FEBRUARY 2021
W W W. R A I LWAYA G E .C O M
AILWAY GE S E R V I N G T H E R A I LWAY I N D U S T R Y S I N C E 1 8 5 6
20 40
UNDER Young Leaders, Changing Demographics
james brown CSX
BIG DATA DEEP DIVES
Using Data Science to Better Understand and Maintain Rolling Stock Performance
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
Can We “Build Back Better”? railwayage.com
August 2017 // Railway Age 1
AILWAY GE
February 2021 2020
48
FEATURES
10
20 Under 40 Our 2021 Honorees
28 The ‘H’ Factor
A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Future?
DEPARTMENTS
4 Industry Indicators 6 Industry Outlook Legislative Report 34 Build Back Better in 2021? 8 Market 52 People Dives 36 Deep Big Data for Rolling Stock Performance 53 Products What PTC Is—And Isn’t 54 Professional Directory 40 Technicians or Technologists? 54 Classified Convergence 43 OT–IT An Imperative for Industry 4.0 55 Advertising Index
32 Fluid Dynamics
Real-Time Fuel, Lube Monitoring
48 Staying On The Grid
Better Railcar Visibility for Shippers
51 Al Reinschmidt Remembered
NEWS/COLUMNS 2 From the Editor 9 Financial Edge 56 ASLRRA Perspective ON THE COVER: CSX Waycross Locomotive Shop Assistant Plant Superintendent James Brown, one of Railway Age’s 20 Under 40 honorees. Photo: CSX
James Street Associates
Scholarship Fund Established
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February 2021 // Railway Age 1
FROM THE EDITOR
AILWAY GE
Land of Hope and Dreams
B
ruce Springsteen. “The Boss.” Sang Land of Hope and Dreams, his inspiring railroad tome, at the Celebrating America program following the Jan. 20, 2021 Biden/Harris Inauguration. “I want to offer this small prayer for our country,” he said on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The lyrics speak for themselves: Whoaaa whoa-whoaaa, this train I’m calling this train Don’t you wanna ride This train, this train, Whoa-whoa, get on, get on, get on Grab your ticket and your suitcase, thunder’s rolling down this track Well, you don’t know where you’re going now, but you know you won’t be back Well, darling, if you’re weary, lay your head upon my chest We’ll take what we can carry, yeah, and we’ll leave the rest Well, big wheels roll through the fields where sunlight streams Meet me in a land of hope and dreams I will provide for you and I’ll stand by your side You’ll need a good companion now for this part of the ride Yeah, leave behind your sorrows, let this day be the last Well, tomorrow there’ll be sunshine and all this darkness past Well, big wheels roll through fields where sunlight streams
SUBSCRIPTIONS: 800-895-4389
Oh, meet me in a land of hope and dreams Well, this train carries saints and sinners This train carries losers and winners This train carries whores and gamblers This train carries lost souls This train, dreams will not be thwarted This train, faith will be rewarded This train, hear the steel wheels singing This train, bells of freedom ringing Yes, this train carries saints and sinners This train carries losers and winners This train carries whores and gamblers This train carries lost souls I said, this train carries broken-hearted This train, thieves and sweet souls departed This train carries fools and kings thrown This train, all aboard Now this train, dreams will not be thwarted This train, faith will be rewarded This train, the steel wheels singing This train, bells of freedom ringing Come on this train People get ready You don’t need no ticket All you gotta do is just get onboard Onboard this train, this train, now People get ready You don’t need no ticket Oh now, no you don’t You don’t need no ticket You just get onboard, people get ready You just thank the Lord, people get ready Come on this train, people get ready
WILLIAM C. VANTUONO Editor-in-Chief
Railway Age, descended from the American Rail-Road Journal (1832) and the Western Railroad Gazette (1856) and published under its present name since 1876, is indexed by the Business Periodicals Index and the Engineering Index Service. Name registered in U.S. Patent Office and Trade Mark Office in Canada. Now indexed in ABI/Inform. Change of address should reach us six weeks in advance of next issue date. Send both old and new addresses with address label to Subscription Department, Railway Age, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407, or call toll free (US Only) 1-800-553-8878 (CANADA/ INTL) 1-319-364-6167. Post Office will not forward copies unless you provide extra postage. Photocopy rights: Where necessary, permission is granted by the copyright owner for the libraries and others registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to photocopy articles herein for the flat fee of $2.00 per copy of each article. Payment should be sent directly to CCC. Copying for other than personal or internal reference use without the express permission of Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp. is prohibited. Address requests for permission on bulk orders to the Circulation Director. Railway Age welcomes the submission of unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. However, the publishers will not be responsible for safekeeping or return of such material. Member of:
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2 Railway Age // February 2021
EDITORIAL AND EXECUTIVE OFFICES Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp. 88 Pine Street, 23rd Fl. New York, NY 10005-1809 212-620-7200; Fax: 212-633-1863 Website: www.railwayage.com ARTHUR J. McGINNIS, Jr. President and Chairman JONATHAN CHALON Publisher jchalon@sbpub.com WILLIAM C. VANTUONO Editor-in-Chief wvantuono@sbpub.com MARYBETH LUCZAK Executive Editor mluczak@sbpub.com BILL WILSON Engineering Editor/Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief wwilson@sbpub.com DAVID C. LESTER Managing Editor, Railway Track & Structures dlester@sbpub.com HEATHER ERVIN Ports and Intermodal Editor/Marine Log Editor-in-Chief hervin@sbpub.com Contributing Editors David Peter Alan, Roy Blanchard, Jim Blaze, Nick Blenkey, Sonia Bot, Peter Diekmeyer, Alfred E. Fazio, Don Itzkoff, Bruce Kelly, Ron Lindsey, Ryan McWilliams, David Nahass, Jason H. Seidl, David Thomas, John Thompson, Frank N. Wilner, Tony Zenga Art Director: Nicole D’Antona Graphic Designer: Hillary Coleman Corporate Production Director: Mary Conyers Production Director: Eduardo Castaner Marketing Director: Erica Hayes Conference Director: Michelle Zolkos Circulation Director: Maureen Cooney INTERNATIONAL OFFICES 46 Killigrew Street, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 3PP, United Kingdom 011-44-1326-313945 International Editors Kevin Smith ks@railjournal.co.uk David Burroughs dburroughs@railjournal.co.uk David Briginshaw db@railjournal.co.uk Oliver Cuenca oc@railjournal.co.uk CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-895-4389 Reprints: PARS International Corp. 253 West 35th Street 7th Floor New York, NY 10001 212-221-9595; fax 212-221-9195 curt.ciesinski@parsintl.com railwayage.com
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Industry Indicators AAR: ‘TRAFFIC FINISHED THE YEAR REASONABLY STRONG’ “U.S. rail traffic left something to be desired in 2020—no surprise, of course, given the pandemic—but traffic finished the year reasonably strong,” the Association of American Railroads reported in January 2021. “In December 2020, U.S. rail intermodal volume was up 12.2% over December 2019, its biggest monthly gain since February 2016. In Q4 2020, intermodal was up 11.2% over Q4 2019, its biggest quarterly gain since Q4 2010. For all of 2020, U.S. intermodal originations were 13.46 million containers and trailers—the fourth highest annual total in history (behind 2017, 2018 and 2019) and down 2.0% (276,904 units) from 2019. Six of the top 10 intermodal weeks in history were in 2020, all since week 43.”
Railroad employment, Class I linehaul carriers, DECEMBER 2020 (% change from DECEMBER 2019)
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 117,770 % CHANGE FROM DECEMBER 2019: -10.43%
Transportation (train and engine) 49,069 (-9.35%)
Executives, Officials and Staff Assistants 7,312 (-4.07%)
TRAFFIC ORIGINATED CARLOADS
FIVE WEEKS ENDING JANUARY 2, 2021
MAJOR U.S. RAILROADS BY COMMODITY
DEC. ’20
DEC. ’19
% CHANGE
Grain Farm Products excl. Grain Grain Mill Products Food Products Chemicals Petroleum & Petroleum Products Coal Primary Forest Products Lumber & Wood Products Pulp & Paper Products Metallic Ores Coke Primary Metal Products Iron & Steel Scrap Motor Vehicles & Parts Crushed Stone, Sand & Gravel Nonmetallic Minerals Stone, Clay & Glass Products Waste & Nonferrous Scrap All Other Carloads
128,759 4,728 44,641 27,895 161,200 55,458 296,839 4,345 14,801 27,550 31,189 14,875 38,035 16,784 68,658 70,823 14,787 34,428 17,188 28,341
100,664 4,195 44,027 27,196 155,436 65,844 347,348 5,322 13,898 28,368 32,152 18,232 40,770 14,871 67,604 83,156 17,311 32,975 15,978 28,643
27.9% 12.7% 1.4% 2.6% 3.7% -15.8% -14.5% -18.4% 6.5% -2.9% -3.0% -18.4% -6.7% 12.9% 1.6% -14.8% -14.6% 4.4% 7.6% -1.1%
TOTAL U.S. CARLOADS
1,101,324
1,143,990
-3.7%
TOTAL CANADIAN CARLOADS
399,407
401,377
-0.5%
COMBINED U.S./CANADA RR
1,500,731
1,545,367
-2.9%
CANADIAN RAILROADS
Professional and Administrative 10,223 (-5.44%)
Maintenance-of-Way and Structures 27,720 (-9.94%)
Maintenance of Equipment and Stores
Intermodal
FIVE WEEKS ENDING JANUARY 2, 2021
MAJOR U.S. RAILROADS BY COMMODITY
DEC. ’20
Trailers Containers TOTAL UNITS
122,232 1,212,263
18,623 (-18.12%)
CANADIAN RAILROADS
Transportation (other than train & engine)
Trailers Containers TOTAL UNITS
DEC. ’19
% CHANGE
104,211
1,334,495
1,085,158 1,189,369
17.3% 11.7% 12.2%
1 339,178 339,179
0 313,662 313,662
— 8.1% 8.1%
104,211
4,823 (-10.60%)
COMBINED U.S./CANADA RR
Source: Surface Transportation Board
Trailers Containers
122,233 1,551,441
1,398,820
17.3% 10.9%
TOTAL COMBINED UNITS
1,673,674
1,503,031
11.4%
Source: Rail Time Indicators, Association of American Railroads
4 Railway Age // February 2021
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TOTAL U.S./Canadian CARLOADS, DEC. 2020 VS. DEC. 2019
1,500,731 DECEMBER 2020
AILWAY GE
1,545,367 DECEMBER 2019
Short Line And Regional Traffic Index CARLOADS
BY COMMODITY Chemicals Coal Crushed Stone, Sand & Gravel Food & Kindred Products Grain Grain Mill Products Lumber & Wood Products Metallic Ores Metals & Products Motor Vehicles & Equipment Nonmetallic Minerals Petroleum Products Pulp, Paper & Allied Products Stone, Clay & Glass Products Trailers / Containers Waste & Scrap Materials All Other Carloads
ORIGINATED DEC. ’20
ORIGINATED DEC. ’19
% CHANGE
51,872 17,120 18,541 11,854 33,491 8,642 9,229 2,578 16,779 9,249 1,803 2,019 18,038 13,549 42,085 10,384 71,051
51,452 17,515 20,377 11,009 22,884 7,325 8,714 2,800 16,915 11,181 2,883 1,884 18,320 12,264 39,898 8,926 69,466
0.8% -2.3% -9.0% 7.7% 46.4% 18.0% 5.9% -7.9% -0.8% -17.3% -37.5% 7.2% -1.5% 10.5% 5.5% 16.3% 2.3%
Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved.
TOTAL U.S. Carloads and intermodal units, 2011-2020
(in millions, year-to-date through DECEMBER 2020, SIX-WEEK MOVING AVERAGE)
ARE YOU A RAILROAD OR SUPPLIER SEARCHING FOR JOB CANDIDATES?
Visit http://bit.ly/railjobs To place a job posting, contact: Jennifer Izzo 203-604-1744 jizzo@mediapeople.com
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9/30/19 3:16 PM
Industry Outlook
Fuel Cells, Batteries: Mobility’s Future? AS PART OF COWEN AND COMPANY’S “ENERGY TRANSITION SERIES,” analysts spoke with The Hydrogen Council Executive Director Daryl Wilson to explore the adoption of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies—from stationary to mobility applications. Also addressed were use-cases relating to complementary battery technology and costs of hydrogen as a fuel source. The Hydrogen Council’s aim is to accelerate the adoption of clean energy. Part of the conversation were Cowen analysts Jeffrey Osborne (Managing Director, Energy-Sustainability & Mobility Technology), Matt Elkott (OEM Transportation Analyst), Marc Bianchi, Thomas Boyes, Emily Riccio, Carson Sippel, Jonathan Hunter, James Schumm and Elliot Alper. Hydrogen and battery technologies will “progress in parallel but serve different needs” in transport applications, is among Osborne’s takeaways from Wilson, the former CEO of Hydrogenics, an Ontario, Canada-based fuel cell and electrolyzer company that Cummins acquired in 2019 as part of the company’s New Power division. • Cost and use-case: Wilson discussed how cost affects use. Osborne’s takeaways: “As the costs of both technologies come down, batteries and fuel cells as well as ultracapacitors will be more and more associated. Despite the trajectory for ongoing cost reductions and moving up scale on the battery side, the mass energy density of 6 Railway Age // February 2021
batteries will still never equal that of a fuel cell. Therefore, massive heavy-duty transport applications like large trains is one use-case where batteries are not expected to favor fuel cells. We [Cowen analysts] note, however, that fuel cells and batteries can be used in tangent, which was done on board Alstom trains in Germany.” Osborne’s other takeaways from Wilson on technology use: “In addition to trains, other heavy applications such as trucks over 10 tons and buses with longer daily routes will favor fuel cells to batteries. For many applications, the advantage of using a fuel cell over a battery and vice-versa comes down to the duty cycle of the vehicle. This includes the mass of the vehicle, the mass of the payload, the terrain of the route, and the predictability of the route. “If a route has a hilly terrain for example, batteries will be less efficient. In terms of the predictability of a route, if a fleet vehicle has an eight-hour return window, they can use batteries; whereas if the route is longer and less predictable, fuel cells would be the more convenient option. “Faster charging time is another meaningful advantage to fuel cells depending on the schedule of the vehicle fleet. While heavier vehicles that require more route flexibility will likely have a greater use case for fuel cells vs. batteries, the future is both a fuel cell and a battery story.” • Hydrogen types: “Wilson also addressed
the different types of hydrogen and how they would contribute to the overall use of fuel cells over time,” Osborne noted. Osborne’s takeaways from the discussion: “Fuel cells are significantly cleaner than traditional forms of energy generation, as the technology relies on a chemical process to generate electrons compared to combustion-driven engines. What is not necessarily ‘green’ is the type of hydrogen used. “Gray hydrogen is derived from fossil fuels like oil and coal, both of which emit CO2 into the air during combustion, and is fairly inexpensive at approximately $1 per kilogram. If carbon-capture technology is added to the process, you can create blue hydrogen, which is in the $2 per kilogram range. “Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis and can take interment renewable assets like wind and solar to produce hydrogen. This is the most costly way to generate hydrogen, at between $4 and $5 per kilogram. Wilson believes that in the interim, blue hydrogen, as the cost leader, will become the most prevalent form of hydrogen as more emitters move to carbon-capture technology as a way to stem overall emissions. “Longer term, as green hydrogen scales, there is a path to between $1.50 and $2.00, which would make it competitive with other forms of hydrogen. • Hydrogen fuel cell use—Stationary power vs. mobility: “Although there are several use-cases for hydrogen fuel cells, Wilson spoke at length around the consumption of hydrogen in two primary areas: stationary power and mobility,” Osborne noted. “Companies such as Ballard Power, Bloom Energy, FuelCell Energy, and Plug Power all offer hydrogen fuel cell-based stationary power offerings for uses such as backup power. “As it relates to mobility, Wilson is bullish on hydrogen fuel cells’ role across several mobility sub-sectors including passenger cars, heavy-duty trucks, trains, and other areas. More specifically, Wilson highlighted the advantage that hydrogen fuel cells provide in heavy-duty trucks, given fuel cells’ ability to provide better performance in applications that involve higher mass and payload. However, he acknowledged that the future of mobility is filled with both hydrogen fuel cells and batteries. We agree with this claim and explore it in more detail in our ‘Future of Mobility’ report.” railwayage.com
market Metra Orders Alstom Multi-Levels
WORLDWIDE
NORTH AMERICA
Argentina’s national operator ARGENTINEAN TRAINS has relaunched regional passenger services on the 60-mile line from General Guido junction station on the Buenos Aires – Mar del Plata main line to the Atlantic coast resort town of Pinamar, a decade after they were withdrawn. Services are operated with a refurbished former class 592 DMU from Spanish operator RENFE. The train has a capacity to seat 220 passengers, although this has been restricted to 170 due to social distancing requirements.
ALSTOM has acquired California-based transit signaling engineering, design and construction firm B&C TRANSIT. The acquisition will reinforce Alstom’s position in the North American transit signaling market by combining the two companies’ advanced technology products and engineering capabilities and enhance Alstom’s systems engineering and wayside application capabilities. The acquisition will also provide B&C Transit with access to Alstom’s worldwide presence and offer opportunities to broaden and scale up its operations. B&C Transit employs approximately 85 people across the United States and had a turnover of $45 million in 2020. The company has previously worked on projects such as the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni) Central Subway project, and Miami-Dade’s Metrorail control center and systems. “B&C Transit’s expertise in signaling and communications engineering and design is the perfect complement to Alstom’s advanced technology solutions,” said Jérôme Wallut, Senior Vice President for Alstom North America. “Customers will benefit from additional resource capacity and an extensive footprint across North America.”
8 Railway Age // February 2021
The CALTRAIN Board of Directors has extended through June 30, 2027, its operating agreement with TRANSITAMERICA SERVICES, INC. (TASI). TASI, a subsidiary of HERZOG TRANSIT SERVICES, INC., handles administration/safety; operations and dispatch; maintenance of equipment, track, communications and signals, and stations; and construction support work. It has also supported capital improvement projects, such as PTC and bridge replacement. Awarded in September 2011, TASI’s contract included a five-year base agreement and an option for five one-year extensions, which were executed in February 2017. It was set to expire on June 30, 2022. According to Caltrain, TASI has “demonstrated improvement in on-time performance, monthly mechanical delays and customer satisfaction.” With the new contract extension, TASI will also support construction of the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP) from the 4th and King Station in San Francisco to the Tamien Station in San Jose. Work includes locating underground utilities, testing soil conditions, inspecting C&S equipment, pruning/removing trees, and installing foundations in preparation for the installation and operation of the catenary system. railwayage.com
Alstom
The Metra Board of Directors approved the purchase of up to 500 multi-level commuter railcars from Alstom to replace aging bi-level gallery cars. Metra’s initial order will be for 200 cars, with an option for up to 300 more, totaling $1.8 billion. The cars, a customized version of the Coradia Duplex, are to be built at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y., manufacturing facility. The first car is slated for delivery in mid-2024 (42 months after the contract is finalized), with the full base order complete 30 months later (late 2027 or early 2028). The agency’s $386.8 million capital program for 2021, approved in November, set aside $61.5 million for the cars.
Financial Edge You Can’t Hide Behind COVID-19 Forever
2
020 is in the rearview mirror. By the collective sigh of relief felt on Dec. 31, 2020, it is clear that most people would like 2020 to resemble The Unknown Comic from the 1970s “Gong Show”: a thing mostly forgotten and whose memory lingers. But here’s the news: It’s 2021, and the pandemic and the associated set of circumstances with which individuals and companies have been dealing haven’t missed a blink. The unsettling conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the frightful number of cases and deaths continue at an alarming rate, even as the vaccination program begins to roll out. So, 2021 opens much the same as 2020 ended. The bright spots are the decreasing number of railcars in storage and increases in railcar loadings surging forward year over year from 2020, with intermodal and grain leading but also with improvement in other commodity groups. In 2020, the pandemic affected loadings, car demand and rental rates. Railcar owners took solace in the shelter afforded to them of a falling tide. From a railcar owner/lessor perspective, any opportunity to get off the mat is a good one. However, 2021 will bring its own challenges to equipment owners and operators. There was a feeling throughout the year that the pandemic offered shelter from the storm. Perhaps it was a time to write down assets and “blame it on COVID.” Maybe instead it was a time to delay necessary action for assets that may have fallen out of favor and “see what happens when the pandemic comes to a close.” However, it’s 2021, and divining the direction of the economy and the pandemic’s end are difficult tasks. The Biden Administration is and will continue moving quickly to throw lots (LOTS!) of cash at pandemic-related relief. If the planned $1.9 trillion plan moves forward, it will make the pandemic-related response effort almost $6 trillion in total. That inf lux of government aid along with easy money from the federal reserve will railwayage.com
keep business humming and the stock market dancing. (Let’s face it: The Fed’s current policy makes Ben Bernanke’s financial crisis recovery look austere in comparison. So far, the Fed’s balance sheet spend has been roughly twice that deployed during the 2008 financial crisis.) That doesn’t even account for Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg $1.9 infrastructure plan. (That gem will have to wait for another column.) However, in spite of all of the easy money, the return to normalcy seems unclear. Clearly, the aid is necessary. The unfortunate reality is that no one knows when this year-old pandemic ride of horrors is going to end. Opinions on 2021’s direction range from apocalyptic to optimistic. There have been predictions for railcar deliveries in the low 20,000s, and suggestions that the number will be up into the 40,000-railcar range. There is heavy reliance on the idea that the second half of the year (after all, it is only January) is going to be turnaround time. That sounds an awful lot like what was being said in April 2020. Logically, one would expect 2021 to be a bounce back year. And for intermodal loadings, the 2020 predicted rebound exceeded expectations. But when the best response we have as to what 2021 may look like is to focus on what may be happening six months from now, well, that’s not the confidence build for which everyone is hoping. Many investors started 2021 the way they rolled through the end of 2020: watching the clock, waiting to determine the fate of their small-cube covered hopper cars and their coal cars, or in some cases their entire f leet. Some investors have decided not to wait and see the results: After a year of frittering on the correct path forward, CAI Rail sold to Infinity Transportation at the end of 2020; Trinity Industries Leasing Company took a large writedown ($370 million at the end of second-quarter 2020) on small-cube assets. However, those seem more like
There was a feeling throughout 2020 that the pandemic offered shelter from the storm. Perhaps it was a time to write down assets and ‘blame it on COVID.’” exceptions at this point. Investors in 2021 look like mourners in the Jewish tradition, sitting shiva as they work through their grief and accept their fate. The surrounding voices say all the right things: “We’re sorry for your loss(es); this shouldn’t be happening to you; it’s all so sudden (remember these are long-lived assets); and yes, I know how much you paid for those railcars.” This is what makes 2021 interesting and challenging. Did the pandemic change everything, or has nothing changed as a result of the pandemic? It won’t be very long before the market figures out which is true. Got questions? Set them free at dnahass@ railfin.com.
DAVID NAHASS President Railroad Financial Corp. February 2021 // Railway Age 9
20 Under 40
20 40 Shutterstock/ APChanel
UNDER
10 Railway Age // February 2021
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20 Under 40
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February 2021 // Railway Age 11
20 Under 40
R
ailway Age is honoring 20 “Fast Trackers” from a pool of more than 100 strong nominations for this year’s 20 Under 40 awards program. Established in 2016, the annual awards are presented to top North American railroaders under the age of 40 for making an impact in their respective fields or within their companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico. They represent freight and passenger railroads as well as the supply and consultant/contractor and government communities. For the 2021 awards program, Railway Age increased the number of honorees from 10 to 20, due to a growing number of entries and top candidates. Candidates, who had to be under the age of 40 as of Jan. 1, 2021, were judged on criteria that included industry experience and education, leadership skills, industry contributions, and community service involvement. “Choosing winners was difficult,” said Michigan State Center
for Railway Research & Education Director Nick Little, who again served as program judge and selected the winning 20, as well as 10 Honorable Mentions (see his biography below). “The nominations showed breadth of knowledge, experience and achievement coupled with application, commitment and agility in their field of expertise, yet also giving back to both the industry and society. “There’s clearly a new paradigm emerging in the industry based on reading the nominations—the application of big data, analytics, machine learning, drones, LiDAR, to name but a few technologies enabling improved management of our complex business. Safety remains paramount and clearly top-of-mind. Similarly, the ability to value our people, build strong and lasting relationships with suppliers and customers remain vital. Now and going forward, we’ll be able to use technology to do this faster, better and reliably with greater accuracy, better decisionmaking and predictability.”
NICHOLAS (NICK) C. LITTLE
Director, Railway Education Michigan State University Center for Railway Research and Education Broad College of Business, Lansing, Mich.
While in high school in Britain, Nick Little started his career with clerical and operating internships at Plymouth on British Rail’s Western Region in the early 1970s. He won a scholarship program with the British Railways Board that gave him a supply management degree plus training in all aspects of BR’s organization. Little then spent 15 years with BR in many locations, including Derby and London. In 1995, Little came to Michigan State University, initially for one year on loan to work on a research program, but he stayed to follow his passion of helping to develop future generations of railway industry expert managers and leaders with deep business knowledge and experience. He took charge of MSU’s Railway Management Certificate Program at the Broad College of Business in 2013.
Congratulations!
Kaitlyn Hrdlicka
Systems Architect, Wabtec Railway Age 2021 ‘Fast Trackers’ 20 Under 40 Honoree 12 Railway Age // February 2021
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CONGRATULATIONS TO KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN’S
Eddie Lott,
Manager Crew Resources
for being honored by Railway Age as an Under 40 FAST TRACKER
Congratulations to Brian Steadman for receiving an honorable mention by Railway Age
kcsouthern.com
20 Under 40 ERIN BATT
JAMES BROWN
Union Pacific
CSX
Erin Batt has made significant changes to UP’s safety programs over the past 18 months. She revised Operating testing with a results-based focus on coaching and engagement, rather than discipline. Known as COMMIT (Coaching, Observing, Motivating, Mentoring with Integrity and Trust), the program moves beyond rules compliance and requires a 30-minute walk-along with agreement professionals so they can provide managers with feedback on further preventing incident and injury. She also led the development of an Operating Practices Command Center on Wheels, in which experienced managers are available to assist engineers and conductors with rules questions and train handling observations, for example. This mobile support increases field manager response time. All of these initiatives have helped UP reduce reportable incidents by 25% and derailments by 33%. Additionally, Batt has championed the use of UP subsidiary PSTechnology’s train simulator to increase safety and overall network efficiency.
James Brown has contributed to improvements at every stop of his CSX career, which was inspired by his father—who also worked for the railroad— and has taken him across the network. He started as a utility worker at the Waycross (Ga.) Locomotive Shop, where he became a Relief Supervisor and entered the Management Trainee Program. He also worked at the CSX Operations Center, and was Service Center Manager in Birmingham, Ala. In his current role at Waycross, the service center has become CSX’s most productive and efficient locomotive facility. He created a servicing plan for all locomotives to reduce failures and the need for shop employees to respond to line-of-road calls. Additionally, Brown’s “one team” approach has changed the safety culture. He transformed safety team meetings to high-visibility events that include closing out action items and brainstorming ideas. Brown has also given back to the community, serving as a guest speaker at the local 100 Black Men Mentoring Organization Youth Program.
Assistant Vice President and Chief Safety Officer
Assistant Plant Superintendent
Brian Lane, Safety Director Railroad Construction Company, Inc.
Brian, we are so proud of you and we can’t thank you enough for all that you do to make us a better Company and help drive home the fact that SAFETY is, and always will be, first! Congratulations to you and all the ‘Fast Tracker’ 20 under 40 honorees!” Al Daloisio, President Railroad Construction Company, Inc.
Visit www.RailroadConstruction.com/careers to explore open job opportunities. Railroad Construction Company, Inc. (RCC) is an EEO/AA Employer working in a drug free environment.
14 Railway Age // February 2021
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20 Under 40 TOMEKA BRYANT
Manager of Marketing and Sales New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (Honorable Mention, 2020)
Tomeka Bryant has risen through the ranks over the past three years, with a “cando” attitude that gives her an edge. Starting as a Trainmaster, she was soon promoted to Manager of Operating Practice, pioneering the railroad’s safety program in 2019. In 2020, she was promoted again, this time to Manager of Sales and Marketing, responsible for customer service as well as all business development. She has worked with the Operations team to balance fluidity and maximize storage capacity, and with NOPB’s Class I interchange partners to keep freight and intermodal volume stable during the pandemic. As the first African-American female manager at the railroad, she has paved the way for increased diversity and inclusion. She is a Certified Freight Conductor and a FRA Drug and Alcohol Certified DER. She is also a member of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s Young Professionals Committee and serves as a volunteer coach and instructor for a youth softball travel team.
“The nominations this year showed breadth of knowledge, experience and achievement coupled with application, commitment and agility in their field of expertise, yet also giving back to both the industry and society.” - Nick Little, 20 Under 40 Judge
Got great Light Rail Vehicle tech? We want to talk to you! JOIN US FOR A VIRTUAL NEW VEHICLE DAY! April 8 Capital Metro is assessing light rail vehicles (LRV) for the Orange and Blue Line fleets. Contact us to discuss your technology’s performance capabilities and to schedule a one-on-one virtual meeting. How does your LRV technology benefit the Project Connect System Plan?
• Off-wire operations • Maximum operating speeds (55 mph goal) • State-of-the-art technologies
Austin, Texas | Project Connect is a bold transit plan that includes a new rail system, a downtown transit tunnel, an expanded bus system and a transition to an all-electric fleet. Project Connect’s new Orange and Blue routes will utilize light rail on about 19 miles of light rail track with 26 new light rail stations, including a new bridge & tunnel in the City’s downtown - connecting key destinations throughout the City.
Learn more at ProjectConnect.com/Industry
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February 2021 // Railway Age 15
20 Under 40 RICARDO CHACON
AVP, Yield Management Patriot Rail and Ports (Honorable Mention, 2020)
“There’s clearly a new paradigm emerging in the industry—the application of big data, analytics, machine learning, drones, LiDAR, to name but a few technologies enabling improved management of our complex business.” - Nick Little, 20 Under 40 Judge
Congratulations James Brown Assistant Plant Superintendent
A nine-year railroad veteran, Ricardo Chacon took on a Yield Management Analyst role at Patriot Rail and Ports in 2017 and advanced to AVP, Yield Management just three years later. In addition to leading the company’s rail pricing strategy and helping to grow profitability and sustainability year-over-year, Chacon lends his experience in the industry’s international sector to Patriot Rail’s port business, assisting with lead generation and business development. Chacon also plays a key role in returnon-investment projects and mergers and acquisitions, which led most recently to Patriot Rail’s successful acquisition of the Salt Lake Garfield & Western Railway in Utah. Active in the community, Chacon participates in beach cleanups and has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in finance, marketing and international business from Florida International University, and a Master of Arts in international business from the University of Florida.
James Brown’s 10 years in the rail industry have been driven by one philosophy: working harder today than you did yesterday will help you reach your goals. As an Assistant Plant Superintendent, James has created and implemented locomotive servicing plans and other operational changes that help improve safety, reduce mechanical failures and drive productivity. He believes in teamwork and rallies his crew to work cohesively as they support CSX in delivering reliable and efficient service for customers.
csx.com
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20 Under 40 DANIEL DELGADO
RACHELLE P. GLAZIER
MTA Metro-North Railroad
CN
In four years at Metro-North Railroad in New York, Daniel Delgado, 25, has managed and delivered three Capital projects under the MTA Small Business Mentoring Program. The first upgraded deficient security lighting to energy-efficient LEDs at the Harlem-125th Street station. The second was a system-wide parking lot and roadway paving program, which included reconfiguration and reconstruction work of the Brewster Yard’s main entrance in less than four weeks and without disruption to train operations or yard functions. The third was a federally funded historic roof replacement at the 1914built Ossining Station, which required strict compliance with State Historic Preservation Office and Federal Transit Administration regulations. The station building—elevated over the Hudson Line’s four main line tracks, serving Metro-North, Amtrak and CSX—remained open and in service throughout. Even with a one-month project delay due to the pandemic, the project was completed on time and on budget. Delgado is also an Operation Lifesaver-authorized volunteer.
With 16 years of industry service, including experience as a journeyman locomotive mechanic, Rachelle Glazier serves as Chief Mechanical Officer-Car at CN, where her goal is to have the safest mechanical department and the lowest mechanical-caused derailments of all the Class I railroads. As CN rolls out its DEKRA program, she engages her workforce—from managers to agreement employees—for a total safety culture commitment. They have reduced car-caused derailments by following the data and adjusting car handling for cases of flat wheels and trending bearings. With Automated Car Inspection Portals at seven sites, Glazier leads a cutting edge team that is focused on developing 100 algorithms to fully automate the inspection process. They want to identify every safety defect, not just draft gears, wheels and brakes. She served previously at Union Pacific and MTA New York City Transit (subway), and she is currently studying at SUNY-Empire.
Engineer-Special Projects
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Chief Mechanical Officer-Car
February 2021 // Railway Age 17
20 Under 40 MICHELLE HARTMANN-GRIPPIN
STEPHEN HAYNE
Bergmann Rail & Transit Services (Honorable Mention, 2020)
Ontario Northland
Michelle Hartmann-Grippin, a five-year industry veteran, has overseen the construction engineering and inspection aspect for countless projects affecting Bergmann’s railroad clients in the Northeastern U.S. Her diligence and attention to detail has led to her rise to Assistant Project Manager. She now mentors a team of four. With continued training and growing work experience, HartmannGrippin proves to clients, colleagues and supervisors alike that she has what it takes to provide the level of construction inspection that is expected by Bergmann and its clients. She is American Concrete Institute Certified, OSHA 10-hour, Nuclear Gauge Trained and Certified, and Railroad Track Inspector Certified. She also holds confined space training, RWP Certification, and is NYS Hot Mix Asphalt Density Testing, and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Trained. Hartmann-Grippin earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from Hudson Valley (N.Y.) Community College. Among her goals: obtaining Project Management Professional Certification.
Stephen Hayne started his career at Ontario Northland as an intern in the Diesel Locomotive Shop and Wheel House and in the IT department. Hired full-time, he served for three years as Rail Freight Marketing Analyst, responsible for developing, analyzing and negotiating rate structures with other railways. For the past seven years, Hayne has held the Manager of Marketing and Pricing position, part of the Transportation Services team. In this role, he maintains strong working relationships with rail freight customers; leads a team of unionized employees under the Freight Revenue and Administration Group; and works to grow revenue, increase carloads and establish new revenue streams, such as transloads. Between December 2019 and April 2020, he worked with stakeholders to merge the Freight Revenue and Freight Marketing departments to improve service to customers. Hayne has served the community as an assistant coach for the North Bay Minor Hockey Association and Cystic Fibrosis Canada as a Regional Director and National Conference Chair.
Assistant Project Manager
18 Railway Age // February 2021
Manager, Marketing and Pricing
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20 Under 40 KAITLYN HRDLICKA System Architect Wabtec Corp.
Kaitlyn Hrdlicka has spent 13 years working on Wabtec’s Trip Optimizer, taking the fuel savings product from prototype to production. It has been deployed on more than 10,000 locomotives worldwide. For the first four years, she focused on the closed loop control and regulation portion of the product, which evolved from throttle control only to throttle and dynamic brake control, and integrated independent distributed power control. She worked closely with railroads to launch the Air Brake Advisement feature and spearheaded efforts to integrate Trip Optimizer with Wabtec’s I-ETMS version of PTC. Since taking on her current role in 2017, she has participated in conceptual design work for Trip Optimizer’s integration with Wabtec’s Battery Electric Locomotive. Over the past year, she has worked to improve the train handling functions of Trip Optimizer; testing was completed in fourth-quarter 2020. Hrdlicka holds five patents and has served for 15 years as a mentor for the McDowell High School Robotics team in Erie, Pa.
“Today, safety remains paramount and clearly top-of-mind. Similarly, the ability to value our people, and to build strong and lasting relationships with suppliers and customers remain vital.” - Nick Little, 20 Under 40 Judge
RAILWAY AGE 20 UNDER 40 2021 WINNER CONGRATS TO
HERB SMITH Leading us into the next generation of railroading, Herb exemplifies a standard of excellence for NS. To learn more, visit NorfolkSouthern.com
© 2021 Norfolk Southern Corp. | Photograph by Bauwerks
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February 2021 // Railway Age 19
20 Under 40 JENNIFER E. C. JUDGE Railroad Track Engineer HNTB
“Now and going forward, we will be able to use technology to work faster, better and reliably with greater accuracy, better decision-making and predictability.” - Nick Little, 20 Under 40 Judge
Jennifer Judge, a six-year industry veteran, has served for the past year as track design lead for the Penn Station Access capital improvement project, which will bring MTA Metro-North’s New Haven (Conn.) Line commuter rail service to New York’s Pennsylvania Station. When her sixperson team began all-remote work due to the pandemic, Judge assigned and distributed lists of component work to be accomplished; created and monitored shared working files; and held live check-ins to ensure the project stayed the course. The team’s final deliverable was submitted on time Jan. 4, 2021. At HNTB, Judge has served on the steering committees that developed the New York office’s Diversity and Inclusion Group, which launched in August 2020 with race/diversity and LGBTQ+ subcommittees, and that expanded the office’s young professionals group to the more-inclusive SPAN (Sparking People, Activities and Networking). She also volunteers as the office’s onboarding manager and serves on the membership committee of WTS International.
Nicely done, Erin. Congratulations to Erin Batt, assistant vice president and chief safety officer, for being named one of Railway Age’s “Fast Trackers” for its annual 20 under 40 awards program.
20 Railway Age // February 2021
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20 Under 40 MICHAEL L. KRAFT
BRIAN LANE
Amtrak
Railroad Construction Company, Inc.
Michael Kraft has served the freight and passenger railroad industry for 13 years, getting his start at Conrail Shared Assets as Assistant Shop Manager and Manager of Mechanical Policies and Procedures. He moved to STV Inc. as a Rail Vehicle Specialist and transitioned into mechanical engineering and program management roles for numerous agencies, including Amtrak, where he served as the Lead Resident Mechanical Engineer on the Viewliner II procurement. This experience led Kraft to join Amtrak in August 2018, becoming Principal Engineer for Rail Cars. He served as Program Manager as well as maintained his role as Engineering Manager for the Viewliner II procurement, which is scheduled for completion this year and will inject 130 new long-distance cars into the Amtrak fleet; he also developed a team of Procurement, Supply Chain and Mechanical personnel to acquire parts to maintain the cars. Additionally, Kraft has been working to advance the procurement of Intercity Trainsets, which would replace Amfleet I cars.
Brian Lane joined Paterson, N.J.-based Railroad Construction Company in 2010 as Safety Supervisor and was promoted to Safety Director in 2017. He oversees all safety operations, covering diverse construction disciplines such as rail and track, heavy highway, bridge and tunnel, and building and electrical trade work. He is responsible for the implementation and administration of respiratory protection, lead abatement, accident investigation and silica awareness programs, and is constantly monitoring and implementing company safety programs and developing Site Specific Health and Safety Plans for individual projects. Additionally, Lane handles on-site project inspections and the coordination of necessary safety equipment for the full duration of a project. His role as Safety Director has taken on new meaning since COVID-19, as he has helped ensure that co-workers across all disciplines have a safe workplace. Lane also serves on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Safety Committee.
Principal Engineer
Director of Safety
Congratulations to Stephen Hayne for being recognized as Top 20 Under 40. As Manager of Marketing & Pricing, you strengthen relationships with our customers and improve our rail freight operations. Ontario Northland has been moving freight in and out of Northeastern Ontario and Northwestern Quebec for over 115 years. Despite the weather and the challenging geography, we provide safe and reliable transportation. www.ontarionorthland.ca
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February 2021 // Railway Age 21
20 Under 40 DANIELLE LIBRING
EDDIE LOTT
RailPros
Kansas City Southern
Danielle Libring is helping to improve grade crossing safety through several key RailPros projects. For the $36 million Van Nuys Station Project (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority/ Southern California Regional Rail Authority/Amtrak/Union Pacific, Van Nuys/Los Angeles, Calif.), she led final design and construction support for a new center platform with grade-separated pedestrian access; the configuration was a first for SCRRA. Libring also customized a risk management plan that reduced or eliminated key risks and restraints, saving more than $20 million in bridge retrofit and fiber splicing. Simultaneously, she obtained all stakeholder approvals and consensus as the project was accelerated to meet funding deadlines. Construction was completed in 2020. She is currently Project Manager for the development of the Vista Canyon Multi-Modal Center (City of Santa Clarita, Calif./SCRRA), and has implemented a key design modification to avoid approximately $5 million in fiber relocation costs.
Eddie Lott joined KCS in 2019, amid Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) phase one implementation. As a Business Excellence Team member, he worked on projects for the Vanegas switching terminal in Mexico. The group reduced waste and increased velocity by 60%, which was instrumental to the 20% overall system velocity increase that KCS saw between 2019 and 2020. Lott also worked with Operations, Service Design, Business Excellence and Mechanical to improve system-wide delay tracking and to assign ownership for each delay type. He built a dashboard that provides improved visibility to key KCS stakeholders. In early 2020, he was promoted to his current role. Driving improved asset utilization has been core to PSR phase two, and Lott has led that charge for KCSM. Through a partnership with Operations and critical relationships with the union in Mexico, he helped keep trains moving during the pandemic. His focus on managing human resources and increased volumes was an integral part of KCS reaching its all-time-best operating ratio in third-quarter 2020.
Senior Project Manager
Manager Crew Resources
The CP family congratulates Stephanie Roediger on being named a Railway Age Fast Tracker - 20 Under 40 and Shailesh Yerram for receiving an honourable mention. Connect to an exciting career at cpr.ca/careers
22 Railway Age // February 2021
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20 Under 40 BRIAN MCCLAIN
Assistant Vice President of Regional Operations Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services, Inc.
A 13-year railroader, Brian McClain’s biggest challenge to date has been indoctrinating Providence and Worcester Railroad’s (P&W) 107 employees to G&W’s safety culture after acquisition in 2016. In 2015, P&W sustained more than 10 reportable injuries, but with significant time in the field, a hands-on review of rules and processes, and a focus on two-way communication between field employees and management, P&W has steadily decreased its injury rate. From 2014-19, McClain served as General Manager of 10 short lines spanning nearly 500 miles in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Under his leadership, the approximately 160 employees worked reportable injury-free. Since late 2018, he has overseen nine railroads in the East Division of G&W’s Northern Region, comprising nearly 500 employees across more than 2,000 track-miles. Four have gone reportable injury-free for two-plus years, and one hasn’t reported an injury since 2012. A graduate of Central Ohio Technical College, McClain has served as an authorized Operation Lifesaver volunteer for five years.
Partnering with Operations and the union in Mexico helped Eddie Lott keep trains moving during the pandemic. His focus on managing HR and increased volumes was an integral part of KCS reaching its all-time-best OR in third-quarter 2020.
CONGRATULATIONS, Tomeka Watson Bryant! The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad salutes you and all the Railway Age 20 Under 40 honorees!
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1/27/21 4:33 February 2021 // Railway AgePM 23
20 Under 40 FRANK EVAN PALAZZOLO Trainmaster Conrail
Just one year after launch, Watco’s online training program—implemented by Rachael Peterson—saved the company $3 million and reduced employee turnover by 7%. Time spent on mandatory OSHA recertification training was reduced by 67%.
Frank Evan Palazzolo is committed to providing a safe work environment for his train crews at Consolidated Rail Corporation’s (Conrail) Detroit, Mich., Terminal. His strong communications skills and attention to detail when setting up the eight automobile manufacturing plants under his jurisdiction set him apart. Palazzolo’s ability to lead under pressure is also an asset. On several occasions, Palazzolo has averted multiple shutdown situations to the assembly line through swift decision-making, and kept operations running smoothly. An eight-year industry veteran, Palazzolo holds an Associate degree in business administration from Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Mich., and is a certified conductor, licensed remote control operator, and hazardous material first responder. He is currently working toward a Senior Trainmaster position, with the ultimate goal of serving as Terminal Superintendent of Operations.
The Belt Railway Company of Chicago congratulates
TERRY HARTWIG on his outstanding leadership.
THE BELT RAILWAY COMPANY OF CHICAGO 708-496-4000 www2.beltrailway.com/
24 Congrats_Terry_HalfAd.indd Railway Age // February12021
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20 Under 40 RACHAEL PETERSON
STEPHANIE ROEDIGER
Watco
Canadian Pacific
Rachael Peterson has played a lead role in automating business functions at Watco. She helped the company adopt SAP (Systems Applications and Products) business management software. In nine months, she guided the transition to a cloud-based system that provided a centralized database for all human resource functions, including recruiting, onboarding, performance management, payroll and benefits. SAP reduced by half the number of people required to perform payroll, and eliminated the need for staffers to spend 90% of their time rekeying HR data. Peterson faced multiple challenges when she became Senior Vice President of People Services in 2014: employee turnover, a lack of manager and supervisor training, and gaps in employees’ technical and soft skills. She was instrumental in developing the solution, a formal online training program. In its first year, 2015, “Watco U” saved the company $3 million and reduced employee turnover by 7%. Time spent on mandatory OSHA recertification training was reduced by 67%.
In 2020, Stephanie Roediger worked to establish Canadian Pacific’s first food-grade liquid transload in Montreal. Partnering with the railroad’s Transcare team and largest canola crush client, the facility was designed and is now under construction. While Roediger excels in Sales and Marketing, receiving a 2019 CP Golden Spike Award as a top salesperson, she started her CP career in Human Resources. She was promoted to Manager of Staffing Services in 2011. In 2013, due to business increases, CP needed to hire hundreds of conductors across its U.S. system in regions with low levels of unemployment. Roediger led an initiative to find cities with higher unemployment rates, targeted advertising in those areas and established successful job fairs, bringing on board more than 250 new railroaders. In late 2019, Roediger was elected to CP’s Employee Insights Focus Group and was recently selected to participate in the railroad’s Coaching Capabilities program.
Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer
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National Account Manager
February 2021 // Railway Age 25
20 Under 40 HERBERT SMITH
CARA WEIDLING
Norfolk Southern
BNSF
Among his many industry contributions, Herbert Smith serves as Co-chair of the CREATE Advocacy Committee and regularly strategizes with the Chicago Planning Group (CPG) and Chicago Transportation Coordination Office (CTCO) to advance the CREATE program by securing additional federal, state and local grants. This work culminated in a $132 million USDOT INFRA grant award in 2018 to build out the first half of the 75th Street CIP, North America’s largest freight rail bottleneck. He has also been behind efforts to provide minority and women-owned businesses with new networking opportunities. Smith’s near-term goal is to secure a public grant agreement among USDOT, IDOT and the AAR, allowing the rail industry to construct the back half of the CREATE 75th Street CIP. Longer term, he is collaborating with CREATE stakeholders to address new infrastructure needs and relieve new chokepoints within the Chicago terminal to continue to meet the industry’s capacity and velocity needs.
Cara Weidling got her start in the industry 12 years ago as a BNSF management trainee, and has since held a diverse set of Operations roles. As Frontline Supervisor at the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, her work group was injury-free, and she served as Chair of the Safety Committee responsible for a rule change that improved ergonomics and safety for riding stack cars within the port complex. As General Manager of BNSF subsidiary Los Angeles Junction Railway, she led capital improvements that expanded short-haul cement unit trains from Victorville to Los Angeles, reducing the demand for more than 150 trucks per week through Southern California. Now, as Terminal Superintendent II in San Bernardino, Weidling leads more than 200 scheduled and exempt and 300 contract employees who handled record-breaking volumes in 2020: 733K containers. Due to the pandemic, she and her team implemented such initiatives as “Briefings 2.0,” allowing employees to share safety videos on a private YouTube channel to ensure social distancing.
Regional Executive Director, Government Relations
26 Watco_Rachael_HalfPg_Railway_20Under40.indd Railway Age // February 2021 1
Terminal Superintendent II
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20 Under 40 Honorable Mentions • Muneeb Abbas, Project Coordinator, MTA Long Island Rail Road • Jeff Bernstein, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, New Jersey Transit • Mohit Bhat, Assistant Vice-President—Technology Strategy, Architecture, Platform & Data Engineering, Data & Analytics, CN • Andrea Dobbelmann, CFO, Progressive Rail, Inc. (Honorable Mention, 2020) • Terry L. Hartwig, Terminal Superintendent, The Belt Railway Company of Chicago
RAIL
• Emilia Marceta, Project Manager (A), Signals & Communications, Network Infrastructure, Metrolinx/ GO Transit (Honorable Mention, 2017) • Martin Ritter, CEO, Stadler U.S., Inc. (Honorable Mention, 2019, 2020) • Brian Steadman, AVP Capital Investment Accounting, Kansas City Southern • Shailesh Yerram, Managing Director BI Analytics & Cloud COE, Canadian Pacific
Positive Change for the Next Century
STAY IN GEAR WITH RAIL GROUP NEWS
From Railway Age, GROUP RT&S and IRJ NEWS
• Dan Lang, Manager Systems Assurance, Hatch LTK
ROUND-UP of NEWS STORIES FROM:
RAILWAY AGE, RT&S and IRJ
http://bit.ly/rail_news
February 2021 // Railway Age 27
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hydrogen fuel cells
THE H FACTOR First steam. Then electric. Then diesel. Then batteries. Next: Hydrogen fuel cells? anada’s railroads were the last to dieselize in 1960 when CN retired its whitetrimmed, coal-burning Northerns and Canadian Pacific its grey-and-maroon, oil-burning Selkirks. Redemptively, Canada will be first in the decarbonization of today’s f leet of heavy-haul road locomotives. In a grand, clean energy strategy published in mid-December, a brain trust of cross-sector Canadian savants predicted that hydrogen-powered locomotion—already nicknamed “hydrail”—would be ready for testing some time about 2025, first in the form of yard switchers, short-leashed to their refueling stations. The very next day, Dec. 18, Canadian Pacific (CP) smashed that timeline, and woke the North American rail industry.
28 Railway Age // February 2021
At the direction of Railway Age 2021 Railroader of the Year CEO Keith Creel, CP revealed it would pull the diesel engine and traction alternator from of one of its road units, and replace them with an array of hydrogen fuel cells and a companion battery. Most of the rest of the modern locomotive will remain unchanged, including its six traction motors and digital power controls. “This is a globally significant project that positions CP at the leading edge of decarbonizing the freight transportation sector,” said Creel. CP’s audacious decision to leapfrog the expected transition path was a well-kept secret, even from the railway’s peers on the federally sponsored strategy group. It caught competing carriers by surprise. The transformation of existing locomotives from diesel-electric to
hydrogen-electric will be the story line for North American power through the 2020s, just as the dominant theme of the 1950s was the transition from steam to diesel-electric. Soon enough, a locomotive’s life cycle will include decision points in which rebuilding a worn diesel engine will be weighed against replacing it with drop-in fuel-cell modules. For railroaders, like most everyone else, the hydrogen age has dawned. A spontaneous consensus emerged in 2020 that massive public and private investment will be needed to reboot Western economies after the disruption of COVID-19. That neatly coincided with the raging forces of hurricanes, wildfires and Greta Thunberg. Together, they mobilized consumers, investors, governments and captains of industry against degradation of the atmosphere. Freight railwayage.com
Alstom
C
BY DAVID THOMAS, CANADIAN CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
hydrogen fuel cells CUMMINS STAKES ITS HYDROGEN CLAIM
C
ummins has seized first-mover status for heavy-duty hydrogen-electric technology, but virtually every OEM is staking a claim in the hydrogen rush. Railway Age spoke with Amy Adams, Vice President of Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Technologies (pictured). RA: Cummins is making a big commitment to hydrail. Why now? Isn’t it premature given the state of the technology and availability of hydrogen? ADAMS: Even under unprecedented circumstances in 2020, hydrogen fuel cell solutions for decarbonized transportation have enjoyed wider adoption this past year. We’ve seen real progress from policymakers, industry and businesses, with regulatory deadlines brought forward, more joint commitments signed, and huge investments made. Because the cost of fuel cells and hydrogen is projected to remain above that of internal combustion engines for at least 10 years, we anticipate adoption of fuel cells to begin in markets where the cost of these items, as a proportion of total cost of ownership, are lowest. This is why Cummins has focused on a market like rail, where the powertrain and fuel cost represent 50% of total operating cost. Trains also run on fixed routes and require lower infrastructure in terms of hydrogen refueling. In addition, support for public subsidies exists, and the incremental costs to purchase a hydrogen train are lower than the costs of electrifying rail lines. RA: Is Cummins competing against its traditional excellence in diesel? ADAMS: One of Cummins’ differentiators when compared to our competitors in this space is that we are a full-solutions provider. Climate change is real. As a global power leader, we are focused on developing and offering technologies that are better for our customers, the environment and our communities. RA: Which geographies are most propitious for hydrail and why? ADAMS: In general, any region with public subsidies is well-suited for fuelcell-based systems where the incremental costs to purchase a hydrogen train are lower than the costs of electrifying
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rail lines. Europe has been the most active market for hydrail. In North America, Canada recently released a hydrogen plan with intension to fund hydrail projects, taking a step further towards hydrail development. In the U.S., less than 0.5% of the network is electrified. The Hydrogen Council estimates in 2030 that fuel cell adoption in trains will reach about 10%. RA: Are you anticipating a Biden Administration energy and infrastructure program that would create a hydrogenfriendly regulatory and commercial environment? ADAMS: We are encouraged by signals from the Administration and Congress that they are committed not only to addressing climate change, but also promoting U.S. manufacturing and jobs. RA: Why did Cummins choose to invest in Hydrogenics rather than developing HFC technology from scratch? ADAMS: Cummins has been developing capabilities in electrified powertrains and fuel cells for more than 20 years. By acquiring Hydrogenics, Cummins accelerated its capabilities in this space. RA: Will Cummins keep Hydrogenics R&D in Canada? ADAMS: We are committed to Canada and will add manufacturing capabilities as demand rises. RA: How does HFC compare with diesel engines with respect to maintenance and repair? Is it easy to swap out HFC components rather than repairing in situ which takes the locomotive or car out of
service? Can HFC be installed in modules to provide a prescribed power output? ADAMS: The business case for hydrail can vary based on regional incentives and customer duty cycles, but the drive to electrification in general is evident globally, either by electrifying lines with battery and/or fuel cell systems. In some cases, hydrail is already cost-competitive to alternatives when designed for long, non-electrified lines over 100 km and where energy to produce hydrogen is affordable. Economically, they can outperform catenary where service frequencies are lower, while still providing the environmental gains of electrification with performance and refueling time comparable to diesel. Downtime, repair and maintenance costs should be less than diesel and battery counterparts. In other cases, battery-powered trains may appear as a more cost-effective option but come with operational constraints resulting from route-specific tailored battery configurations—offering less flexibility for train utilization outside of their prescribed design. RA: What is the significance of the joint venture with NPROXX with respect to rail applications? ADAMS: Cummins’ joint venture with NPROXX will assist to help further hydrail system development. As a manufacturer of carbon fiber tanks, it has an advanced Type 4 carbon fiber pressure vessel with a superior strength to weight ratio, which leads to greatly improved fuel economy and expanded range. RA: Will we see the eventual introduction of fuel tender tank cars that will run behind HFC locomotives? ADAMS: We have noticed an increase in the interest in using hydrogen for freight locomotive applications whereby tender cars are used to ensure sufficient fuel for the required range. It’s a signal to the industry that this may not only be a light rail commuter application, but in time this could go mainstream even for freight locomotives. Rolling stock used to transport liquified hydrogen is already common, so carrying additional fuel tanks may be a likely solution for some routes.
February 2021 // Railway Age 29
hydrogen fuel cells locomotion was high on the list of things to fix, with CP calling diesel power “the industry’s most significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.” The sleeper hiding in plain view was hydrogen, the lightest and most common element on Earth, yet one so reactive with other substances that it does not persist in a free state. When hydrogen combines with oxygen, the result is water and a substantial surplus of electrical potential. The H was first split from H2O in 1776, and in 1807, it powered the first internal combustion automobile. Then, in 1847, the first oil well was drilled in the South Caucasus, and hydrogen became a Cinderella technology, waiting for its prince. The glass slipper finally fit in 2020, when a worried and repentant world turned against the ugly sisters. Ascendant airframer Airbus unveiled concepts for three different hydrogen-powered aircraft; hydrogen replaced coal in the world’s newest iron ore and cement furnaces; and Norwegian shipping firm Wilhelmsen announced it would launch the first fuel-cell ship, and that it would consume only green hydrogen harvested from the country’s ample, offshore wind. Global petroleum giants Shell and BP declared they would wind down their oil and gas businesses, and invest massively in hydrogen production and delivery. In contrast, long-time climate-change denier ExxonMobil doubled down on petroleum, and watched its stock shrivel right off the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Asset managers stampeded to follow leader BlackRock’s repudiation of investments in coal and oil. This does presage a permanent decline in fossil fuel haulage for railroads, but it also frees capacity for more virtuous commodities such as the Prairie grain, which provided CN and CP with so much pandemic revenue that the government raked some of it back as excess profit. And hydrogen could become a new profit center as demand exceeds the reach of new and converted pipelines. Hydrogen’s immediate prospect for rail is as a clean (and quiet) substitute for dirty (and noisy) internal combustion. Maintenance differentials impelled the mid-20th century switch from steam. 30 Railway Age // February 2021
Hydrogen fuel cells, with zero moving parts and plug-in modularity, promise similar benefits. Instead of drawing power from a dieseldriven alternator, a hydrogen-fueled locomotive produces electricity through reverse osmosis, converting hydrogen and ambient oxygen into water and energy. Some of the electricity is used directly; some is diverted to charge a power-conditioning battery that provides surge power for starts and grades. The heart of a fuel cell is a thin proton exchange membrane (PEM) that resembles plastic kitchen film. It allows ions to pass between anode and cathode layers of the electrode sandwich, while blocking everything else. The U.S. Department of Energy last year granted $4.8 million to 3M to set up production lines for gigawatt-scale PEM electrolyzers. Of more immediate interest to chief mechanical officers, $3 million went to diesel engine maker Cummins, for development of heavy-duty PEM fuel cells. Cummins has adopted tech’s scorpionlike strategy of eating its own young. Locomotive builders must now choose whether to challenge Cummins with incremental tweaks to their diesel engines, the way Lima designed a 2-8-6 version of its Super Power steam technology to fight off the GP- and U-series diesel-electrics offered by Electro-Motive and General Electric. Cummins, through its New Power division, has indulged in a shopping spree for hydrogen technologies: In September 2019, Cummins acquired Canadian fuel-cell developer Hydrogenics, the first mover in locomotive-scale fuel cells. Then, this past November, it bought halfinterest in Dutch hydrogen tank maker NPROXX, whose new Type 4 carbon fiber pressure vessels are rated for 30 years, and could well revive the steam age notion of auxiliary fuel tenders. Cummins (sidebar, p. 29) has also allied itself with France’s Air Liquide to build green hydrogen generators. It is now commissioning what will be the world’s biggest PEM electrolyzer plant, one that will produce 3,000 tons of hydrogen annually. The plant, in Bécancour, Quebec will use surplus hydroelectricity that would otherwise be water over the province’s remote northern dams. Air
Liquide is also a minority shareholder in Cummins’ Hydrogenics. Every actor in CP’s pioneering conversion is obeying strict radio silence, but with Hydrogenics making the only locomotive-scale fuel cells, and NPROXX making the only storage tanks big and robust enough to match the needs of a line-haul freight locomotive, CP’s technology options would appear to be limited to Cummins’ neatly cornered supply chain for hydrogen’s equivalent of Super Power. France’s Alstom might seem to be furthest down the line with a productionline fuel-cell passenger train, the Coradia iLint. But, under the hood, the Alstom trains are powered by Cummins’ Hydrogenics fuel cells. Where does this leave rivals such as Wabtec, and its legacy of GE diesel engineering? Wabtec is promoting the concept of hybrid lash-ups in which one of the units will be purely powered by batteries that recharge on the f ly from dynamic braking. Wabtec said its hybrid FLXdrive will cut fossil fuel emissions by 10% — modest compared to hydrogen’s ultimate promise of 100% reductions. But zero-emission hydrogen must be made with clean energy in the first place. Hydrogen’s dirty little secret is that the least-expensive, most-available hydrogen is made by cooking natural gas to release the unwanted atoms as carbon dioxide. Though it is a colorless gas that burns invisibly, commercial hydrogen comes in three colors: gray, blue and green. Gray hydrogen is the stuff currently made from natural gas by oil companies to spike lowgrade products with extra calories. Blue hydrogen is the same as gray, except that the orphan carbon molecules are either buried as carbon dioxide or captured as a useful solid. Scarcity is the biggest drag on the fuel’s otherwise headlong charge to shunt internal combustion to the dead line by midcentury. The steel and cement sectors will gobble up much of current and future supply, since the red dot of energy regulators is sighted squarely on their use of coal. Truckers will be thirsty for anything left. Canada is hoping that demand for gray and blue hydrogen will help Alberta’s natural gas industry bridge the demand railwayage.com
hydrogen fuel cells gap for green hydrogen generated from wind and solar (of which Alberta also has plenty). Safety is a critical issue: Hydrogen is a Class 2 f lammable gas so powerful that it is indeed rocket fuel. The Space Shuttle’s external launch tanks carried liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Gaseous hydrogen is most safely moved underground. (If the pipe dream of Keystone XL is ever to be accepted by U.S. governments, courts, Native Americans and climate change advocates, it could be to transport green hydrogen, not Alberta’s pseudo-oil extracted from tar sands.) A hydrogen pipeline leak would be of no environmental consequence, with the escaping gas turning instantly into water. For destinations beyond the reach of pipelines, hydrogen is best chilled to its liquid phase. Liquid hydrogen is approved for transport in DOT 113 tank cars, whose inner stainless steel tank is vacuum-insulated from its outer carbon steel jacket. It
also moves routinely by road in comparable tube-tank trailers. A hydrogen tank car breach could certainly ignite amid the sparking of a derailment. But it would immediately transform into water vapor, either through combustion or by dispersing upward at high speed and reacting with atmospheric oxygen. There would be no towering fireball, no residue to clean up, and no release of noxious gases. Intact but grounded tank cars could be safely vented before the cranes start scraping steel. Germany does not yet permit the transport of hydrogen by rail. But Deutsche Bahn concluded last year that hydrogen can indeed be safely moved by rail. Elon Musk’s skepticism notwithstanding, hydrogen fuel cells have substantial advantages over the lithium-ion batteries that power his Tesla automobiles: Hydrogen weighs less than gasoline per unit of energy, and it loses weight as it is consumed, meaning no dead batteries
to lug around between charging stations. Hydrogen refuelling takes minutes instead of hours. Also, unlike lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen does not spontaneously combust. A hydrogen locomotive will be nearly silent: No growling engine, just the barely audible hum of traction motors and the occasional squeal of wheel on steel. Engineers will enjoy instant throttle response, and locomotives will not have to idle through winter to heat coolant and oil. The Canadian strategy anticipates that rebuilds will be more common than new designs, since most of an existing locomotive remains in a hydrogen conversion: “Retrofitting locomotives and replacing diesel engines with zero-emission fuel cell engines is a viable and cost-effective alternative to purpose built hydrail trains, which is an important opportunity given the long (50 year-plus) life cycle of locomotives.” Postscript: Lima never did get that 2-8-6 from blueprint to erecting floor.
AROUND THE INDUSTRY
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lstom: The French company leads in ready-to-run hydrogen passenger trains. After successful trials of its Coradia iLint in Austria, Alstom has opened the order book for the self-powered multiple-unit trains powered by Cummins’ Hydrogenics fuel cells. Among the firm orders are 41 trainsets for two German railways. Porterbrook: The British rolling stock maker has slotted fuel cells into a pair of existing, self-propelled passenger cars, and is testing them in main line trials. The fuel cells are from Ballard Power Systems, another Canadian manufacturer that also provides the fuel cells for China’s trial of the first hydrogen streetcars. Talgo: The Spanish manufacturer announced that its Vittal-One hydrogen trains will be ready for testing this year, and will eventually displace diesels in its catalog. Commercial production is expected in 2023. Hitachi/Toyota: A consortium of Hitachi, Toyota and East Japan Railway Company is marrying Toyota-built hydrogen fuel cells to battery-drive trains by Hitachi. The railway will design and build a two-car train, which will have a refueling
railwayage.com
range of 140 km and a top speed of 100 km/hour. It is to be tested next year in Tokyo suburban service. Siemens: The German company is running late against its rival, Alstom, but is making up time in a deal with Deutsche Bahn to retrofit a pair of Mireo railcars with hydrogen fuel cells. The trains won’t be ready for testing until 2024. Siemens is also promising turnkey hydrogen generation and fueling systems. Wabtec: Wabtec’s showpiece, lowcarbon technology is its FLXdrive, a battery-packed, 4,400-hp unit sandwiched between two conventional diesels, now being tested by BNSF between Barstow and Stockton, Calif. The company acknowledges that hydrogen must also become part of its future: “Wabtec is evaluating a variety of alternative and sustainable energy sources for the rail industry, including hydrogen. It is a key focus area in the company’s initiative to develop innovations that drive decarbonization. The road to decarbonization will require a phased approach. It will be a combination of leveraging batteryelectric locomotives and new technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells.”
Progress Rail: “As a leading OEM for the global rail industry, Progress Rail continuously reviews innovative approaches and numerous technologies to meet customer needs,” the company told Railway Age. “While we are committed to our current technology and are leveraging Caterpillar resources in the hydrogen fuel cell technology space, our highly experienced team is proactively considering multiple alternative power sources and has already brought to market sustainable solutions for natural gas and battery power. We will continue to evaluate and examine what will best meet customer requirements and market demands in a reliable and costeffective manner.”
February 2021 // Railway Age 31
FUEL/LUBRICATION OPTIMIZATION
FLUID DYNAMICS Precision monitoring and analysis of fuel and lube oil improves locomotive performance and availability.
uel and lube oil are literally the lifeblood of a dieselelectric locomotive. Fuel is the second-largest railroad operating cost, after labor. And lube oil is far more complex than it may seem, as its chemistry is an accurate indicator of how well an engine is performing, and when a failure may be imminent. CSX and the MBTA’s commuter rail operation are using analytics and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology to optimize and analyze fuel and lube oil, respectively. MBTA MOLECULAR DATA MBTA, under the direction of Chief Railroad Officer Ryan Coholan, partnered with 4Atmos Technologies LLC, a Dallas, 32 Railway Age // February 2021
Tex.-based provider of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) Big Data solutions and predictive analytics on a program called Oil Velocity Solutions. The program applies AI modeling to laboratory lube oil data and clusters it “into matches against known failure signatures, not just thresholds for upper and lower limits,” according to 4Atmos President Mike Jensen. “Fluids are molecular data recorders waiting to tell their stories.” The Oil Velocity Solutions program analyzes no fewer than seven lube oilrelated locomotive failure modes tied to: • Fuel Leaks/Viscosity. • Crankcase Overpressure. • Exhaust Blowby/Turbocharger. • Coolant Contamination/Dilution. • Traction Motor Bearing Wear.
• Wear Metals. Following a successful six-month pilot, the MBTA contracted with 4Atmos to monitor all of its locomotives in full production. “We’ve helped set records at the MBTA for what we call good catches and saves,” notes Jensen. “We’ve seen a rapid ROI, reduced train delays, decreased locomotive maintenance costs and improved reliability, while averaging a 30-day failure prediction lead time.” Since 2018, MBTA has transitioned from 45- to 10-day oil sampling that incorporates predictive oil/fluid analytics; an on-site, MBTA-staffed Oil Lab; a locomotive fleet “at-risk” ranking; prescription recommendations for inspection and repair; and overhaul warranty monitoring. The program features Web-based and railwayage.com
CSX
F
BY WILLIAM C. VANTUONO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
FUEL/LUBRICATION OPTIMIZATION mobile reporting solutions that provide: • Advanced ML (machine learning) with AI. • Fleet transfer matching for at-risk assets. • 360-degree view of locomotive health. • Prescriptive narratives for targeted inspection and repair. • Integration with asset management systems. • Comparisons against 4Atmos’ “Library of Failures” and oil sample database. Weekly “Oil Calls” deal with at-risk legacy locomotives, as well as units (such as overhauls) with a warranty, and reviews of daily lab scorecards. Coordination occurs across multiple MBTA departments and involves vendors and consultants. The most valuable aspect of this program and its “deep dive” approach, says Jensen, is “the ability to make evidence-based decisions.” Those decisions are “prescriptive and proactive, rather than reactive.” 4Atmos has deployed a similar oil analytics program at CSX, which to date has registered well over 1,000 “good catches.” CSX FUEL CONSERVATION DESK Within CSX’s NetOps center in Jacksonville, Fla., is a Fuel Conservation Desk (pictured, opposite page) that operates 24/7. Supported by multiple vendors,
among them Wi-Tronix LCC, and utilizing technology developed in-house, the Fuel Conservation Desk monitors all active CSX linehaul locomotives in real time. Staffed with a single person, it’s the brainchild of Director of Fuel Strategy and Utilization Corey Davis, a 24-year CSX veteran and recipient of the AAR’s 2020 John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award. Davis has overseen efforts that have resulted in CSX reducing fuel consumption by more than 8% —about 32 million gallons—between 2012 and 2018, and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 332,000 tons in just one year. He has worked to fully integrate Wabtec’s Trip Optimizer technology with Positive Train Control (PTC) interfaces, which allows these systems to automatically adjust to real-time network changes to optimize fuel efficiency, resulting in about 6% fuel savings. “In total, initiatives under Davis’ leadership have led to record fuel efficiency and have reduced the railroad’s fuel usage by nearly 60,000 gallons per day,” CSX noted. “Looking to the future, he has also been intimately involved in developing
CSX’s ambitious GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions reduction goals that have won approval by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI).” The Fuel Conservation Desk, which Davis describes as “safety focused” and “laser-focused on CSX’s sustainability goals,” provides real-time compliance monitoring as well as real-time coaching for locomotive engineers on fuel conservation operating techniques. Davis, an Atlanta native who comes from a traditional railroading family that traces its roots to CSX predecessors Seaboard Air Line/Seaboard Coast Line and Louisville & Nashville (L&N), refers to these features as “in the moment.” CSX’s 2030 GHG reduction target is 37.3% . As of 2020, the railroad, Davis says, is ahead of schedule, thanks in part to predictive analy tics-based initiatives like the Fuel Conser vation Desk. He adds that its function is separate and distinct from what is commonly referred to in railroad parlance as the “power desk,” whose primar y functions involve “ma king technical decisions on locomotive assignments and utilization.”
MBTA Commuter Rail prime-mover (main diesel engine) “10,000-foot view” from 4Atmos. railwayage.com
February 2021 // Railway Age 33
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
CAN WE “BUILD BACK BETTER”? A look at legislative possibilities for the 117th Congress.
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he insurrectionist rioters who tore through the United States Capitol wiped out most other news on Jan. 6, 2021. That day of lives lost, pain and desecration stained our nation’s history. Underneath this disgrace, Jan. 6 also confirmed the Democratic win of both special U.S. Senate runoff races in Georgia the previous day. This outcome, not conventionally anticipated right after the Nov. 3 general election, gave Democrats the slimmest of majorities in the U.S. Senate on Jan. 20 with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaker of a 50-50 chamber, adding to their control of the House of
34 Railway Age // February 2021
Representatives and the White House. Democratic leadership of the Senate reorders legislative possibilities for the 117th Congress, starting with a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill President Biden sent to Congress that would allocate $20 billion for public transportation. Beyond the COVID-19 bill, transit authorities, passenger railroads and other transport modes seek billions in additional funds. Short lines intend to build on the 45G infrastructure tax credit permanency achieved last year with equitable inclusion in any new infrastructure investment measure (see American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association President Chuck Baker’s commentary in this
issue, p. 56). Class I railroads will advance their policy priorities, as outlined by Association of American Railroads President Ian Jefferies before Congress in late 2020: maintaining the existing balanced regulatory structure; fostering innovative technologies; and ensuring that the marketplace, not government, picks winners and losers among transportation modes. Eno Center for Transportation expert Jeff Davis and other Beltway analysts quickly assessed new legislative prospects, such as potential use of the budget reconciliation process (which does not require the 60 Senate votes that most measures typically need to pass) to boost infrastructure funding. Yet railwayage.com
Gage Skidmore
BY DON ITZKOFF, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
LEGISLATIVE REPORT with no votes to spare even through reconciliation, much less the 60 votes required to surmount a Senate filibuster, any major new infrastructure program—paid for or not— needs bipartisan support. Anita Dunn, managing director at SKDK, who served as a senior adviser to the Biden campaign and has temporarily joined President Biden’s White House staff, affirmed that Democrats and Republicans must find common ground. Dunn told The Washington Post that “in a 50-50 Senate, you will not succeed without reaching out to the Republicans.” Speaking on Jan. 7 following the two Georgia Democratic wins, Dunn dismissed chatter suggesting that the Biden Administration’s path was suddenly a slamdunk. “Yesterday our agenda was dead,” Dunn offered wryly, but “today we can pass anything we want.” As she noted, “That pendulum swings pretty wildly.” With a Senate impeachment trial of former President Trump driving even deeper political divide, the thin Democratic majority in the House and the single-vote margin in the Senate would seem to make political agreement on virtually anything a huge lift. “Going big” on infrastructure has always been a tough sell because of cost: In 2020, Congress pushed surface transportation reauthorization off to 2021, and the Trump Administration never made “Infrastructure Week” more than a talking point. But infrastructure now may be one area where centrists can win and partisans on both sides see covered, because “fixing potholes” appeals at the local level. President Biden promised a bold rethinking of how a green approach to new infrastructure investment will put Americans to work, so perhaps infrastructure may bridge political interests otherwise far apart. In this context, President Biden’s pick for U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg (pictured), the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., is an inspired choice. “Pete Buttigieg brings the skills and vision so needed at this difficult time for our nation,” said former Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, now partner with Squire Patton Boggs. “The former ‘Mayor Pete’ is a quick study, sharp on his feet and a compelling persuader. Most of all, he is extraordinarily empathetic, able to take in a different viewpoint without judging. This quality— the ability to see and feel the perspective of railwayage.com
all sides—ideally positions Pete Buttigieg as Secretary to project the clarion call that America must hear from Democrats and Republicans to come together on a renewed commitment to infrastructure investment and mobility for our future.” At his Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation confirmation hearing Jan. 21, Buttigieg heralded a “bipartisan appetite for a generational opportunity to transform and improve America’s infrastructure.” Though some Senators questioned how new infrastructure investments would be paid for, and a spokesperson at USDOT later walked back a Buttigieg comment on openness to adjusting the federal gas tax, Buttigieg’s otherwise smooth proficiency drew raves. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairing the hearing in the absence of a power-sharing agreement in the 50-50 Senate, said that Buttigieg was “almost certain” to be confirmed. Noting that “your intellect has preceded you into the room,” Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) told Buttigieg that “you have put on a clinic” and made clear that “for all the other nominees out there, you need to look at what’s happened in the past two hours.” Tester summed up Buttigieg’s performance: “You’ve been straightforward and you know what the hell you’re talking about. That’s really pretty damn refreshing.” Buttigieg’s nomination cleared the Committee by a 21-3 vote and was scheduled for a Feb. 2 full-Senate floor vote. Supported by President Biden’s nomination of former New York City Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg for Deputy Transportation Secretary and other USDOT appointees, Buttigieg will face plenty of tough choices integral to fulfilling the Department’s core executive policy and regulatory charter. An equally vital but often overlooked aspect of the Secretary’s role is driving the public momentum and political grassroots support that translates into results on matters such as funding where Congress owns responsibility. Dunn’s SKDK colleague Jill Zuckman, who led public affairs for USDOT in the Obama Administration under Secretary Ray LaHood, underscored the vocal power of the Transportation Secretary’s office. Zuckman said, “I expect that Pete Buttigieg will deftly use his bully pulpit to make the case for investing in transportation and
infrastructure and for putting our ‘friends and neighbors back to work,’ as Secretary LaHood framed it in urging enactment of the Economic Recovery Act of 2009 amidst the Great Recession.” Zuckman further hopes that the new Secretary “will take another line from Secretary LaHood’s playbook. LaHood liked to say there are no Republican roads or Democratic bridges. In other words, we are all in this together, and partisanship has no place in this conversation.” During last year’s presidential campaign, Buttigieg garnered attention unlike any of his USDOT predecessors, building visibility comfortably. The day in December 2020 he was nominated for Secretary, Buttigieg tweeted, “Travel in my mind is synonymous with growth, with adventure—even love. So much so that I proposed to my husband Chasten in an airport terminal. Don’t let anybody tell you that O’Hare isn’t romantic.” O’Hare Airport replied at jet speed. “Thank you for appreciating all the connections we make possible @PeteButtigieg,” reported USA Today in capturing the airport’s tweet. “Looking forward to working with you as we continue to make our airport lovable for decades to come.” USA Today took notice, too, of the take by United Airlines, which has a big presence at O’Hare. “It was B5,” tweeted United. “Proof that love actually is all around.” Politico has adeptly tracked Buttigieg’s social media presence and flagged that “he and husband Chasten have picked up a new board game, ‘Pan Am,’ which is incidentally not the first transportation-related game they’ve been known to play.” As Politico stated, Buttigieg is “coming into the agency with arguably more national celebrity than any Secretary before him, and he’ll be closely watched by a far larger audience than DOT usually claims.” That is good news for rail industry and public transportation advocates seeking new approaches to leapfrog prior policy, spending and political constraints. Buttigieg is already making transportation “cool,” and he’s just getting started. If this draw trends to bluered agreement even when other issues can’t move, then transportation and infrastructure, with rail and transit leading on greener frontiers, can be a productive and purple exemplar of “build back better.” Donald M. Itzkoff is Chief Policy Officer for Patriot Rail Company LLC. February 2021 // Railway Age 35
BIG DATA
Figure 2: Brake Failure Predictive Model.
DEEP DIVES Using data science to better understand and maintain rolling stock performance.
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ata analytics, often referred to as “Big Data” has become an important part of the railroad industry’s efforts to improve performance, increase safety and reduce costs. This effort extends to both freight and passenger rail, and cuts across traditional departmental lines, with applications in engineering (track and structures), equipment (rolling stock) and transportation (operations) [1, 2]. The University of Delaware’s annual “Big Data in Railroad Maintenance Planning” conference provides a forum for railroad and data analytic professionals to come 36 Railway Age // February 2021
together with academia and discuss the latest applications and research in railway-related data science. December 2020’s “virtual” conference, which attracted more than 270 registrants from three continents, examined both rolling stock- and trackrelated Big Data applications. This article will discuss the rolling stock side; next month’s article will address track- and infrastructure-related applications. The growing value of Big Data analytics was addressed by the conference keynote speaker, William C. Vantuono, Editorin-Chief of Railway Age, and was highlighted in a quote he presented from an earlier address by Ron Batory, former FRA
Administrator, who said, “Proper application of artificial intelligence (AI) can create less operational risk and afford a safer environment. Continuous strengthening of the predictive algorithms associated with AI can deliver endless value toward eliminating variability, thus creating more productive capacity. Smarter railroading in the years ahead can be achieved by advancing use of AI technology.” This was clearly seen in the conference, where the leadoff speaker stated that while “traditional” data analysis can give you answers to existing questions, Big Data analysis techniques, including machine learning (ML) and AI, will give railwayage.com
Uptake
BY ALLAN M. ZAREMBSKI, PH.D, P.E. FASME, HON. MBR. AREMA, PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE AND DIRECTOR, RAILROAD ENGINEERING AND SAFETY PROGRAM, DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
BIG DATA new and unexpected insights and help the railways move from descriptive and diagnostic use of data to the most insightful predictive and prescriptive applications that were the focus of the conference [3]. In fact, ML is broadly understood to be “a group of methods that analyze data and make useful discoveries and inferences from that data” [4]. The first technical presentation of the conference showed the value and effectiveness of the new generation data science/ AI units that have been created on several Class I railroads. The presentation, “AI and Predictive Analytics in Production to Prevent Locomotive Failure using HighVelocity Real-Time Sensor Streams” [5], looked at the use of locomotive sensor data, including cooling water pressure and oil temperature, to predict locomotive shutdown due to insufficient cooling water. The presentation showed how data analytics could be used on a large data set, as illustrated in Figure 1 (this page), to develop predictive algorithms to allow for the scheduling of maintenance prior to a shutdown event in the field. Using such unsupervised learning data analytic tools as Naïve clustering, K-means clustering, DBSCAN and Spectral clustering, the railroad’s DS/AI team was able to develop a predictive model that used the monitored locomotive oil temperature and water pressure data to predict loss of cooling water events and associated engine shutdown, on average seven days in advance of the event. In addition, the algorithm was found to have very low false-positive predictions, with initial applications reaching 95% to 99% precision levels. Another presentation indicated that failure prediction models have similarly been developed for brakes (Figure 2; opposite page) [6]. Application of data science to vehicle and train performance is not just limited to failure prediction. A presentation by Virginia Tech looked at the wheel/rail interface and applied Big Data analysis techniques to test data to allow for the modeling of this behavior and the identification of key parameters that effect traction [7]. Using extensive data from their quarter-scale wheel roller rig, the researchers were able to collect traction data for a broad range of conditions railwayage.com
Figure 1: Locomotive Cooling Water Event Prediction.
to include vertical load, angle of attack (AOA), lateral displacement and cant angle. Applying a range of analysis techniques to include single- and multipleparameter regression models, principal component analysis and Support Vector Regression Models, the researchers were able to develop relationships that allow for the prediction of such key performance parameters as lateral wheel/rail force, as shown in Figure 3 (p. 38). Using these data analytic tools, it was possible to address wheel/rail contact modeling from an entirely new perspective; i.e., developing a convenient means for predicting traction forces based on test data. Another application of data analytics and associated ML techniques presented at the conference was to root-cause analysis failure analysis; specifically, using onboard and/or wayside data for root-cause analysis and fault prevention [8]. The specific application case discussed was root-cause analysis of processor reset events, such as occurs on onboard processors and systems on a range of rolling stock. Both the generalized root-cause analysis and the specific processor reset analysis employ combined data science/ML approaches for retrieving correlation information from various sources, such as equipment log files, maintenance reports and their supporting documentation. The approach is a datadriven, AI-first approach that includes: • Exploratory data analysis.
• Statistical approach. • Time-series methods. • Natural language processing/N-grams. • Network science/complex networks. Thus, for example, the Natural language processing element, uses N-grams for textbased data analysis, as shown in Figure 4 (p. 38). The associated root-cause analysis toolkit includes both deterministic and probabilistic models, with: • Fault trees, first-order logic. • Decision trees, SVM classifiers. • Bayesian networks, fuzzy logic. • Stochastic approaches, St-Petri Nets. As has been seen in this and previous Big Data conferences, there is growing use of data analytics for addressing transportation and rolling stock issues to include: • On-time performance. • Conflicts (merging/diverging routes; meets/passes). • Rolling stock (equipment) maintenance and failures. • Locomotive maintenance and failures. • Train handling. • Positive Train Control (PTC). • Safety. • Prediction of anomalous events. The same pattern can also be observed in the maintenance of way/infrastructure side of the railway organization, as will be discussed in next month’s issue. That this arena of data analytics/ML/ AI continues to grow and find expanded February 2021 // Railway Age 37
BIG DATA
Figure 4: Root Cause Analysis Using N-grams.
Figure 3: Model for Prediction of Lateral Forces From Key Input Parameters.
applications in the rail and transit industry can clearly be seen over the past seven years of the University of Delaware’s Big Data in Railroad Maintenance Conference presentations. And the expectation is that it will continue to grow in importance. The next Big Data conference is scheduled for Dec. 15-16, 2021. For 38 Railway Age // February 2021
further information, contact Professor Allan M. Zarembski at dramz@udel.edu. References: 1. Zarembski, A. M., “Better Railroading Through Big Data,” Railway Age, May 2018. 2. Zarembski, A. M., “Big Data Journey:
From Collection to Analysis to Predictive Use,” Railway Age, March 2020. 3. Zarembski, A. M., Introduction, 2020 Big Data in Railroad Maintenance Planning Conference. 4. Attoh-Okine, N., “Big Data and Differential Privacy: Analysis Strategies for Railway Track,” Wiley, May 2017. 5. Amouie, M., Chief Data Scientist, Norfolk Southern, “AI and Predictive Analytics in Production to Prevent Locomotive Failure using High-Velocity Real-Time Sensor Streams,” 2020 Big Data in Railroad Maintenance Planning Conference. 6. Thompson, T., “Uptake Visual Presentation,” 2020 Big Data in Railroad Maintenance Planning Conference. 7. Hosseini, S. M.; Ahangarnejad, A. H.; Radmehr, A.; Ahmadian, M., Virginia Tech, “A Statistical Approach to Modeling Rail-Wheel Traction using Big Data,” 2020 Big Data in Railroad Maintenance Planning Conference. 8. Barcelos, E., Data Science Innovation Lead, Alstom, “Tracing event correlation networks from wayside and onboard log data for root-cause analysis and fault prevention with a Complex Networks and Machine Learning approach,” 2020 Big Data in Railroad Maintenance Planning Conference. railwayage.com
PTC
WHAT PTC IS—AND ISN’T It comes down to understanding the difference between technicians and technologists. he article “PTC 2.0: Now is the Time” (RA, December 2020, p. 30) does not, in my mind, clearly define what PTC really is. The argument presented underscores my long-held contentions that technicians 40 Railway Age // February 2021
step in too quickly when what is needed first are technologists, and that some of the investment in meeting the largely unfunded federal PTC mandate has been misdirected. In this article, I offer several alternatives for the railroads, both individually and collectively, toward
improving operations. To start with, there currently is no “PTC 2.0.” Industry-wide, there is only one version of PTC, with some slight variations. PTC is and always will be a safety enhancement system. In that same vein, PTC is not even functionally vital, in that railwayage.com
William C. Vantuono
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BY RON LINDSEY, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
PTC it does not generate movement authorities. That point alone prevents PTC from being directly involved in advanced management systems, as suggested by this excerpt from the article: “PTC systems also enable a railroad to run scheduled operations and provide improved running time, greater running time reliability, higher asset utilization and greater track capacity.” PTC prevents human-factor-caused train accidents. It does not improve velocity. At best, it assures that velocity be maintained, based upon existing management systems and processes. In fact, if not properly implemented, for example, by using overly conservative braking algorithms, PTC can result in velocity reduction due to inappropriate enforcements. It is not uncommon to hear the term “Vital PTC,” but understand that it refers to equipment’s hardware vitality, not its functional vitality. As such, it provides only for some level of reliability. PTC implementation provides an onboard intelligence platform and a wireless data network for back-office system handling and transmission of train speed and position. PTC by itself does not require this. To be blunt, all that is needed for advanced systems is an onboard GPS and a wireless data network to deliver train speed and location data with some level of frequency determined by the management systems being used. I refer to this as “In-Time,” rather than “RealTime,” with the latter being a technician’s common design error. Prior to the 2008 mandate, the Federal Railroad Administration’s concerted efforts at getting the railroads to implement PTC was limited to demonstrating that PTC would have sufficient safety benefits to justify an investment. A Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) study facilitated by the FRA was unable to identify sufficient safety benefits. So, FRA turned to business benefits. But there are only two such possible business benefits that can be attributed directly to PTC. First is train accident prevention. Second, PTC’s safety gain could enable cost reductions, such as transitioning to dark territory from signaled territory, providing a net safety gain. But the mandate forcing PTC railwayage.com
implementation, with railroads carrying the financial burden, changed analysis to determining how best to “profit” from the sunken cost. But who is available to make such analyses? Technicians are the source of safety and maintenance integrity. As such, their natural mindset is to design, test and install to the upmost. Cost effectiveness is second to safety, and everything is vital as to hardware and
A technologist would first determine what is required for positioning accuracy instead of shooting for an unnecessarily high level by addressing non-vital PTC’s weakest component, the braking algorithm. That algorithm is subject to variables that often are not even known as to value, yet alone their coefficients. functionally, even when it isn’t, e.g., signal aspects and PTC. Management will accept designs without regard to costs because they have no one else to challenge the cost-effectiveness of other solutions using different technologies. In the case of PTC, no one challenged the integration of Intermittent Signals in its enforcement functionality. The money required to include Intermittent Signals was unnecessary, since PTC looks at distant control points. I have yet to be challenged on this point by
anyone over the past 12 years. Another example is even more troublesome. The technicians on the Interoperable Train Control (ITC) committee set up by the industry to make PTC implementable solicited a contract to develop an on-board positioning module with an 18-cm accuracy and 10 -9 confidence level. That is inconceivable to me, in terms of both dimension and the shortage of reasoning that established such requirements. A technologist would first determine what is required for positioning accuracy instead of shooting for an unnecessarily high level by addressing non-vital PTC’s weakest component, the braking algorithm. That algorithm is subject to variables that often are not even known as to value, yet alone their coefficients, i.e., braking system condition at any one point; actual consist weight, especially for long trains; and rail condition, such as the presence of wet leaves. The topography confronting the train is known, but the above variables can overwhelm the positioning module accuracy. In other words, accuracy requirement is in terms multiple meters, not centimeters. Arguing that such accuracy is required for track determination in parallel track configurations demonstrates a lack of understanding about PTC. For example, a switch position monitoring method I designed for dark territory and track circuits in CTC has that covered. Consider this extract from the December article: “One technology that needs to be considered is the use of additional satellite arrays and frequency bands provided by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).” A point is made about inadequacy of GPS availability in some topography. A technologist would reply on three points: • First, there is little need if any for greater precision, as noted above. • Second, such situations can be readily addressed with installation of DGPS (Differential GPS) towers. • Third, using the Kalman process provides reasonable accuracy for extended time situations, which can be determined by technologists. That’s it. No other expensive expansion of satellite-positioning technologies February 2021 // Railway Age 41
PTC is required. What one does, as I designed for CBTM (CSX’s PTC project), is provide a buffer zone that can be mathematically determined (Monte Carlo simulation would be ideal) within acceptable statistical limits. To be honest, for CBTM, I simply made an estimate without any real analysis at that point in its deployment. Again, PTC is not vital. Indeed, technologists are a rare breed in traditional, primary industries. They should have a broad understanding of primary technologies. Ideally, they also have an MBA mindset with training and experience in such disciplines as to discounted cash f low, econometric modeling, linear programming, simulation modeling and statistics. I say this because I am so trained and have employed such disciplines in nearly everything I have designed, including PTC, and the VCTC (Virtual CTC) for Egypt’s and Kazakhstan’s railroads that eliminates track circuits.
Looking ahead, I see three major pursuits for railroads, individually and collectively. First is the use of VCTC-type systems to replace conventional CTC. The details of VCTC have been presented in earlier Railway Age articles as well as on my blog, strategicrailroading.com. Simply stated, it is the use of GPS on both the head and rear end of a train to determine block occupancy, eliminating the need for nearly all CTC wayside infrastructure. Second, each railroad needs to perform an EITA (Enterprise IT Architecture) based upon Single Source of Truth (SSOT) philosophy. My consultancy has provided the first such analysis in the industry for KTZ, Kazakhstan’s railroad. Given the amount of data that can be provided via the Internet and a wireless data network, EITA can best-provide manageable and reliable design of a railroad’s IT architecture. This is not a simple effort. As a consultant
to KTZ, I was provided a limited view of what it had done with my model. I believe that every major railroad can benefit from such an analysis. However, it requires top management’s commitment to providing the proper resources and well-experienced facilitators. Third, the railroads collectively require an industry-based business strategy aligned with an industry-based technology strategy developed by technologists as to what can be accomplished with an industry-based EITA and the available wireless data network. The bottom line: Suppliers and rail management need to leverage technologists to consider alternatives, cost-effective solutions for advancing the safety and efficiency of rail operations. All of the major points noted in this article are included in Ron Lindsey’s suite of courses he offers to suppliers and railroads, at all levels of their organizations, with P.E. continuing education credits.
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OPERATIONAL & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
OT-IT CONVERGENCE AN IMPERATIVE FOR INDUSTRY 4.0
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ndustry 4.0 (also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution) was formalized by the World Economic Forum in 2016. Industry 4.0 uses automation and data exchange in processes and technologies that include IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), cloud computing, and AI (artificial intelligence) for implementation. Corporations worldwide, including railroads and their partners in the transportation supply chain, are at the beginning of their journey for establishing true end-to-end digital continuity. Railroading is embarking in IIoT (for example, Positive Train Control, Enhanced Train Control) and automation (for example, autonomous track inspection), through to AI-based automation (for example, expanding autonomous track inspection to include predictive analytics for track data). The convergence of OT (Operational Technology) and IT (Information Technology) is essential for Industry 4.0. This convergence is at the core of business model digitization, as well as in
railwayage.com
BY SONIA D. BOT emerging concerns such as shared cybersecurity and safety. WHAT IS OT-IT CONVERGENCE? Both OT and IT involve computing, networking and storage technologies. However, these technologies are used for different purposes. In the rail industry, OT is a category of computing and communication systems to manage, monitor and control railroad operations, with a focus on the physical devices and operating processes they use. Meanwhile, IT focuses on business support and enablement by using technology to collect, manipulate, analyze and generate insights from data. Both OT and IT have been around since at least the 1970s. They have been existing separately and independently since then, where OT and IT teams each managed different technology on different networks for completely different purposes. (See Figure 1; p. 44.) In its most basic form, OT-IT convergence connects OT systems and IT systems, allowing them to transmit
data to each other. The goal of OT-IT convergence is to use this connectivity to enhance the value these systems deliver. For example, being able to collect, manipulate and analyze data from OT systems enables railroads to better use their IT systems to streamline business processes and generate insights that can be used to foster innovation, or introduce new services. Meanwhile, with OT systems that can be updated or optimized with data from IT systems, railroads can improve how these OT systems manage various physical operations. Imagine an IT system connecting to a shipping container’s OT system, and say, perishables such as fresh produce or pharmaceuticals are being shipped. When the temperature crosses a buffer threshold, an alert is sent, and proper corrective action can be taken before the shipment spoils. Or imagine a container that is rigged to provide location data, and then integrating this to the ERP/CRM system in IT. When the shipment reaches its destination, a real-time shipment delivery February 2021 // Railway Age 43
OPERATIONAL & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Figure 1: The two worlds of OT and IT.
message is sent to the customer, plus the data can be used by the railroad to assess its Service Level Agreement performance. Or imagine that by collecting OT data on locomotive maintenance and then analyzing it with the IT systems, insights can be garnered on what kind of modifications or innovations can be made to improve dwell times. We can keep on imagining in the same vein for automatic track inspection solutions, automatic train operations for freight shunting, safety for maintenanceof-way vehicles, Positive Train Control (PTC) evolution, the next generation of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) and transportation, and so forth. The possibilities are endless. 44 Railway Age // February 2021
OT-IT CONVERGENCE FRAMEWORK By using an OT-IT convergence framework, we can see what the various components are and how they interrelate. OT-IT convergence is more than the connection of OT and IT systems through a data exchanger. It also calls for bringing together processes and people who have never had a reason to interact closely before. And it calls for a clear strategic data platform architecture, such as a data mesh. First and foremost, OT-IT convergence is driven by top-level business objectives, which are continuously managed and governed under an
overarching executive-level authority. Common processes are the foundation, while common technologies and people competencies are the fuel. The payload is the knowledge that travels through the processes in the two worlds of OT and IT. Knowledge is ultimately data. Software connects, transports and shares the data throughout the converged system. (See Figure 2; opposite page.) OT-IT CONVERGENCE, TRANSFORMATIONAL ENDEAVOR OT-IT convergence is a transformational endeavor with many moving parts. To date, there is no standard roadmap, railwayage.com
OPERATIONAL & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Figure 2: OT-IT convergence framework.
organizational structure or template for converging OT and IT. It is up to each company to find their “right” solution and ensure that it aligns with ecosystems they connect into. Various dimensions come into play and are driven by the business objectives. We start with process convergence, which requires that the OT and IT organizations revise their processes, workf lows and procedures to support the modernized ways of working and operating together. Once this has been designed and defined, then organizational convergence may be required, such as creating aligned organizational structures. If process convergence is not railwayage.com
done first, then regardless of new organizational structures, people will continue to behave according to the existing (that is, “old”) processes, rendering the new organizational structures ineffective and subject to rework. The next dimension is the convergence of software and data. This is about getting software and data to directly address OT needs. If process convergence is not defined beforehand, the software and data run a high risk of not meeting the OT needs and then requiring rework. For this to be successful and futureproof, data and software must be decoupled such that they are able to adapt to an ever-changing business environment.
Also, there may be a technical convergence which deals with aligning or modernizing the network architecture. What follows is physical convergence, which includes physical devices being retrofitted or combined with newer hardware to accommodate the addition of IT to OT. Subsequently, there is an operational convergence where the hardware is maintained and updated over time. In parallel to all of this, the OT-IT convergence must remain in sync and aligned with opportunities for business expansion, such as refocusing target markets, developing new products/ services, creating new alliances, responding to new regulations, and so forth. February 2021 // Railway Age 45
OPERATIONAL & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY These, too, are driven by the business objectives, the common denominator. CULTURE AND GOVERNANCE, THE BIGGEST HURDLES The priority and challenge with OT-IT convergence is in overcoming the cultural and governance issues. You have two different teams with different priorities: for example, uptime and safety for OT, privacy and security for IT. Motivational currency is vastly different; for OT it’s hardcore grit, while for IT it’s technological savvy. As these two organizations historically work in silos, there has been little collaboration or mutual understanding in their standard cadence. Leadership at all levels must now learn to deal with the unknown and unpredictable. They must set the priorities for what the company stands for and what it wants to achieve, and empower both OT and IT to strive for the same shared vision. Rather than viewing IT as a cost center, in Industry 4.0, IT becomes one of the key assets to achieving business goals. Industry 4.0-savvy leaders will encourage OT and IT to understand each other’s challenges, roles, objectives and special language through a detailed walk-through of their processes, or job shadowing, so that internal silos can be broken down to facilitate the seamless achievement of common outcomes. ACHIEVING OT-IT CONVERGENCE From first-hand experience with OT-IT convergence and other transformational mandates in the railroading and telecommunications service provider industries—industries that must deal with the complexity of running “network-based” businesses—the best transformational results occur when taking an approach that both improves organizational effectiveness and positions its target markets and product/service portfolios to outperform. The same applies in my experiences when I work with hightechnology companies globally, regardless of size or industry. This finding is supported by others, such as the McKinsey & Company October 2019 study on “All-In Transformation.” Most railroads stop short of a 46 Railway Age // February 2021
transformational change by focusing on improving operational effectiveness such as productivity improvements and asset rationalization. Several North American Class I railroads experienced this with their introduction of PSR, where there has been a strong focus on costcutting. This is a reliable approach when delivering fast results to improve the bottom line. With process and technology advancements, digitization, and the forces of Industry 4.0, the railroading industry is being pressured to deliver even better and faster bottom-line results, plus stronger financial returns, while working in ways that are completely new. This is a fullscale transformation. Railroads require revolution and reshaping, and the initial steps have started. By taking a simultaneous and complementary top- and bottom-line approach to transforming, and in our case in this article, converging OT and IT, the operational effectiveness improvements carry the organizations to their next set of portfolio offering/ market moves, which in turn creates the momentum for moving organizations to the next level. OT-IT convergence, a transformational endeavor, can be reliably achieved through the collective use of Lean Six Sigma, innovation, entrepreneurship and digital transformation practices. These practices fully support the dual nature of improving operational effectiveness and positioning the business to become something it has not ever been before so that it can outperform. Transformation also implies change leadership and management styles, as well as organizational change management because of the nature and dimensions of the change. Lean Six Sigma is more than a strategy for improving an organization’s processes and quality, for which it’s most well-known. At its core, Lean Six Sigma first and foremost focuses on customer and business value drivers and designing solutions to meet their needs. Customers can be internal to an organization (for example, OT and IT are each other’s customers) or external (for example, those that pay money for your
products and services). “Process” is used as a vehicle to identify, create and realize the end-to-end value stream—focusing on the value enhancing life cycle—with voice of the customer (VoC) and voice of the business (VoB) from the top level of the company through to the work done on the ground. Lean Six Sigma can be applied to transformations, business design, process design and product/services design, to name a few. It continually pushes toward leaning and the ultimate goal of “zero defects,” guided by customer value drivers. Lean Six Sigma methodologies range from “Six Sigma/Lean Transformation” and “Design for Six Sigma” at the most complex end of the spectrum, to “DMAIC” and “Replication” at the middle of the spectrum, through to “Kaizen” and “Just Do It” at the simplest end of the spectrum. Innovation practices focus on the ability to introduce something new or different such as an idea, product, service, model, process, brand or channel, to name a few. Examples of innovation practices include Design Thinking and Proof of Concept. Entrepreneurship takes the next step. It identifies the opportunities in innovations and creates opportunity, adds value, and keeps the value improving over time. Practices in this stage are Lean Start-Up (which, by the way, is based on Lean Six Sigma principles), ScalingUp, Pragmatic Marketing, and Lanigan Group’s Business Precision, which are integrated into the development and delivery framework. Digital transformation practices include methods and frameworks for digital strategies, process automation, big data enablement, advanced analytics, AI and machine learning, IIoT, machine to machine communications, digital factories, cybersecurity, technology ecosystems, cloud computing, Anything as a Service (XaaS), and so forth. They enable the broader scale transformation in the Industry 4.0 era. Lean Six Sigma is data-driven to its core, with built-in data-based control systems for monitoring and management. This allows for making timely, proactive and high-quality decisions. railwayage.com
OPERATIONAL & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY For example, Amazon has Lean Six Sigma embedded into its culture and strategy. For Amazon, data isn’t just a means to improve the customer experience, it’s a way of life. Amazon continuously uses their data and Lean Six Sigma practices to reveal areas of improvement and to uncover opportunities for business expansion. Amazon has matured to an ambidextrous organization where processes and methodologies are tailored and integrated to support executing and incrementally improving on their current business models (also known as mainstream exploitative), while at the same time searching for and developing new business models (also known as new-stream exploratory). Putting it all together, at the top level, Lean Six Sigma provides the foundational operating framework, which includes data-based feedback loops on progress and performance, with predictive indicators built in for better risk management and improved velocity to the end goal. Feeding into this operating framework, the use of Lean Six Sigma drives the convergence of OT-IT processes, organizations, data, technologies and operations, while aligning to the business objectives. The innovation, entrepreneurship and digital transformation practices enable the envisioning, overhaul and implementation of a converged OT-IT. PROCESS AND DATA GOVERNANCE For effective OT-IT converged operations, processes and data must be continuously monitored, managed and controlled. Processes, whether manual, semi-automated or automated, produce the data on which the software and people consume and take action. High quality data is critical for IIoT and AI to operate properly and derive first-rate business insights. A process-management control system is the foundation for managing processes (for example, alignment, adaptability and performance to targets), focusing improvements, and sustaining the gains realized from improvement efforts. This system is based on the continual measurement of process performance (using Key Performance Indicators; that is, KPIs, railwayage.com
and balanced scorecards) against critical business and customer requirements. A process owner, typically an executive, is accountable for the governance, performance and maintenance of the process. Data governance is the exercise of decision-making and authority for datarelated matters (David Plotkin, 2013). It allows organizations to manage complex data sets in effective, compliant and responsible ways. This means changing processes, roles and responsibilities on how people make decisions about data so that it is meticulously organized, understood, trusted, of high quality, and suitable to the organization’s purposes. Aspects that are managed with data governance are privacy, security, ethics, compliance, integration, data quality, metadata, retention, data risks and impact/ROI (Prodago Inc., 2020). An executive data committee sets the policies. Data stewards are responsible for the day-to-day of data governance. And a data council ensures that data-related activities align with the overall organization’s strategy and priorities. OT and IT leaders and personnel must become process and data literate. A first step is that they need to learn and understand the jargon of each other’s functions. For example, the term “change” for an OT person would mean a modification to a design; whereas “change” to an IT person would mean a modification to the managed environment. The OT definition of “change” is a subset of the IT definition. So, when OT powers off a networking device in the field, this is not a change for OT, since there is no design change; however for IT, this is a change since it impacts service. Imagine the conundrums that occur with these miscommunications, let alone possible impacts to operating effectively, reliably and safely. MAKING THE COMMITMENT TO OT-IT CONVERGENCE OT-IT convergence can be viewed as a journey, with the good news that there are solid practices in place to make it happen. This requires fully committed, aligned, transformational, disciplined and experienced leadership. Today, we see OT and IT silos, with islands of processes, proliferation of devices,
disparate data, unintegrated legacy systems, diverse ecosystems, and differing, if not opposing, priorities. It’s the reality of our starting point. However, imagine the world of tomorrow, with the required OT-IT convergence transformation that enables converged managed network, resilience at scale, security, distributed and democratized intelligence, application enablement, business continuity, business insights, business process agility, rich and engaging experiences, and more!
Sonia Bot, chief executive of The BOT Consulting Group Inc., has played key roles in the inception and delivery of several strategic businesses and transformations in technology, media and telecommunications companies worldwide. By utilizing methodologies in entrepreneurship, business precision, Lean Six Sigma, systems and process engineering, and organizational behavior, she’s enabled organizations to deliver breakthrough results along with providing them a foundation to continue to excel. She was instrumental in Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation on CN’s U.S. lines. Her approaches on the evolution of railroading and transportation are game changers that drive innovation and competitive advantage for adopters in a changing industry. Sonia, a Railway Age Contributing Editor and 2020 Railway Age Women in Rail Awards Honorable Mention, can be reached at sdbot@botgroupinc. com. February 2021 // Railway Age 47
BIG DATA
STAYING ON THE GRID
How better railcar visibility can improve freight rail shipment management.
hen freight moves across North America’s major railroads, shippers need to know the location of their cargo and its status. Cars in motion frequently pass Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) readers and other data collection devices. That information is instantaneously transmitted to rail industry systems and is available to railcar users in near real time. Though this system works well for most shipments, it’s not perfect. In the real world, visibility can fade for a number of reasons, such as when cars are shunted into yards or industrial facilities, or when they are on “last/first-mile” short line railroads. In these locations, shipments can essentially drop off the grid, and shippers become more dependent on sporadic 48 Railway Age // February 2021
manually generated reports and cumbersome tracing methods. These information gaps are frustrating for plant managers, retail operators and others who expect the seamless stream of location data that is now standard in the trucking industry. Most shippers depend on end-to-end supply chain visibility to manage inventory, staffing levels and storage allocation in a process that keeps costs low and customer satisfaction high. RAIL FREIGHT VISIBILITY STILL HAS GAPS Intermittent visibility of rail shipments can diminish rail’s competitive advantages, which include low per-mile transportation costs, superior sustainability performance and an excellent safety record. Fortunately, advanced information technology systems are in the process of filling in the gaps, providing
visibility that will be more competitive with highway shipping. A leader in these developments is Cando Rail Services, based in Canada and serving all of North America. Last year, it launched Quasar, a cloud-based GPS system that tracks the location of railcars in real time, from origin to destination. Heading the development and launch of Quasar is Corrie Banks, Cando’s Director of Logistics. She joined Cando following a stellar rail industry career that began with development of e-commerce systems for a Class I railroad. That experience led her to managing complex supply chains. “Through those experiences,” she says, “I formulated a guiding principle that supply chain systems—which are highly interconnected end-to-end entities—offer lots and lots of opportunities to improve both the associated operating practices and the technology processes.” railwayage.com
Cando Rail Services (all images)
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BY BILL FAHRENWALD, JAMES STREET ASSOCIATES
BIG DATA AN IDEA BECOMES REALITY Eventually, Banks says, “I met Cando President and CEO Brian Cornick, and we started talking about some of the rail supply chain ideas and innovations he wanted to develop. At that time, I was also writing a white paper called Digital Supply Chains: Creating Skills for the Future for the Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council. All this led us to create a shared vision, which has resulted in today’s Quasar system.” The Quasar platform is a set of technology tools that includes location sensors, geofencing, and network health and performance maps to create visual data. Functioning across the various applications, users access the visual data to create metrics and interact with predictive and prescriptive analytics. The entire system is designed to enable customers to get their goods to market at the lowest possible cost in the shortest possible time. RUGGED TECHNOLOGY NEEDED It’s one thing to plan for improved railcar shipment visibility that looks good on paper, and quite another thing to implement it in the sometimes-brutal and often-isolated environment of the railroad network. Among the tools Quasar uses to close data gaps in remote locations are railcar-mounted GPS units. “We know that railroad operating conditions can be unforgiving, which is why we vetted various products until we found units that are capable of supporting our commitment to provide car location data at least every 10 minutes. The units we selected have solar-powered batteries that have proven up to the task, and they are sufficiently rugged to operate without problems during the impacts of train operations,” says Banks. Once Quasar developers had technology that met reliability requirements, they initiated a search for a single-source information technology partner that would feed data from the rail industry’s existing car location reporting network. SELECTING THE RIGHT RAIL DATA PARTNER “Ultimately, we selected Railinc,” Banks says. “Not only were they able to provide the connection to industry data Quasar railwayage.com
needs, but they also have been able to help us integrate that data seamlessly, and to make sure we were following the correct protocols and putting the right structures in place. It’s been very valuable for us.” Quasar relies on Railinc as a sole source of critical visibility data including Umler®, railcar ownership information, industry reference files, messaging and more. More than a year into real-world operations, Quasar users are starting to see the expected benefits. Shippers now have greatly improved visibility into what is arriving at their plants and distribution centers. This makes it possible to better plan production and distribution operations. Once cars arrive at destination yards, Quasar provides complete yard management services including: • Switching. • Inventory status. • Railcar inspection management. • Railcar cleaning management. • Loaded or unloaded, and order status. Managers can now easily see where all their rail equipment is located, its status, available capacity, and other parameters that were previously difficult to gather, or even unavailable. The essential capability that makes this all possible is Quasar’s ability to digitize and blend information. “We take data from an amazing array of sources,” Banks says. “Quasar processes documents generated by supply chain participants
including emails and PDFs. Using artificial intelligence, Quasar extracts relevant information and digitizes it.” MAPPING, ANALYTICS OPEN NEW OPTIONS All of that data is then brought together and leveraged by geospatial intelligence and analytics capabilities provided, in part, by SensorUp. It collects, cleans and aggregates IoT (Internet of Things) data for analysis across all aspects and silos of an enterprise. SensorUp provides a level of granular insight—observed in real time— that enables managers to locate and direct railcars throughout North America. After a car leaves a yard, for example, it might be some time before it passes an AEI reader. In the past, this has been one of the instances when shipment visibility could be temporarily lost. Quasar fills in those gaps with other information that documents the time the car departed the yard. “Because Quasar is cloud-based, all this data is now presented in one central view, giving managers the story of what’s happening in their supply chains,” says Banks. “That view is literally presented on a map that shows the physical location of each car we are tracking.” This information is automatically organized to display dwell- and cycle-time calculations, generated instantaneously as the data enters the system. The user can generate tools including heat maps with analytics that show which corridors
Last year, Cando Rail Services launched Quasar, a cloud-based GPS system that tracks the location of railcars in real time, from origin to destination. February 2021 // Railway Age 49
BIG DATA
Quasar GPS units on railcars provide seamless data.
It’s one thing to plan for improved railcar shipment visibility that looks good on paper, and quite another thing to implement it in the sometimes-brutal and oftenisolated environment of the railroad network.
are faster or slower in real time, as well as analyzing transit time trends. “If you are a plant manager and you need to know how your inventory will be f lowing over the next couple of weeks, Quasar gives you a pretty good idea,” Banks says. “You can see in one view how things are shaping up.” A BETTER SHIPPER/RAIL RELATIONSHIP Users are realizing an additional benefit from this wealth of real-time information. 50 Railway Age // February 2021
Now, instead of contacting a railroad’s customer service group for help in figuring out where a car is, or what is happening to it, they have that information right in front of them. This enables faster recognition of shipment exceptions, development of resolutions, and better communication with customers. “There are benefits for our Class I partners, too,” Banks says. “They can reduce the amount of time and effort they are spending to mediate or manage issues. That can translate into better customer
service because the railroads can also act earlier to resolve railcar delays.” As the aggregator of tracking data and developer of innovative visibility solutions for all North American railroads, including Class I’s, Railinc is integral to Quasar’s visibility. “Railinc’s role goes beyond the fact that they have a lot of the information we need to supplement IoT and other technologies,” Banks says. “We also have found them to be a very collaborative partner.” In its overall operations, Cando provides services to both Class I railroads and shippers, and Railinc “provides strategic support, helping the company align with the industry’s overall digital transformation,” Banks says. “Railinc has the bench strength to serve as a key Quasar partner, and we’ve also been impressed with their dedication to providing comprehensive customer support. On a day-to-day basis as we deal with the customer service group, we have found they are incredibly helpful. We now rely on them for their deep industry knowledge and expertise. It’s a relationship that has been very beneficial to Cando and its customers, and it’s one we look forward to continuing.” railwayage.com
Reinschmidt scholarship FRIENDS OF AL REINSCHMIDT The Albert J. Reinschmidt Memorial Scholarship Fund has been organized by a group known as the “Friends of Al Reinschmidt.” A set of organizational principles was developed that provide governance structure. All individuals who make donations (either onetime or periodic) to the Scholarship Fund are eligible to become members of the Friends of Al Reinschmidt organization. Similarly, companies or organizations that make donations are encouraged to become members and nominate a contact person to be an active member. A website has also been established to provide more information: https://friendsofalreinschmidt.weebly.com
The members meet annually to elect and provide overall direction to the Trustees of the Scholarship Fund, all of whom donate their time. The Trustees, in turn, elect a Head Trustee, a Secretary and a liaison to work with the Fund manager.
AL REINSCHMIDT
REMEMBERED THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP FUND
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BY DAVE STAPLIN
r. Albert J. Reinschmidt touched the lives of many during his railroading career, which spanned more than 40 years. With his passing on Jan. 5, 2018, the international railway industry lost a great leader and friend. But Al’s memory lives on through the Albert J. Reinschmidt Memorial Scholarship Fund. What began as a dream of the “Friends of Al” is now entering into its third year providing scholarship funds to students of railway engineering. The scholarship fund was founded to commemorate Al’s many contributions to advancing the state of the art in railwayage.com
railway engineering, and his support, encouragement and mentorship for colleagues and students in their pursuit of knowledge. The Albert J. Reinschmidt Memorial Scholarship Fund: • Helps college students achieve their educational goals in rail transportation engineering and technology. • Provides financial assistance to rail engineering students in the disciplines of railway civil, electrical, industrial and mechanical engineering. • Develops new talent to advance rail safety, efficiency and technological advancement.
THE FUNDING MECHANISM The scholarship funds are collected, invested and distributed by the Cedar Street Charitable Foundation, headquartered in Milwaukee. Donations are tax deductible at the time they are made, regardless of when the Foundation distributes the funds. At the direction of the Trustees, Cedar Street makes donations to institutions providing education in the field of railway transportation. The educational institutions, in turn, select worthy students to receive the scholarships. The Friends of Al invite all to support the education of future rail industry leaders while honoring Al’s lifetime contributions by donating to the Fund. Donations in the form of checks drawn in U.S. funds may be sent to Cedar Street Charitable Foundation to the attention of: Ms. Noelle M. Matkovich Senior Operations Specialist Cedar Street Charitable Foundation 313 North Plankinton Avenue – Suite 216 Milwaukee, WI 53203 Both the name of the scholarship fund (Albert J. Reinschmidt Memorial Scholarship Fund) and the account number (668142633) should be noted on the check, or on a letter that accompanies the contribution. All donations will be acknowledged by Cedar Street and the Trustees. February 2021 // Railway Age 51
People MARTIN OBERMAN
Surface Transportation Board HIGH PROFILE: Martin J. Oberman was designated Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Jan. 21 by President Joe Biden. He was sworn in as an STB member on Jan. 22, 2019, and has held the Vice Chairman position since Jan. 6, 2020. Democrat Oberman is serving in his first, five-year term, which expires Jan. 31, 2023, following confirmation by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 2, 2019. Before his STB appointment, Oberman, an attorney, was a Board member for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). He also served as Chairman of Metra, Chicago’s commuter railroad, and on the Chicago City Council as Alderman of the city’s 43rd Ward. STB Chairman Ann Begeman’s term expired Dec. 31, 2020, and by statute she could remain up to 12 months in holdover status, until Dec. 31, 2021. This was her second term leading the Board. (STB members are limited to two five-year terms by statute.) Republican Begeman now reverts to member status.
F
ormer New York City Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg has been tapped as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation. President Joe Biden made the announcement Jan. 18. She will serve under Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Trottenberg served recently as a
52 Railway Age // February 2021
volunteer for the Biden-Harris Agency Review Team on the USDOT; Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Phillip A. Washington led the 18-member group. In the Obama-Biden Administration, Trottenberg was Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy and
Under Secretary for Policy at USDOT. Clever Devices, an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) provider, has named John Santamaria Senior Vice President of Rail. He will focus on rail customer acquisition and project deployment, and help define the Woodbury, N.Y.-based company’s rail solutions portfolio. Santamaria served most recently as Vice President and Chief Mechanical Officer-Car Equipment at MTA New York City Transit, overseeing maintenance and acquisitions. Railcar operating lessor/broker and rail transportation manager/consultant Tealinc, Ltd. named Kristen Kempson DirectorMarketing and Sales, with responsibility for marketing the Tealinc company brand, supporting customer equipment needs (buy/sell/ lease/trade) and facilitating new business development. Shannon Rodgers was named Director-Operations, leading management of Tealinc-owned and -managed rail assets. Yvonne Lufborough, as DirectorFinance and Administration, will continue to lead Tealinc financial reporting.
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equipment Sale/Leasing
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Visit http://bit.ly/railjobs 54 Railway Age // February 2021
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Ad Index COMPANY
PHONE #
FAX #
URL/EMAIL ADDRESS
PAGE #
4ATMOS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
214-629-9012
mjensen@4atmos.com
52
BELT RAILWAY CO OF CHICAGO THE
708-496-4000
mgrace@beltreailway.com
24
BNSF
817-867-6250
media@bnsf.com
C4
CANADIAN PACIFIC
415-640-6129
Jeremy_Berry@cpr.ca
22
817.352.7924
CAPITOL METRO CN
15 C2
888-888-5909
CONRAIL CSX CORPORATION
904-359-3200
G&W RAILROAD SERVICES INC
203-202-8900
203-656-1092
HATCH/LTK
www.conrail.com
25
csx.com
16
corpcomm@gwrr.com
25
Natalie.cornell@hatch.com
27
HERZOG
816-385-8233
jhansen@herzog.com
42
KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN
816-983-1372
dcarlson@kcsouthern.com
13
NORFOLK SOUTHERN
19
ONTARIO NORTHLAND
800-363-7512
info@ontarionorthland.ca
21
PATRIOT RAIL & PORTS
904-423-2540
info@patriotrail.com
18
PORT OF NEW ORLEANS
504-528-3363
renee.aragon@portnola.com
23
PROGRESS RAIL A CATERPILLER CO
256-505-6402
info@progressrail.com
39
RAILPROS, INC.
682-223-6897
www.railpros.com
17
RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION CO, INC.
973-684-0362
973-684-1355
www.RailroadConstruction.com
14
RAILWAY EDUCATIONAL BUREAU
402-346-4300
402-346-1783
bbrundige@sb-reb.com
33,53,C3
UNION PACIFIC
402-544-3560
cbeyah@up.com
20
WABTEC CORPORATION
412-825-1000
www.WabtecCorp.com
12
WATCO COMPANIES
620-231-2230
tvanbecelaere@watco.com
26
256-505-6051
The Advertisers Index is an editorial feature maintained for the convenience of readers. It is not part of the advertiser contract and Railway Age assumes no responsibility for the correctness.
railwayage.com
February 2021 // Railway Age 55
Perspective: ASLRRA
Perseverance, the Short Line Hallmark
P
erseverance is a virtue, and 2020 required all the perseverance one could muster. The pandemic, the disruption of the workplace and of ordinary commerce, trade disputes, our unsettled politics—all contributed to a year that affected every American citizen and business. Perseverance has been the hallmark of the short line industry, and as difficult as 2020 was for our industry, it was the year that perseverance paid off on our top legislative priority. After nearly two decades of hard work, 45G, the short line rehabilitation tax credit was made permanent. Our first tax credit legislation, introduced in 2003 and passed in 2004, was extended seven times before being made permanent by the 116th Congress. During that 17-year period, short line railroaders conducted more than 1,000 meetings per year with members of Congress and amassed more than 2,100 House and 389 Senate co-sponsors over eight bills. We organized a customer coalition, Saving our Service, that secured more than 1,000 shippers who publicly supported our legislation in the media and through meetings with their elected officials. We organized the first Railroad Day on the Hill, and with the help of the entire railroad industry, turned it into one of the largest and most successful lobbying events in Washington, D.C. We ended this marathon race in the most uniquely troubled year imaginable. While this space does not allow us to name the many members of Congress who made success possible, there are some who persevered with us from the beginning and without whom we would not have succeeded. Senator Moran (R-Kans.), then a member of the House, was the original sponsor of the 2003 legislation. Representative Camp (R-Mich.) was the first member of the House tax writing committee to sponsor the bill. Our chief Congressional sponsors at the end, Reps. Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Kelly (R-Pa.) and Sens. Crapo (R-Idaho) and Wyden (D-Ore.) were there from or near the beginning and never wavered in their 56 Railway Age // February 2021
support. The Chairmen of the tax writing committees, Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) and Representative Neal (D-Mass.) played key roles in pulling 45G over the finish line. Each of these members and many more took the time to learn about the needs of our industry and the importance of track rehabilitation to our shippers. They were our Congressional missionaries, and they never missed an opportunity to proselytize on our behalf. Likewise, their staffs gave generously of their time and talents. They helped us communicate effectively with their bosses. They facilitated our thousands of Congressional meetings in Washington, D.C. and in their Districts when travel was possible, and then in the virtual world when it was not. Perhaps most important, they helped us navigate the treacherous terrain of the legislative process. The 45G tax credit has and will continue to be one of the most important tools short lines have to make our infrastructure safer and more efficient for the huge areas of rural and small town America that we serve. For the perseverance of our Congressional allies, we are forever grateful. In the beginning, ASLRRA created a Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) to focus our time and resources on our legislative agenda. Our current LPC Chairman, G&W’s Jerry Vest, reminds us, “While this was a tremendous accomplishment for short lines and the customers and communities that depend on us, we need now to quickly pivot to engage with the new President, his Administration and the new Congress.” We will work to ensure robust short line eligibility for grant programs such as CRISI, BUILD, INFRA and others included in future infrastructure/stimulus proposals. We will work to educate a whole new set of regulators on the impact of new regulations—their costs and their benefits, or lack thereof. We will seek a realistic balance between resources devoted to passenger transportation vs. freight transportation. We will work to do a much better job than we have done
highlighting the significant environmental benefit of shipping by short line rail and the innovative work our companies are doing regarding fuel efficiency and adoption of new green technology. We will ensure our Short Line Safety Institute remains an effective contributor to workplace safety. We will strive to hold the line against any unwarranted truck size and weight increases. Even before it becomes clear if there will be a “next 45G,” we will begin working with the new Administration and Congress to develop the relationships and trust that are the key ingredients of legislative and regulatory success. In that regard, we are well under way with planning our 2021 Railroad Day on the Hill. It will be held in April. The pandemic requires that it will be a virtual event, and we are exploring every avenue for making it as successful as past Railroad Days. Having already conducted several Congressional Zoom meetings since the election, we have found that they expose the members of Congress to a much larger and varied audience of participants on the ground than might otherwise be able to leave their posts for travel to Washington, D.C. The 1948 film The Naked City popularized an iconic American phrase intoned by the narrator at the end of the film— “There are eight million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them.” So it was with the short line industry in 2020. We are but one of millions of stories of perseverance during a very difficult time. They are stories of individuals, families, organizations and businesses. Many were surely more harrowing than ours. Yet, we remain proud of what we have accomplished, and we look forward with confidence to the industry’s progress in what we sincerely hope will be less troubled times.
CHUCK BAKER President ASLRRA
railwayage.com
We’re current, are you? FRA Regulations Mechanical Department Regulations
Now Include Part 22 s 4
A combined reprint of the Federal Regulations that apply specifically to the Mechanical Department. Spiral bound. Part Title 210 Railroad Noise Emission Compliance Regulations Updated 4-15-19. 215 Freight Car Safety Standards Updated 1-11-21. 216 Emergency Order Procedures: Railroad Track, Locomotive and Equipment Updated 1-11-21. 217 Railroad Operating Rules Updated 1-11-21. 218 Railroad Operating Practices - Blue Flag Rule Updated 1-11-21. 221 Rear End Marking Device-passenger, commuter/freight trains Updated 1-11-21. 223 Safety Glazing Standards Updated 1-11-21. 224 Reflectorization of Rail Freight Rolling Stock Updated 1-11-21. 225 Railroad Accidents/Incidents Updated 1-11-21. 229 Locomotive Safety Standards Updated 1-11-21. 231 Safety Appliance Standards Updated 1-11-21. 232 Brake System Safety Standards Updated 1-11-21.
49 CFR Parts 209, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, and 272. In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, this final rule provides the 2020 inflation adjustment to civil penalty amounts that may be imposed for violations of certain DOT regulations. In addition, this final rule makes conforming revisions to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations to reflect inflationary adjustments to the statutorily-mandated civil penalties for violations of Federal law. DATES: This final rule was effective January 11, 2021.
Part 213: Track Safety Standards
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Current FRA Regulations Item Code
FRA Part #
Update effective
209 211 BKTSSAF 213 BKTSSG 213 BKWRK 214 BKFSS 215 BKROR 217 218 BKRRC 220 BKHORN 222 BKHS 228 BKLSS 229 BKSLI 230 BKSAS 231 BKBRIDGE 237 BKLER 240
1-11-21 7-20-09 1-11-21 10-7-20 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-11-21 1-14-21
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Each
RR Safety Enforcement Procedures & Rules of Practice Track Safety Standards (Subpart A-F) Track Safety Standards (Subpart G) RR Workplace Safety RR Freight Car Safety Standards RR Operating Rules and Practices
RR Communications Use of Locomotive Horns Hours of Service Locomotive Safety Standards Steam Locomotive Inspection RR Safety Appliance Standards Bridge Safety Standards Qualification and Certification of Locomotive Engineers BKCONDC 242 1-14-21 Conductor Certification
BKBSS
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BKCAD
40 219
4-23-19 Drug and Alcohol Regulations in 1-11-21 the Workplace
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Updates from the Federal Register may be supplied in supplement form.
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Part 214: Railroad Workplace Safety The FRA’s Railroad Workplace Safety standards address roadway workers and their work environments. Subparts A-General, B-Bridge Worker Safety Standards, C-Roadway Worker Protection, D-On-Track Roadway Maintenance, and Defect Codes for Part 214. Spiral bound. Updated 1-11-21.
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Part 228: Passenger Train Employee Hours of Service; Recordkeeping and Reporting; Sleeping Quarters 49 CFR 228 for records, recordkeeping, and reporting of hours of duty of a railroad employee. Also covers the construction of employee sleeping quarters and health requirements for camp cars. Softcover. Spiral bound. Updated 1-11-21.
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The Railway Educational Bureau 1809 Capitol Ave., Omaha NE, 68102 I (800) 228-9670 I (402) 346-4300 www.RailwayEducationalBureau.com Add Shipping & Handling if your merchandise subtotal is: U.S.A. CAN U.S.A. CAN Orders over UP TO $10.00 $4.75 $9.20 25.01 - 50.00 12.00 20.05 $75, call for shipping 10.01 - 25.00 8.80 15.35 50.01 - 75.00 13.50 25.05 *Prices subject to change. Revision dates subject to change in accordance with laws published by the FRA. 2/21
THIS IS BNSF. Going the extra mile for our customers and our communities.
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