THIS month Jonathon Chalon succeeds Robert DeMarco as publisher of IRJ along with our US sister titles Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures. DeMarco, who has been IRJ's publisher since 1995, will become publisher emeritus.

Chalon has 29 years' experience in the magazine and online media industry. He was the head of the entertainment technology division (10 publications, eight websites, events, and data businesses) at Penton Media; publisher at Spin and The Industry Standard (the first magazine about the internet economy); head of international at Inc magazine; and a salesperson for BusinessWeek. His expertise is taking traditional magazines and diversifying their brands into online media, conferences, and data businesses.

Chalon has exciting plans to develop these three industry-leading magazines. For example, this month, RailwayAge.com will re-launch as a news destination website for the North American railway industry with news put into twelve searchable categories, while RT&S will be redesigned in the first quarter of 2012.

"There is a lot more coming for our brands in 2012, and I welcome your input," says Chalon. "Please feel free to email me with any suggestions or comments on how we can best serve your informational needs for today's new age of railways."