In this section, we showcase short line industry stories published in local media.
Pennsylvania ‘train in my yard’ railroad, nearly killed by Hurricane Agnes, turns 140 years old
Railroad members! If you want to be featured in this section, please email us the link. You can also tag us (@ASLRRA) in your social media posts. Interested in seeing your railroad showcased in your local newspaper? Contact Amy Krouse for assistance.
Yesterday, Representatives Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) introduced bills in their respective houses of Congress that would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the railroad track maintenance credit, also known as the 45G tax credit. In a press release, ASLRRA praised the legislators for taking this action.
“This game changing policy has been responsible for more than $8 billion in investment to date, but outdated caps and limitations are threatening to erode its potency. Four leaders in Congress have acted, enabling updates to the credit that will serve the rail industry, shippers, and the economies of small towns across the country for years to come,” said ASLRRA President Chuck Baker. “We are immensely grateful for the bipartisan and bicameral leadership of Senators Wyden and Crapo and Representatives Kelly and Blumenauer.”
The bills, S.5008 and H.R.9522, make three changes to 45G. First, they increase the maximum credit for qualifying track maintenance expenditures to $6,100 per track mile from $3,500. The $3,500 per track mile maximum has been in place since the tax credit was established in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004.
Second, the bills include language that would adjust the tax credit for inflation in future years. In taxable years beginning after 2025, the maximum credit amount will be increased according to the cost-of-living adjustment determined for the calendar year in which the taxable year begins.
Third, the bills allow all short-line-owned track miles to be eligible for the tax credit. Previously, only maintenance on track owned as of Jan. 1, 2015 qualified. Since then, many short lines have acquired additional track or started new operations. The language in 45G would be changed to include any track owned or leased as of Jan. 1, 2024.
“Short line and regional railroads are an essential part of our infrastructure and a lifeline that connects small businesses with consumers in markets all over the country. Senator Crapo and I worked for years to make the tax credit for these railroads permanent, and the next step is to improve it to meet the needs of our businesses and communities today. Our bipartisan legislation will deliver much-needed relief for short line and regional railroads to make vital upgrades that connect our rural communities, small towns, and urban centers to the marketplace,” said Senator Wyden.
Track maintenance is crucial for small railroads, as old, worn-out track is the leading cause of derailments for short lines. Short lines, which often acquire infrastructure suffering years of deferred maintenance, generally invest 25 to 33 percent of their annual revenue in track and bridge improvements. The tax credit enables these railroads to complete thousands of projects a year, improving rail service and having a proven safety and economic benefit. For example, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), train derailments have been reduced by 50 percent since the credit went into effect.
ASLRRA offers several resources for those looking to learn more about the benefits of the 45G tax credit or who want to share information with federal and state policymakers. The Association has a webpage focused on 45G and other state-level tax programs, and has a policy paper available online that can be downloaded, printed and shared with interested parties. Other links include a list of previous sponsors of the 45G bill, a study conducted by PwC on the economic impact of the tax credit and examples of 45G success stories.
A new Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety bulletin discusses the recent serious injury of a utility conductor and reminds railroads and railroad employees and contractors about important safety practices.
The conductor was struck by a rolling, uncoupled railcar during coal dumping operations that involved gravity switching. He was working between and around railcars at the time of the accident, pulling pins and setting and releasing handbrakes with a brake stick.
Though the FRA continues to investigate the accident, the agency issued the safety bulletin to remind railroad workers that safety briefings and training sessions should cover location-specific safety issues and operating rules. This especially includes rules about fouling tracks and equipment and using car hand brakes and brake sticks.
The FRA also recommends reviewing information from the Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group, including its Five Life Savers, and the FRA’s Safety Advisory 2011-02, “Following Procedures when Going Between Rolling Equipment.”
ASLRRA maintains links to the most recent federal safety alerts, reports and advisories on its website. This includes alerts from the FRA’s Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-way Employees and Signalmen (FAMES) Committee and Switching and Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group, FRA safety bulletins and reports from the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS).
ASLRRA joined a group of 71 organizations in a letter sent by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Secretary Marlene Dortch concerning a petition for rulemaking from NextNav.
The NextNav petition asks the FCC to make a rule reorganizing the 902-928 MHz band (lower 900 MHz band) and establishing a 5G terrestrial-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) network. The groups signing the letter oppose NextNav’s petition because they use the lower 900 MHz band, and a change would cause “significant and adverse disruption to the hundreds of millions of Part 15 devices currently using the band.”
A wide variety of devices, including industrial, scientific and medical equipment, use the lower 900 MHz band. The letter challenges NextNav’s assertion that the lower band is underutilized and lists several critical uses of Part 15 devicies, such as in railroad operations and safety, municipal infrastructure, supply chain operations, agriculture and more.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) discusses Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), the FRA’s rail decarbonization efforts and locomotive crashworthiness in three recently published technical reports.
In “Operation Lifesaver, Inc. Process Evaluation,” the FRA describes a study conducted by Volpe National Transportation Systems Center to evaluate OLI’s educational activities, focusing on activities funded through FRA grants. The research team used three evaluation questions in stakeholder interviews, evaluating gathered data to determine findings. The team also made recommendations to address identified challenges related to OLI staffing levels, FRA grant funding restrictions and FRA grant tasking.
In “Rail Decarbonization: A Global Collaborative Research Endeavor,” the FRA summarizes three rail workshops meant to foster global collaboration in an effort to set a foundation for decarbonization research efforts. The first two workshops were held online, while the third was held in person in Denver, Colorado in May 2023.
In discussing these workshops, the technical report describes decarbonization research currently being conducted or in development. Included in this list of projects is work being conducted by ASLRRA to evaluate technologies meant to improve the performance of short-haul locomotives.
In “Evaluation of Modern Locomotive Crashworthiness Performance,” the FRA studied current requirements for modern locomotive crashworthiness to determine their effectiveness given increased train lengths and larger freight capacity since the establishment of modern crash standards published in a 2009 FRA final rule. The research team undertook six tasks to evaluate crashworthiness, developing a high-fidelity locomotive finite element model and making recommendations for revisions to the technical specifications of the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) locomotive crashworthiness standard S-580.
Representative Michael Cloud (R-Texas) visited ASLRRA member Texas Coastal Bend Railroad (TCBR) last week, the latest of several federal lawmakers to visit Association member organizations operating in their districts.
At TCBR, Cloud met with railroad employees and toured the short line’s facility. According to TCBR parent company Watco, the railroad transports refined fuels, feed grain, wind turbines and more through the Port of Corpus Christi.
Although federal elected officials are back in Washington, D.C. to tackle spending bills and other issues, any ASLRRA member who is interested in connecting with lawmakers can still do so, with an eye toward future visits. Members needing assistance making an initial connection with those on Capitol Hill are encouraged to reach out to the Association’s Crystal Gitchell.
For those attending ASLRRA’s Eastern and Southern Region Meeting the deadline for reserving a hotel room in the Association’s room block at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville has been extended until this Friday.
There are also less than 10 spots still available for the golf tournament taking place at the World Golf Village’s Slammer & Squire course. Separate registration is required to participate in golf.
Click here to view a full meeting agenda, which includes nine education sessions, networking opportunities, and Sandhouse meetings. ASLRRA will also honor the recipients of this year’s President’s Safety Awards for the Eastern and Southern regions, and the ASLRRA Safety Professional of the Year, Albert Manning of Florida East Coast Railway.
CLE Credits Available for General Counsel Symposium
Attendees of this year’s General Counsel Symposium, taking place Oct. 28 to 29 in Dallas, Texas, can register to receive 6.25 or 7.50 continuing legal education (CLE) credit hours depending on their state.
General Counsel Symposium sessions include an antitrust legal update, general counsel roundtable, discussion of railroad law and an ASLRRA litigation update. View a full agenda here.
The General Counsel Symposium and the Finance & Administration Seminar, which will take place Oct. 29 to 30, are co-located with ASLRRA’s Central and Pacific Region Meeting. Networking breaks are scheduled at the same time across the three events, allowing all attendees to interact with their rail industry colleagues.
Rates for ASLRRA’s Central and Pacific Region Meeting will go up on Sept. 24, with hotel rooms in the Association’s room block for the event already in short supply. Those who register for the Central and Pacific Region Meeting, the General Counsel Symposium and the Finance & Administration Seminar can secure a room in ASLRRA’s room block at the Westin Galleria Dallas.
Industry experts in ASLRRA's Member Discount Program can assist member railroads in the preparation and submission of a number of different grant applications at the federal, state and local levels.
As a preferred provider of grant writing services, Colliers Engineering and Design offers discounted rates, industry expertise, and exceptional service to ASLRRA members. Visit ASLRRA’s Member Discount Program page and select Grant Writing Services to learn more about Colliers and other exceptional preferred providers.
To help members plan for and cope with natural disasters like flooding, extreme heat and other emergencies, ASLRRA has assembled disaster preparedness resources available on the Association’s website.
Railroad and supplier members helped ASLRRA develop essential templates and checklists on the Association’s Disaster Preparedness page to assist in the development of response plans that can be put in place and used as training tools before disaster strikes, as well as emergency response tools and resources to aid in the recovery process in the aftermath of a catastrophic event. ASLRRA members may download materials directly from the website.
ASLRRA also has a robust selection of recorded webinars available for members in the On-Demand Resource Library that may be used to prepare and train for emergency situations. Topics range from Crisis Communications and Media Training to Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting and Emergency Notifications Section Review.
Scholarships can help employees of small railroads attend important industry training, including events hosted by ASLRRA. The Association offers both Doug Golden Scholarships and Jake Jacobson Memorial Scholarships, made possible through generous donations from the Doug Golden-Mary Cullen Charitable Fund and the family of the late Jake Jacobson, respectively.
Applying for a scholarship is simple, and applications can still be considered for recently held training seminars such as those offered by ASLRRA this past summer. Learn more about some of the Association’s scholarship recipients and the ways scholarships benefitted their railroads here.
Click here to access more information about the scholarship program and find links to online application forms. Applications are accepted and awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year, although limited funding remains in 2024.
JR Gelnar attended a meeting of the Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-way Employees and Signalmen (FAMES) Committee hosted by BNSF in Overland Park, Kansas. The committee reviewed multiple cases and planned for the committee’s participation in the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Rail Share meeting in Florida this November.
Three ASLRRA staff members joined meetings for the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) various committees. Fred Oelsner traveled to Chicago, Illinois to attend a meeting of the GIS Committee (GISC), while Cameron Downs joined in virtually. Meanwhile, Crystal Gitchell was in Ponte Vedra, Florida to attend a meeting of the State Relations Policy Committee (SRPC) hosted by CSX.
Sarah Yurasko (below, left) participated in a roundtable discussion titled “The Role of Non-Profits in Advancing Gender Equity” at the 7th International Conference on Women and Gender in Transportation in Irvine, California. Also speaking at the conference was Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) Manager, Research and Organizational Development Julia Leone, PhD (below, right), who presented research during a session titled “Gender Diversity and Workforce.”
This webinar discusses how railroads and railroad partners can better acquire and retain successful workers using pre-hire talent assessments. Success stories from Class I railroads and other industrial companies will be presented. Webinar attendees will learn what talent assessments are and how they are set up and used in practice; recommendations for implementing talent assessments in their recruitment processes; and what low-cost and no-cost tools and resources are available as well as what services Aon Consulting offers in this area.
Speaker:
Sponsored by AON
This webinar includes an introduction to Operation Clean Sweep (OCS), of which ASLRRA is an official supporting member. OCS assists companies in their goal towards achieving zero plastic resin loss during operations, thereby keeping plastic out of the environment and surrounding waterways. The session will also discuss the OCS Rail program that was launched in 2024 as a new category of the OCS program specifically for rail partners and their operations. Several current OCS Rail members will also share individual case studies for an inside perspective on the program.
Speakers:
Sponsored by the American Chemistry Council
ASLRRA has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program to host a series of webinars that discuss the environmental advantages of freight rail. The below webinar recordings - and many more - are available any time in the Association’s On-Demand Webinar Library.
Visit ASLRRA’s webinar homepage and log in to view all the on-demand offerings in the Association’s webinar library.
BNSF Railway has chosen ASLRRA member Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway (AGR) as the first participant in the Class I railroad’s Shortline Select Program.
Shortline Select is a collaboration between BNSF and short line railroads to help drive business growth by improving service through better communication, shipment tracking and data transparency and faster equipment turnaround. As a Shortline Select member, AGR’s transload providers could be eligible to participate in BNSF’s Premier Transload Program, and locations on AGR’s line may be eligible for BNSF’s Certified Site designation.
Registration is now open for the Keystone State Railroad Association’s (KSRRA) Rail Freight Conference, which will be held April 15 to 16 at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, Pennsylvania.
The event includes a panel discussion on railroad safety and regulations, presentations on emergency response, railroad trespassing and grant best practices. There is also a golf tournament, train excursion on the Everett Railroad, evening reception and award ceremony. Use the link above to find more information about the event, including an agenda and links for registration and hotel booking.
Click here for a calendar of industry events.
Views & News is published by American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
Please contact Mariel Takamura, associate editor, with questions or comments.
