondolas constructed of a lighter-weight steel that reduces unloaded weight by up to 15,000 pounds.

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

Rail Group On Air shines a spotlight on railroad policing during Rail Safety Week 2023 in this podcast with CN Chief Security Officer and Chief of CN Police Service, North America Stephen Covey. This long-time law enforcement professional shares his insights on the complex job of overseeing public safety and security at a Class I railroad whose territory stretches thousands of miles across Canada and the United States with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

This edition of Rail Group on Air spotlights the recently released change management book, Change Questions, by noted executive D. Lynn Kelley Ph.D. with prominent internationally known Lean Management expert John Shook. The pace of organizational change has been increasing. Unfortunately, most change activities fail to deliver anticipated results and those that do often fail to sustain. The Change Questions book addresses these critical issues by providing a proven process with a strong record of sustainment that can be used by anyone responsible for implementing organizational change. The book includes a case study with examples and stories of transformation at Union Pacific Railroad during an eight-year period. Using the Change Questions resulted in a dramatic increase in operational performance and a 96% sustainment rate over hundreds of change initiatives. Lynn Kelley and Railway Age Contributing Editor Sonia Bot, Chief Executive of the BOT Consulting Group Inc., join Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono for this podcast.

John Orr, Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer of Canadian Pacific Kansas City, provides an in-depth, up close and personal look at North America's first and only transnational railway in a wide-ranging discussion with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. In his new strategic position at CPKC, Orr is responsible for network operations planning and design, procurement, labor relations and regulatory affairs. Previously, Orr served as Executive Vice President Operations for Kansas City Southern, overseeing the Transportation, Engineering, Mechanical, Network Operations, Health-Safety-Environmental and Labor Relations teams from 2021-2023. A fourth-generation railroader, Orr began his railroad career at CN in 1985, holding various leadership positions including Senior Vice President and Chief Transportation Officer. Podcast sponsored by TrinityRail®.

n this conclusion of a two-part series, Jim Hoecker and Steve Griffith of the Rail Electrification Council talk about the transition away from fossil fuels, as well the national electrical grid's need to expand to handle rapidly increasing demand. What are the opportunities for using railroad rights-of-way to support high-voltage transmission lines? How could this be a viable source of revenue for railroads? How do ESG goals figure here? Hoecker and Griffith discuss these and other topics with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

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

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

Ahead of next week's IAF International Exhibition on Track Technology in Münster, Germany, Plasser & Theurer speaks with IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith in our latest Rail Group on Air podcast. Fabian Hansmann, Deputy Director for Marketing, looks ahead to IAF and the supplier's key exhibits; Alexander Lehner, Director for Global Customer Services, reflects on Plasser & Theurer's changing approach to customer service, including new rental services and second-hand machine supply; and Florian Auer, Director of Technologies and Innovation, looks at the future of railway infrastructure maintenance and the adoption of new technologies. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)

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

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

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

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

Siemens Mobility North America President and CEO Marc Buncher talks with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono about the 2022 North American rail market. What are the opportunities for the passenger rail industry with the infrastructure bill's passage? What is missing from the infrastructure deal? Will the bill really help the industry move the needle as far as technology is concerned, or is it more of a state-of-good-repair play? What of note will occur in the freight rail industry this year? Podcast sponsored by Siemens Mobility North America.

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

In December 2021, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration deployed a Security Directive that shined a spotlight on rail cybersecurity following a series of global cyberattacks that occurred at the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Class I CSX and short-line operator OmniTRAX, as well as several rail companies around the globe. The TSA regulations took effect December 31, and rail operators across the U.S. are facing looming deadlines. But achieving compliance across the four required TSA mandates isn't a quick fix, and the regulations spark additional questions: Why is the federal government rapidly getting involved in rail cybersecurity? What kind of cyberattacks are now targeting rail systems and rolling stock, and what's next? Are rail cybersecurity measures in place sufficient to fend off sophisticated attacks? Are existing rail technology platforms such as PTC and onboard/wayside fault detection and health monitoring capable of supporting cybersecurity measures? Railway Age Editor in Chief William C. Vantuono discusses these topics with rail cybersecurity expert Josh Lospinoso, CEO and co-founder of podcast sponsor Shift5.

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

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

Why are railroads seeking fuel-saving technologies? How much can they expect to save on fuel costs by using a fuel monitoring and reporting system such as the Wabtec Fuel App? What are some of the challenges railroads have around accurately measuring locomotive fuel consumption? What is required for this system to work? Who will benefit? Wabtec Corp. Principal IoT Platforms and Application Leader Adebayo Onigbanjo discusses these topics and more with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Podcast sponsored by Wabtec Corp.

Rajani Modiyani, Lead Account Manager for the Global Rail Team at Cummins, discusses clean diesel options, emissions standards technologies and the company's current hydrogen product offering, and the future of Cummins Rail with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Modiyani, who joined Cummins in 2010 as a Systems Integration Engineer, supports OEMs and customers exploring hydrogen solutions as well as traditional diesel market opportunities. She has an Engineering degree from the Cummins College of Engineering in Pune, India; a Master's of Science in Engineering from Purdue University; and an MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Podcast sponsored by Cummins.

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

Everything you need to know about Precision Scheduled Railroading—how it got started, who started it and why, its promises and principles, and what it has become, for better or for worse—is here in this discussion featuring two of PSR's “founding fathers,” Gil Lamphere and Henry Chidgey, who have more than 75 years of combined railroading experience. This in-depth session with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono isn't a quick listen, but well worth the time. We think you'll find it informative, educational and fascinating. Gil and Henry have seen and done it all.

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