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After a long period of shrinkage, investment in fixed plant is on the ups-wing as railroads attempt to squeeze more capacity out of existing infrastructure. This story has the ring […]

The combination of Canadian National and Illinois Central should provide more options for traffic moving in north-south lanes, and could create a new NAFTA powerhouse. When Canadian National and Illinois […]

They're evolutionary, because buyers have not encouraged builders to pursue revolutionary designs. But they have achieved some arresting results. Finally. It's about time. Better late than not at all. All […]

Under fire for service problems, closely monitored on safety- and merger-related issues, and preparing for what will be a tough legislative year, the railroad industry is moving toward the doorway […]

The award citation for Railway Age's 1997 Railroader of the Year reads: "For forging the agreement that strengthens rail transportation in the East and levels the playing field between eastern […]

Implementing Positive Train Separation/Control concepts industry-wide could cost $4-5 billion. As carriers ponder the economics, the technology continues to evolve. The economics of ECP brakes--Electronically Controlled Pneumatic braking systems--are complex, […]

Economic "proof" beyond the known benefits--weight reduction, increased lading capacity, lifecycle cost reduction may be needed before the industry fully accepts composite materials. Specific, goal-oriented research and development projects are […]

Both builders--EMD and GE and buyers--CSXT and UP--are moving at once boldly and cautiously as they write a new chapter in motive power history. Whoever said big railroads are afraid […]

In a soft market, suppliers continue to work hard to develop the products railroads will need to achieve their goal of seamless service. The railway market has definitely softened in […]

For the railroads, ISM is like the centerpiece of a table that still needs precise setting and arranging, with every knife, fork, spoon, plate, and glass in place. Interline Service […]

Railway labor says that disasters will inevitably result from use of remote control. Railroaders with remote control experience, however, have a different story to tell. Canadian National has more experience […]

Shippers are demanding it. Railroads, with high-tech help from their suppliers, are working hard to provide it. The task is daunting. In the first of a series of articles, Railway […]

The turnaround of Canadian National is a work in progress, and with Paul Tellier at the throttle, it's a good bet that the work will continue, as will the progress. […]

It would be easier to debate the pros and cons of "open access" if anybody could figure out what's really meant by "open access." But a working definition for the […]

Systems now at or close to the testing stage are designed to accommodate increased speed, volume, and traffic complexity, including mixed passenger and freight. With three very different train separation […]

The rewards of electro-pneumatic braking are irresistible, both to users and to a rising number of would-be suppliers. Now, it's only a question of time--and money. An articulated doublestack train […]

As a BNSF panelist put it, intermodal can again be a "growth machine," if it's fueled by 'flawless service." Achieving that service is a multi-faceted challenge. Predicting demand for rail […]

In the U.S. railroad industry, revenue ton-miles have more than doubled since the early 1960s, and the ton-mile total has increased by about one-third just since partial deregulation in 1980, […]

Three things can safely be said about the freight car market in 1996: It's healthy; it's different; it' s innovative. Given the impact of a couple of negative factors, the […]

Canadian National, the People's Railway, had been a government-owned national operation since 1922. Paul M. Tellier, a lawyer out of Ottawa University and Oxford, had been in government service since […]

Improved rail, raft anchors, ties, tie clips, turnouts, welding, lubrication--all are up front as suppliers try to meet the demands of some demanding customers. A cross the board, manufacturers of […]

The benefits of higher horsepower--unit reduction capability, superior tractive effort--are clear. How basic railroad operating practices will be affected remains to be seen. As the number of a.c.-traction locomotives in […]

Now busy on three continents, WCTC faces unusual challenges with its latest acquisitions in Britain. Ed Burkhardt tells Railway Age how he plans to deal with them. Officially, it's Wisconsin […]

The latest generation of systems is the result of ongoing refinement of both electronic hardware and software to enhance systems reliability. Accidents at highway-rail grade crossings are always caused by […]

Though all too often they aren't rewarded for their efforts, many railway suppliers continue to invest major dollars for product development and improvement. Only a few railroads do what could […]

Having chosen three "improved" trucks for testing at Pueblo, the AAR's R&T Department in a separate program is looking at more advanced truck designs. There are those who would consign […]

From bearings to brake systems, from couplers to cushioning devices, the high-tech freight car continues to take shape as suppliers respond to customer demands. 'Explosion of new technology' is a [...]

As the weight reduction race heats up, builders are offering a wealth of designs. Aluminum is the current material of choice. High-strength composites could be next. What kind of scenario […]

It's a new world out there, at least in the West. Chicago & North Western is gone, absorbed into Union Pacific. Burlington Northern has completed acquisition of Santa Fe, although […]

Carriers, customers, and suppliers are optimistic that intermodal will grow from its present plateau. How to nurture that growth was the subject of the Intermodal Roundtable. Intermodal container/trailer loadings in […]

New materials--including composites--and advanced components will add to the cost of the new generation of cars, but buyers and lessors may find that it will pay to pay more. Is […]

Technological advances are fast altering the C&S landscape. Two dramatic examples are the Positive Train Separation and Incremental Train Control System projects. One supplier of signal, communications, and train control […]

Not since 1980 have locomotive manufacturers come even close to delivering 1,000 new units to the domestic market. But in 1995, they will surpass 1,000 deliveries, thanks to demand fueled […]

One word cannot describe Burlington Northern's Network Operations Center, first staffed in March and dedicated late in April as the James J. Hill Center on a campus north of Fort […]

The signals are mixed, especially from the motor carrier side, as intermodal's rate of growth slackens. But the long-range signs are almost uniformly encouraging. This year, 1995, may be a […]

Designing high productivity m/w equipment friendly to the environment, the workers, and the number crunchers is the challenge. Here's how builders are responding. If you believe that technological development in […]

What are the hardest working cars in the freight car fleet? Flat cars, of course, a category that includes all intermodal cars. They average more than 39 revenue trips per […]

Before any answers, a question: What is "communications"? "Communications" is anything and everything, the one thing that no company can do without. In the railroad industry, it is a sometimes-bewildering […]

This year has been the best year within memory for the railroad industry, and for many railway suppliers. Next year should be even better. Revenue sources that were good in […]

The U.S. railroads with the most direct stake in NAFTA trade to and from Mexico are the four major western carriers, especially Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific, since […]

The theme of the second annual Railway Age Intermodal Roundtable was a basic one: How do you take a good thing and make it better? Intermodal service is the railroad […]

Gerald Grinstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Burlington Northern, is a man who has sometimes been under fire because the railroad is perceived as not performing as it should […]

It was a first--the first time that Administrators of the three surface transportation agencies of the United States Department of Transportation sat down with a transportation trade press reporter, while […]

BN's initial order for 350 units sounded the starting gun. Two suppliers are off and running, and a third is at the starting line. The a.c. race will be not […]

Virtually instantaneous response tops the list of benefits claimed for electro-pneumatic braking. Doubters remain, but BN's tests with a TSM system produced positive results. Will electronically controlled freight train braking […]

It began with J. B. Hunt and Santa Fe. Schneider National signed on. A number of smaller truckload motor carriers looked at what Hunt and Schneider were doing with rail […]

What are the big stories in the freight car market today? New designs are a big story, as well as the increasing move toward system engineering design--design from the rail […]

Today's Big Two, EMD and GE, and the company that aspires to make it a Big Three, MK, all have staying power. The next few years could be interesting ones. […]

They came from the East Coast and from the West Coast. They represented railroads, the motor cartier industry, intermodal marketing companies, railcar manufacturers, the trailer/container manufacturing industry, the investment banking […]

Railroads are doing a tremendous job in getting control of their operations and of their asset utilization. They're doing a tremendous job of touching customers, in the first instance--making the […]