About the author

Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith joined IRJ in 2009 as Features Editor and since then has travelled the world reporting on developments in the world's railways. He was appointed Managing Editor in 2017 and Editor-in-Chief in February 2020. Before joining IRJ, Kevin worked for several local newspapers in the United States and as a freelance technical writer for a university engineering magazine. Kevin graduated with a first class honours degree in American Studies from Lancaster University, Britain, in 2006, and with a Master's degree in American Studies from Purdue University, United States, in 2008.

January 7, 2016 | North America

US railfreight volumes fall in 2015

CONTINUING weakness in energy and manufacturing as well as struggling international economies are cited by the American Association of Railroads (AAR) as the cause of a 2.5% reduction in railfreight traffic volumes in the United States in 2015.

January 5, 2016 | Central/South America

Guadalajara awards light metro train contract

GUADALAJARA Urban Electric Train Company (Siteur) has awarded Bombardier a Pesos 752m ($US 43.4m) contract to supply 12 two-car light metro trains for operation on Line 1 of the city's standard-gauge 750V dc network.

January 4, 2016 | Financial

Vossloh completes Rail Vehicles sale to Stadler

VOSSLOH confirmed the sale of its Spanish-based Rail Vehicles division to Stadler Rail on December 31 following the completion of all relevant merger control clearances. The deal was initially signed on November 4 and is the first of three prospective sales of the units which comprise Vossloh's Transportation division.

January 4, 2016 | Europe

IRJ looks ahead to The Railway in 2016

FOR its January 2016 issue, International Railway Journal has forsaken its usual format for something a little different. The Railway in 2016 is a comprehensive look ahead to the trends and issues set to impact the global rail industry in 2016 and beyond through interviews and insight from leading industry figures from across the world.

December 31, 2015 | Track

Windhoff lifts lid on track vehicles for SBB

WINDHOFF has released further details of the 35 self-propelled On-Track Machines it is supplying Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in what it says is the company's largest ever order.

December 31, 2015 | Freight

Eurotunnel’s Le Shuttle reports record 2015

EUROTUNNEL reported on December 23 that its Le Shuttle railfreight service for road vehicles set an annual record for Channel Tunnel lorry shipments in 2015 beating the previous record set in 2012.

December 31, 2015 | Technology

Shinkansen H5 trains using NSK bearings

HOKKAIDO Railway Company is using a range of bearings developed by NSK for its new fleet of H5 trains that will be used Hokkaido Shinkansen between Shin-Aomori and Sapporo, which is due to open in March 2016.

December 29, 2015 | Track

University to develop tram rail-wear tool

THE University of Huddersfield's Institute of Railway Research (IRR) has secured a £140,000 grant to develop a software-based asset management tool to help light rail operators calculate the most appropriate rail-wear limits for their network with the aim of increasing maintenance intervals.

December 23, 2015 | Central/South America

Salvador finally opens original Line 1

BRAZILIAN president Ms Dilma Rousseff attended a ceremony in Salvador on December 22 to open Pirajá station and the final 2.2km phase of the original 11.9km metro Line 1, 12 years after the project was initially scheduled for completion.

December 23, 2015 | Europe

Saarland issues regional tender

THE German state of Saarland's Ministry of Economy, Labour, Energy and Transport has published a tender in the Official Journal of the European Union for a concession to operate passenger services on the Saar RN electric network for 15 years from December 2019.