Rail Group On Air

Locomotive engineers have been qualified and trained with simulation technology for years. Through technology, the opportunity to leverage simulation beyond locomotive engineers is quickly emerging. Heartwood scratched the surface by developing a virtual simulation platform to certify Transportation and Mechanical employees in conducting 49 CFR Part 232 brake tests at Norfolk Southern, and obtained a Federal Railroad Administration simulation training waiver to meet the regulatory requirements. With simulation technology, including augmented and virtual reality, regulatory and maintenance training can be at employee fingertips. Can railroads train, qualify and improve their workforce with simulation tools? FRA Staff Director, Railroad Safety Partnerships Rob Castiglione, Heartwood Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer Neil Wadhawan and Consultant Brian Keller discuss this emerging technology with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.

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

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

MidRail LLC Chairman Gil Lamphere offers his views on the competition between Canadian Pacific and CN to acquire Kansas City Southern, discussing the details of voting trusts and the role of the Surface Transportation Board, and other railroad merger-related issues, with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Lamphere has nearly 40 years of experience as a principal investor and financier in rail industry and other private equity transactions. He has headed four private equity firms and has extensive operational experience as a chairman and/or board member for a wide range of publicly traded and private companies. Lamphere is the former Chairman of the Illinois Central Railway, Co-Founder of MidSouth Rail Corporation and a former board member of CN, CSX and Florida East Coast Railway. He led teams and boards that bought, managed and changed operations at those railroads, and at Southern Pacific, with alumni leading CP, creating gains for investors in excess of $2 billion.

Canadian Pacific President and CEO Keith Creel, Executive Vice President Operations Mark Redd and Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer​​​John Brooks discuss CP’s proposed merger with Kansas City Southern with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Podcast Sponsored by Trinity Rail.

One month after Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern announced their intent to merge into CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City), CN made a counter-offer it said is a “superior proposal” that “will result in a safer, faster, cleaner and stronger railway.” KCS, while moving forward with the CP deal, is now considering CN’s proposal. CN President and CEO JJ Ruest and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rob Reilly discuss the merits of their offer with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies, Virtual Sample Railcar™.

For the first time, Railway Age and Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp. sister publication Marine Log join forces to discuss the global rail and marine intermodal logistics scene with Bill Shea, CEO of DCLI (Direct Chassis Link Inc.) and Chairman of supply chain technology company Blume Global, and Pervinder Johar, Blume Global CEO. They offer their views on challenges the intermodal industry faces; preparing for future logistics disruptions; the role of advanced technology; supply chain visibility and sustainability; seamlessly transition data from ocean carrier to rail in transit; and growth opportunities with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono and Marine Log Editor-in-Chief and RA Ports and Intermodal Editor Heather Ervin.

The European Commission has designated 2021 as the European Year of Rail and is planning a series of events and initiatives throughout the year to promote rail as a sustainable transport mode. In this episode, IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith’s guest is Philippe Citroën, Director General of the European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE). Citroën reveals his hopes and expectations for the European Year of Rail, his views on the future of European railway research and the role of the European rail industry in Europe’s Rail. He also discusses the challenges and opportunities for the sector as it strives to achieve the ambitious targets in the EC’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. (Introductory music: “Tired Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)

Shift5’s mission is to make the world’s fleets smarter and safer. Shift5 is a product company that deploys hardware and software onto civilian and military platforms—from rail and aircraft to maritime, space, and weapons systems. In this podcast, sponsored by Shift5, CEO and Co-founder Josh Lospinoso and President, Chief Growth Officer and Co-Founder Michael Weigand discuss the company’s applications for freight and passenger rail in the areas of mechanical reliability and cybersecurity with MidRail LLC Chairman Gil Lamphere and Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. U.S. railways are turning to Shift5’s freight and transit security solution for continuous monitoring of railway vulnerabilities, a rules engine that generates alerts automatically, and work packages that enable rail cybersecurity analysts to address threats immediately. Detection and responsive management of cyber health results in long-term savings.

PTC has made much progress at reducing railroad operational risks, but optimizing safety and efficiency never stops. As railroads continue to innovate, further improvements and operational advancements will be deployed. Safety HMI (human-machine interface) technology, combined with continued human factors design considerations, can mitigate known hazards and safely allow for expanded functionalities. Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono discusses the expanding scope of automation and increasing recognition of HMI, in terms of safety-critical train control interfaces, with Blake Kozol, CEO, Deuta America Corporation; Kelly Nichols, Principal System Engineer and Project Engineering Lead, Collins Aerospace; Carolynn Johnson, Human Factors and Research Manager, Daedalus; Ryan McKinley, President and Safety Engineer, Vital Assurance; and Eileen Reilly, CEO, Global Train Services LLC. Podcast sponsored by Deuta America.