Inside, you’ll find these feature stories:
- Clamp it Down! — There is more than one way to secure rail to crossties, from traditional spikes to a wide variety of clips, to suit any application. Railway Age Senior Editor Carolina Worrell provides a roundup of fastening-system supplier offerings.
- Positive Train Control: Best Practices, Lessons Learned — Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono finds out about PTC’s impact on safety and operations at CSX and what’s next for the technology from Carl Walker, the Class I railroad’s Vice President Engineering, C&S/PTC & Dispatch Systems.
- Electrified Rail Vehicle Testing at the TTC — How is the Transportation Technology Center utilized for these types of vehicles and what is the outlook for freight and passenger railway electrification? Matthew Dick, P.E., VP Strategy & Business Development, ENSCO, Inc., and Ron Lang, Program Manager, TTC, ENSCO, Inc. explain.
In the 2025 Railroad Financial Desk Book, Railway Age Financial Editor David Nahass discusses the “controversial” boxcar market with Ross Corthell, Vice President Transportation, Packaging Corporation of America; Eric Monger, Vice President, KBX Logistics; and Paul Titterton, Executive Vice President and President–Rail North America, GATX. He also shares lease rates for coal cars, boxcars, covered hoppers, centerbeam flat cars, tank cars, and mill gondolas.
Additionally, Capitol Hill Contributing Editor Frank N. Wilner addresses the November elections and what railroads and their investors might expect to happen regarding Surface Transportation Board and Federal Railroad Administration leadership. Adriene Bailey, Partner and Head of Rail, Americas at Oliver Wyman Transportation Practice, covers the top themes at STB’s recent hearing on U.S. freight rail industry growth: from opportunity, competition, and investment and growth capacity to technology and innovation, customer-centricity, service reliability, investor pressure, and STB’s role. And Chuck Baker, President of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, explains why 45G is a powerful public policy in need of an update.
