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October 2018 —
Issue Preview
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Bonus Distribution:
100th Annual Railway Tie Association Symposium and Technical Conference, Oct. 22-25, 2018 (Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Bonita Springs, Florida)
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Cover Story:
CSX — On the Road to 'Being the Best'
CSX has undergone a lot of change since mid-2017, when E. Hunter Harrison became the Class I's top officer. Precision railroading was instituted. Many hump yards were closed, hundreds of miles of track were sold, thousands of jobs were cut or eliminated, and several senior executives quit or were let go.
Harrison died in late 2017 and was succeeded by James Foote, who worked with the iconic rail executive for 11 years at CN. Since then, Foote has built a new senior team that includes former CN exec Ed Harris as head of operations and Diana Sorfleet as head of administration. Now, Foote is trying to guide CSX past the period of change and toward a goal of tip-top performance. The president/CEO characterizes the objective as "being the best" among the Class Is when it comes to financial performance and service metrics. In addition, the railroad is making headway on the culture-change front.
What progress has CSX made? What still needs to be accomplished? For answers, Managing Editor Jeff Stagl checks in with Foote, EVP of Sales and Marketing Mark Wallace, and several other executives.
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Special Report:
Progressive Railroading's 17th Annual Passenger Rail at a Glance
As North American transit agencies attempt to accommodate ridership growth and maintain a state of good repair in a precarious funding environment, they continue to invest in passenger rail — whether it means purchasing modern equipment/new technology, replacing aging infrastructure or building new lines.
What types of projects are agencies investing in? Who's investing in rolling stock? What are their annual operating costs? Capital costs? It's all here in "Passenger Rail at a Glance," our annual report on transit agency facts and figures. The 2018 edition details current and proposed capital projects from more than two dozen of the continent's largest transit agencies
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C&S:
The Progress with PTC as the 2018 Deadline Nears
The more than 40 Class Is and commuter railroads that are federally mandated to install positive train control have only a scant few months left to meet the end-of-2018 implementation deadline. And there's still a lot of work they need to finish — especially since many of the roads plan to file for a two-year deadline extension from the Federal Railroad Administration after meeting certain installation criteria by Dec. 31. We touch base with several Class Is and commuter railroads to gauge their progress on the implementation curve.
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MOW/Annual Market Update:
Cross, Switch & Bridge Ties
In June, tie production rose 1.4 percent to 1.54 million units and purchases soared 23.7 percent to 2.23 million units compared with May levels, according to Railway Tie Association (RTA) data. On a year-over-year basis, production fell 14.2 percent, while purchases dropped 10.4 percent. Year to date, production totaled 8.57 million ties, down 22.1 percent compared with last year. Tie purchases through 2018's first six months were down 3.5 percent to 11 million units compared with the same 2017 period. Production is down by a 25.3 percent annual rate, RTA reported.
Do tie producers expect the production decline to continue? What about tie purchases? For context and perspective, we talk with the RTA, and wood-tie suppliers and treaters.
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C&S:
Lightning & Surge Protection
To protect against service disruption due to lightning strikes, railroads use an array of surge protection systems. We connect with a cross-section of suppliers to find out what products and systems they're employing, as well as new surge-protection approaches they're taking.
I look forward to helping secure your ad the best placement in our pages or on ProgressiveRailroading.com.
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Sincerely,
Mike Singler
Regional Sales Manager
Progressive Railroading
P: 815-302-7055
mike.singler@tradepress.com
2018 Media Kit
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