Tag for Digital Railroading content across all brands.
ST. LOUIS — Former Wabtec CEO Ray Betler has joined the board of directors of Intramotev, the company developing autonomous railcars. Betler, who began his career as a propulsion systems engineer at Westinghouse, rose to become the youngest head of engineering and later president and CEO in the company’s 120-year history. He joined Wabtec in […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Technology firm Infosys announced it has completed a data modernization program for CSX, consolidating the railroad’s fragmented data systems into a unified cloud-based platform. Infosys says the program is one of the largest deployments of its kind in the field of transportation and logistics. It uses Infosys Topaz, a set of services, […]
CARY, N.C. — TransmetriQ today announced the release of VIN Tracking, which allows auto manufacturers and dealers to track finished vehicles by Vehicle Identification Number as they move by rail from manufacturing plants to distribution terminals and to dealers across North America. The new feature addresses a longstanding challenge in automotive logistics. Traditionally, manufacturers and […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The inescapable topic of artificial intelligence was, well, inescapable at last week’s Midwest Association of Rail Shippers winter meeting, making it one of the few topics to regularly elbow its way onto the event’s otherwise merger-dominated agenda. Speakers throughout the two-day conference talked about the ways AI is already used in a […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — If there’s a white whale that railroads have long hunted, it’s the goal of converting truck traffic to rail. It’s a centerpiece of Union Pacific’s effort to show public benefits to its merger with Norfolk Southern, but the goal is hardly a new one. Janet Drysdale, Canadian National’s chief commercial officer, said […]
WASHINGTON — In a move with the potential for significant impact in the rail industry — and one certain to be felt by railfan photographers — the Federal Communications Commission this week announced a blanket ban on new foreign-made unmanned aircraft systems, or drones. The ban also covers foreign-made drone components, but does not affect […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway will dramatically increase its track inspection capabilities early next year with the systemwide deployment of locomotive-based sensors that analyze track geometry while pulling trains in revenue service. BNSF developed its ODIN system — which stands for Onboard Defect Identification & Notification — entirely in-house in 2023. The system relies […]
Editor’s note: The January 2026 issue of Trains Magazine includes author Greg Richardson’s article on the development of positive train control, “The road to PTC,” viewed primarily through the lens of his time in Union Pacific’s PTC program. Space limitations precluded inclusion of his look at development of PTC for Big Boy No. 4014; we […]
ATLANTA — When a broken wheel caused a derailment on Norfolk Southern — just a mile after NS received the train through interchange — it prompted the railroad to begin tinkering with new ways to detect wheel defects. “We as a leadership team said there’s got to be a better way,” Chief Operating Officer John […]
MISSOULA, Mont. — BNSF Railway expects to complete installation of positive train control on the former Montana Rail Link by December, concluding a long-running project that predates BNSF’s acquisition of the regional railroad. BNSF said on social media that PTC was implemented on 36 miles of its MRL Subdivision in June, with work in progress […]
LOS ANGELES — Metrolink has rolled out the use of smart crossing technology — which avoids unnecessary delays at grade crossings near stations — with its introduction at two crossings near its Baldwin Park station. The Wireless Crossing Nearside Station Stop technology communicates with positive train control to prevent crossing gates from lowering as a […]
BERLIN — InnoTrans, the biennial event that is the world’s largest transportation trade fair, will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026 with a fully booked display area, organizer Messe Berlin has announced. Almost a year ahead of the 15th InnoTrans, set for Sept. 22-25, 2026, all of the more than 200,000 square meters of display […]
