By RSI Staff In 1982, the Buy America Act was passed as a provision of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, requiring mass-transit projects—be it rail, highway, or rapid transit—to purchase certain materials for infrastructure in the U.S. But domestic preference assumes a healthy domestic supplier base. So what does the health of rail supply in […]
Don’t Eliminate Per-Diem Leasing, Level the Playing Field
This Letter to the Editor was in the August 2024 edition of Progressive Railroading, p. 5. By RSI President Patty Long Dick Kloster’s recent article in Progressive Railroading magazine (“If I Were King of the Rail-car Fleet,” July 2024, p.14) raised a number of key issues confronting the industry. Dick is correct that if the […]
Overheard at Innovation in Rail
By RSI Staff This summer, RSI hosted Innovation in Rail, a one-day event on Capitol Hill focused on rail technology, the regulatory environment, and the economic contributions made by the rail supply industry. With so many great minds in one room, we had to ask: What excites you about the future of our industry? What […]
Bridging the Telematics Technology Gap: A Conversation With 2 RailPulse Members
By RSI Staff As technology continues to evolve at the speed of light and make access to data increasingly available, how does rail keep pace, especially when it comes to monitoring logistics? Today’s solutions are at times considered antiquated and disparate across the industry. RailPulse seeks to answer this question and modernize rail shipping for […]
RSI Commends Congress for Passage of H.R. 3317 to Strengthen National Security and Domestic Rail Industry
Washington, D.C. – May 22, 2024 – Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3317, the Rolling Stock Protection Act, taking a significant step toward protecting national security and the domestic rail industry. This legislation closes a loophole allowing grandfathered public transportation agencies to use federal funds to procure rolling stock from Chinese state-owned enterprises […]
‘Speaking to Every Corner of the Industry’: A Conversation With RSI Board Member Jeremy Erickson
https://youtu.be/X_iUuoM9awU?si=1GWGDCuPV-7EPncX In this video interview, we sit down with Jeremy Erickson, COO of Messiah Locomotive Service and RSI Board Member, to get some insight into his world. Jeremy shares how his company makes the most of tradeshow events, using them to build connections that drive their business forward. He also talks about the benefits of […]
Addressing the Boxcar Cliff: An Inflection Point We Can’t Afford to Miss
Rail finds itself at a precarious moment in time, faced with decisions that will not only impact our immediate industry, but the entire ecosystem it touches, from shipper to consumer. If you’ve been following RSI for the last few months, you may have seen advocacy efforts around the boxcar cliff ramp up. While the concept […]
RSI President Patty Long Appointed to Surface Transportation Board Passenger Rail Advisory Committee
WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, RSI President Patty long was appointed by Surface Transportation Board (the Board) Chairman Martin J. Oberman to the Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC). RSI President Patty Long released the following statement on her appointment: “I am thrilled to represent RSI and railway suppliers on the Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, and I […]
Railway Supply Institute Petitions for Urgent Reforms to Prevent Economic Derailment
Citing a looming supply chain crisis amid a dwindling number of active boxcars in the U.S., the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) has filed a petition with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) seeking review of the current rules for setting compensation to boxcar owners to avert a “boxcar cliff.” Current rules disincentivize the necessary construction of […]
Big Picture Trends, Areas of Collaboration and Next-Gen Advice: 2 Female Rail Executives Weigh In
While rail has traditionally been perceived as an industry driven by men, the fact is women have played a role from the start. Dating back to the late 19th century, individuals like Mary Walton developed a patent to deflect air pollutant emissions that would later be adapted for steam engines. In the 1970s, Bonnie Leake […]