Strategic Railroading

Mr. Ron Lindsey is the father of Strategic Railroading and of the core operating strategies. He is both a well sought after consultant and a disruptive presence in the railroad and intermodal  industries, both in the U.S. and internationally, as he unabashedly promotes better railroading and transportation operations through cost-conscious and practical technology and operations.

Mr. Lindsey has 40+ years in the industry both as railroad management and as an independent consultant. As railroad management, he held the positions of Chief Engineer Communications at Conrail (when Class I) and Director of Advanced Train Control at CSX. In this latter position, he was the architect for the first overlay PTC system that has provided the basis for the PTC systems being pursued by the Class I’s. Additionally,  he was the Project Leader for an engagement for the Egyptian National Railways to evaluate the safety and efficiency of its operations including the feasibility of implementing PTC. Similarly, he has completed a study for Kazakhstan’s railroad (KTZ) to develop a Virtual CTC solution to replace its antiquated, Soviet-era CTC / cab control traffic control .  Additionally, his consultancy developed an Enterprise IT Architecture (EITA) for KTZ which is the first known in the global rail industry. Lastly, Mr. Lindsey is actively seeking to assist railroads in Africa and South America that could benefit by implementing  pragmatic, non-signaling solutions for safe operations in lieu of capital-intensive traditional and advanced traffic control systems, e.g., ETCS.

Mr Lindsey has served for 18 years as an independent consultant, therefore he does not represent suppliers or accept commissions.

Mr. Lindsey focuses on the strategic advancement of operations via technologies.

Recent engagements include the following:

• Strategic Crew Management Study – BNSF
• Tactical & Strategic AEI Study – CP Rail
• Strategic Wireless Study – FRA
• Advanced Grade Crossing Market Study.- supplier
• Integrated Intermodal Information Flow & Architecture – supplier

Mr. Lindsey offers a 1-2 day Railroad Immersion Course that has been used by Class I’s and suppliers alike to evaluate their use and marketing of technologies, respectively, in the North American rail industry. Some version of the course has been taken by CP Rail, Ansaldo, Wabtec, Locheed Martin, Bombardier, Alstom, Cisco, Motorola, IBM, Princeton Consultants, and others. He also has a 1-day PTC Course for those looking to understand the concept, technologies, and opportunities for Positive Train Control.

Mr. Lindsey is the author of the quarterly journal Full Spectrum, which has been published and read across the Rail Industry for 14 years. Full Spectrum’s subscribers include Class I railroads, FRA, and major suppliers.

He has also been published in the Journal of Transportation, Progressive Railroading, and IEEE’s Vehicular Technologies, and he is currently a Contributing Editor for Railway Age and a frequent a speaker at railroad conferences both in the U.S. and internationally.

Prior to his railroad careers, Mr. Lindsey was with IBM and the Trustees of the Penn Central Railroad.

Mr. Lindsey’s formal education includes a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgy from Pennsylvania State University. He also has extensive training / experience in Business System Planning, Technical Sales, Presentation Techniques, and various Operation Research tools.

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