Progressive Railroading

Hi %%firstname%%

I am reaching out to you regarding Progressive Railroading's May issue. I want to help raise awareness of your products and services and keep your company top of mind. Here's a sneak peek at what's being covered in the May issue:

  • Cover Story: At BNSF, Intermodal to Continue driving growth
  • Passenger Rail: Chicago Metra's Rail-Car Rehab Program
  • Mechanical: Freight-Car Repair Market Update
  • MOW/C&S: Winter Challenges
  • Product Roundup: Onboard Locomotive Monitoring Technology (Part 2)

Scroll down for additional information on these topics.

Ad space closes on April 11th and materials are due April 18th.


If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, please feel free to contact me.


Sincerely,

Kirk Bastyr
Publisher
Progressive Railroading
Phone: (502) 500-3524
kirk.bastyr@tradepress.com

 


Cover Story: At BNSF, Intermodal to Continue driving growth
In 2015, BNSF Railway Co.'s intermodal volume inched up 1 percent compared with 2014's level, but the traffic segment would have registered a decline for the year if not for a 2.5 percent gain in domestic shipments. Domestic intermodal business has been the bread winner for the Class I's consumer products division of late, given the relatively decent state of consumer spending.

To ensure the domestic loads keep coming, BNSF has amped up efforts to educate shippers about intermodal's advantages. The railroad also has cranked up spending on infrastructure improvements to create and expand intermodal capacity, including $3.5 billion over the past few years on its Northern Corridor, and the recent completion of a new bridge and secondary track to cross the Pecos River on its Southern Transcon route. Moreover, BNSF recently launched an intermodal app that aims to make it easier for trucking partners to move freight in and out of the Class I's facilities.

Senior executives view intermodal as an engine that will continue to drive business growth, especially since they believe there still are significant over-the-road conversion opportunities in existing domestic service lanes. To learn how they plan to keep nurturing that engine and exploiting those opportunities, Managing Editor Jeff Stagl travels to Fort Worth to talk all things domestic intermodal with some key execs, including Group Vice President-Consumer Products Katie Farmer, VP of Domestic Intermodal Todd Carter and Assistant VP of Intermodal Hub Operations Brant Ring.

Passenger Rail: Chicago Metra's Rail-Car Rehab Program
Metra is not unique among U.S. transit agencies that are spending millions of dollars upgrading their rail cars. However, the way the Chicago commuter-rail agency is going about its plan is unusual: Metra is doing all the rehabbing itself using its own, experienced crew working at an in-house facility.

This month, we'll take a look at Metra's program to rehabilitate 176 Amerail cars at the agency's 49th Street Car Shop along the Rock Island Line in Chicago, a program Metra says will save the agency millions by rehabbing the cars instead of replacing them all with new ones. The facility can strip and fully rebuild a car in just 32 days, according to Metra.

Mechanical: Freight-Car Repair Market Update
How's business for the North American freight-car repair segment? The market for tank-car retrofits was supposed to pick up in recent months – did it? How about other car types? Are repair shops seeing more work coming their way? If it's coming, how are they gearing up for it? A sampling of freight-car market observers and repair execs share their insights.

MOW/C&S: Winter Challenges
Now's the time for freight and passenger railroads to make sure they're prepared for winter. Suppliers of snow removal, switch heaters, de-icing systems and other wares share details on a current product, piece of equipment or service.

Product Roundup: Onboard Locomotive Monitoring Technology (Part 2)
In April, we featured onboard locomotive monitoring technology from a half-dozen industry suppliers. This month, we'll feature more products, systems and technology that monitor locomotive health, train handling, fuel use and overall performance.

Bonus Distribution: North American Rail Shippers Association Annual Meeting (Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, Va., May 24-26, 2016)