News

Year in Review 2023

NERR Club Year in Review 2023

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Remembering Dick Towle

Long-time club member Dick Towle passed away this month. In remembrance of Dick we’ve reposted his member spotlight from 2021.

At first glance, Richard Eliot Towle’s life seems to be bookended by photography and railroading.  On closer examination, his story also is bookmarked by family and friends and by public service and safety.  His devotion to the railroad in his service to the Town of Manchester (now Manchester-by-the-Sea), the Federal Railroad Administration, and Operation Lifesaver makes him the ideal first member in the “Spotlight.”

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March 3, 2022

FRA To Hold Boston Trespass Prevention Summit

The Federal Railroad Administration invites you to the
Railroad Trespass Prevention Summit
for the Greater Boston Area April 27th. The free event will be held at the Holiday Inn in Somerville, MA.

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June 11, 2021

SAVE THE DATE – October 14, 2021

“Please watch our website to register online for the annual New England Railroad Golf tournament and our Lobster dinner!”

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March 30, 2021

New England Railroad Club Honors Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority Executive Director Patricia Quinn, With Prestigious Vincent R. Terrill Lifetime Achievement Award

“Boston, MA- The New England Railroad Club Executive Committee has awarded Patricia Quinn, Executive Director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) with the Vincent R. Terrill Lifetime Achievement Award for her exemplary commitment to passenger rail service in New England and beyond throughout her career.”

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January 19, 2021

Forming the President’s Young Professionals Advisory Council

“In the 2021 program year, Clary Coutu, current President of the New England Railroad Club has formed a new initiative to increase the club’s engagement with young professionals active in the rail industry.. …”

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October 14, 2020

Clary Coutu Knows How to Get Things Done on the Commuter Rail

“The first thing you need to know about Ana Claribel “Clary” Coutu is that there is no such thing as a typical day. …”

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November 25, 2019

FRA extends deadline for training standards rule

“The Federal Railroad Administration last week announced an amendment to a proposed rulemaking regarding training, qualification and oversight for safety-related railroad employees. …”

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October 02, 2019

Shifting freight demand from truck to rail will improve air quality, study finds

“With constant pressure and a potential rise in truck hauling costs, there might be a shift towards railroads. Though freight moving by railroads tends to …”

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October 01, 2019

MBTA Orange Line Cars Pulled From Service: Report

“The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has taken all of its new CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corp.) MA-built Orange Line rapid transit cars out of service to install replacement door bump stops after one door leaf opened on one car while its six-car trainset was in motion, according to a report by MASSLive. The trainset went into emergency braking automatically and stopped, according to the MBTA. No injuries were reported.”

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September 27, 2019

APTA calls on feds to increase commuter rail funding for PTC, other safety efforts

“American Public Transportation Association (APTA) officials earlier this week urged Congress to increase support for commuter railroads by authorizing $1 billion in funding for positive train control (PTC) over six years through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grants program.”

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September 23, 2019

Third annual National Rail Safety Week commences

“MBTA, Keolis and Canadian National Railway launch educational services and campaigns to spread rail safety awareness.”

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August 28, 2019

Amtrak, MassDOT To Launch Valley Flyer Service

“Amtrak, in conjunction with MassDOT, is launching a new state-supported, seven-day-a-week passenger train for a two-year pilot program on August 30 called the Valley Flyer.”

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March 15, 2019

Streetcar Simulator to be Featured at Rail Tech Conference

Visit booth 33 in the Exhibitor Display Area at the Rail Tech Conference to try your hand at driving a streetcar using the Corys Operator Training Simulator! Corys is joining us for the first time this year and will be displaying their new Desk Style
Railroad Simulator. The unit will be set up to provide an inner-city, streetcar type of simulation, much like an MBTA Green Line trolley. Corys simulators provide a fully functional replication of the operating controls; computer-generated scenery, signaling systems, positive train control systems, with real-time train dynamics based on accurate geo-located track and railroad assets including switches, signals, signs, etc. Corys simulators can be found in use at many of the railroads serving the Northeast region, including Amtrak, Metro-North, MBTA, CSX, Genesee & Wyoming, Conrail, and CN. They are also in use at the FRA’s Cab Technology Integration Laboratory in Cambridge, MA.

 

March 5, 2019

2019 Rail Tech Conference & Expo to Introduce a Series of Seminars Aimed at College Students Looking to Pursue a Career in the Railroad Industry

As part of our ongoing efforts to introduce the next generation to the railroading industry, the New England Railroad Club will be dedicating an entire conference room to a special, afternoon-long seminar series for college students. Representatives from area railroads will be presenting both individually and as part of panels, highlighting the types of jobs that can be found in the office, at repair facilities, and on the rails. They will focus on the skills and education needed to perform various jobs, hiring practices, growth areas in the industry, and how employees must conform to federally-mandated rules and regulations – like drug and alcohol testing.

Seminar Topics

12:30pm to 1:15pm
An Introduction to the Railroad Industry
Presenter: Nate Kaplan, GORAIL
Overview: A brief history of railroading for beginners; what it is, how it started, and how railroads shaped America. The discussion will include overviews of rail technical subjects. A short video presentation will be included in this seminar.

1:30pm to 2:30pm
Railroading as a Career
Experts from several of the region’s freight railroads and a major consulting company host a detailed seminar focusing on the different career paths that are available in the industry. The seminar will include video and PowerPoint presentations.

Panelists:
James Bonner, President, New York & Atlantic Railroad
Cynthia Scarano, Executive Vice President, PanAm Railways
Edward Foley, Vice President – East, Northeast Region Railroads, Genesee & Wyoming
Brian Moroney, Senior Project Manager Jacobs Engineering

2:45pm to 3:45pm
Railroading as a Career – Panel Discussion and Q&A Session
In this follow-up panel discussion to the Railroad as a Career seminar, the group will expand the focus of the previous seminar using a more informal approach and provide a forum by where participants can participate in the discussion through a question and answer period.

Panelists:
James Bonner, President, New York & Atlantic Railroad
Cynthia Scarano, Executive Vice President, PanAm Railways
Edward Foley, Vice President – East, Northeast Region Railroads, Genesee & Wyoming
Brian Moroney, Senior Project Manager Jacobs Engineering
Mike Klabunde, Product Manager, WiTronix

Admission to the seminar session event is free for college students. A special reduced rate dinner ticket is available for students who would like to attend the dinner. Visit the Rail Tech Conference page for details and to reserve tickets.

 

January 30, 2019

NERR Club Presentation to Northeastern University ASCE Student Chapter

Club Secretary, John Read, made a presentation “Is a Career in Railroading for Me” to students from the Northeastern University ASCE Student Chapter. The presentation introduced the students to the New England Railroad Club, Railroad Track and Equipment, the Railroad Industry in America, Megaregions and their Transportation needs, Railroad Employment Statistics, and Career opportunities in the Railroad Industry. The presentation made use of information and videos from Transportation for America, the Regional Plan Association’s America 2050, Transit Orientated Development, Auto Insurance Center, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Association of American Railroads. Club member James Eng, MassDOT Assistant Director Rail & Transit, attended the presentation and gave a brief description of his career in the rail industry. A number of students indicated interest in receiving further information and becoming members of the Club. Additional presentations are planned for Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the UMass-Lowell Student AREMA Chapter, prior to the Rail Tech Conference on March 21 being at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA.

The New England Railroad Club encourages college students who are interested in a career in the rail transportation industry to join the Club and attend our meetings. Club members are also available to visit colleges and universities in New England region to give presentations on the industry, technological advances, and career paths. To find out more please contact us using the form on the website.

 

January 24, 2019

2018 Mechanical & Purchasing Night Meeting

The New England Railroad Club’s third meeting in 2018-2019 schedule was held on January 24th at the Omni Parker House in downtown Boston. Joining the Club as guest speaker was Ernest Piper, Chief Mechanical Officer for Keolis Commuter Services in Boston. Over 100 members gathered for the event. Seated at the head table were Ernest Piper; Stephanie Lavino, President of the New England Railroad Club; Shannon White, AVP

Northeast Region Mechanical for Genesee & Wyoming, Steve Adkins, Director of Maintenance, MBTA Railroad Operations; and Mike Tetler, Director of Finance, Pan Am Railways. After providing a short introduction on his current duties as CMO, Mr. Piper gave an interesting and humorous presentation to the membership about his experiences working on the Alaska Railroad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 6, 2019

News_JanMeeting1News_JanMeeting2January Mechanical & Purchasing Meeting Registration Now Live

The New England Railroad Club is pleased to welcome Ernest Piper, Chief Mechanical Officer for Keolis Commuter Services, as the guest speaker for our Mechanical & Purchasing Night Dinner Meeting on January 24, 2018. Mr. Piper is responsible for overseeing the maintenance and inspections of over 125 locomotives and 481 coaches. He came to Keolis with over three decades of leadership experience in railroad operations, industrial and operating safety, marine safety, emergency management, environmental planning and compliance, and public policy.

Tickets for the dinner can be purchased on the Mechanical & Purchasing Night event page.

 

November 29, 2018

News_UMassPresentationNERRC Presentation to Students at UMass-Amherst

Club Secretary, John Read, made a presentation “Is a Career in Railroading for me” to students from the UMass-Amherst Transportation Engineering Program. The presentation introduced the students to the New England Railroad Club, Railroad Track and Equipment, the Railroad Industry in America, Megaregions and their Transportation needs, Railroad Employment Statistics, and Career opportunities in the Railroad Industry. The presentation made use of information and videos from Transportation for America, the Regional Plan Association’s America 2050, Transit Orientated Development, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Association of American Railroads. A number of students indicated interest in receiving further information and becoming members of the Club. Additional presentations are planned for the Northeastern University American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapter and the UMass-Lowell Student AREMA Chapter early next year. To view the pdf of the Powerpoint presentation, click on the graphic at right.

The New England Railroad Club encourages college students who are interested in a career in the rail transportation industry to join the Club and attend our meetings. Club members are also available to visit colleges and universities in New England region to give presentations on the industry, technological advances, and career paths. To find out more please contact us using the form on the website.

 

November 1, 2018

News_RyanPresentationNews_NovMeeting3News_NovMeeting2News_NovMeeting12018 Executive Night Dinner Meeting

The New England Railroad Club continued its 2018-2019 schedule on November 1st, holding the 135th Executive Night meeting at the Omni Parker House in downtown Boston. Joining the Club as guest speaker was Ryan Coholan, Chief Railroad Officer, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority/MassDOT. Over 120 members were in attendance, gathering first to network and socialize before the dinner and keynote speech.

Mr. Coholan’s presentation included a detailed overview of the current MBTA commuter rail operations, including the state of the system, the challenges it is facing, and where there were opportunities for growth. He paid special attention to ridership counts and fare collection, and how new technologies – like automated passenger counters and onboard mobile point of sales – are helping to provide better ridership statistics, passenger comfort, and ease of use. The complete Powerpoint show is available in pdf format by clicking on the graphic at right.

 

 

 

October 11, 2018Club President, Stephanie Lavino

The membership and Executive Board of New England Railroad Club President would like to congratulate Club President Stephanie Lavino for being selected to receive the Railway Age Women in Rail award for 2018. The award recognizes outstanding women from the railroad industry based on their leadership, vision, innovation and accomplishments. The winners were selected by esteemed rail transportation professionals Barbara Wilson, President, Wells Fargo Rail; and KellyAnne Gallagher, Director, Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Standards, New York MTA. The award winners will be showcased in the November issue of Railway Age.

 

 

October 3, 2018

MBTA’s Ryan Coholan to Keynote Executive Night 2018

Ryan Coholan, Chief Railroad Officer, MBTARyan Coholan will join the Club to speak on the current “state of the rail” in Massachusetts, specifically innovative programs that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, MBTA, and Keolis Commuter Systems have been working on to enhance the operation and expand the rail system.

Ryan Coholan is a 27-year railroad veteran, who started into the industry as most of us do, out of curiosity. Ryan began working in a locomotive shop as a laborer and progressed through the ranks and also across disciplines. Ryan has held many positions in the railroad industry, such as Trainmaster, Rules Examiner, Train Dispatcher, Track Inspector and General Manager. Ryan joined the MBTA in 2014 as a Railroad Operations Manager, and has been the Chief Railroad Officer for the last 2 years. In this role, Ryan is responsible for the safe and efficient daily operation of the MBTA/MassDOT Commuter Rail system, as well as administration of the Operating Agreement with Keolis Commuter Services including Engineering, Mechanical, as well as administration of the Operating Agreements with Keolis Commuter Services and Amtrak.