In this section, we showcase short line industry stories published in local media.
Ports of Indiana launching new railroad at Mount Vernon port
Partnership at Port Birmingham creating innovative warehouse project
North Shore Railroad affiliate to serve Pennsylvania feed mill
R. J. Corman to serve National Cement's new Tennessee location
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.
ASLRRA, in collaboration with members of the Association’s Human Resources (HR) Committee, has developed two new webpages, an Industry Employment page and a Career Opportunities page.
The Industry Employment page talks about the benefits of working for short line and regional railroads and provides examples of the types of jobs available with these organizations. The Career Opportunities page features links directly to the career pages of ASLRRA Class II and III members, enabling the public to look for available jobs at a particular railroad.
ASLRRA worked with the HR Committee to create these pages after committee members and others expressed concerns about recruitment and workforce development in the freight rail industry. The group wanted a way to raise awareness of employment opportunities with smaller railroads and highlight some of the advantages of working at Class II’s and III’s.
“The ASLRRA Human Resources Committee is excited to promote rewarding careers in the railroad industry, with a special focus on short line and regional railroads,” said HR Committee Secretary and Iowa Interstate Railroad Chief Administrative Officer Bobbi Allen. “We play a vital role in the global supply chain and want to highlight the unique benefits of working for a short line or regional railroad, including diverse job opportunities and a close-knit company culture — where our employees are names, not numbers! We hope that by creating this forum for railroads to share their career pages, they will be able to reach an even larger pool of potential candidates.”
The Industry Employment page highlights some of the characteristics of a job in the short line industry, such as an emphasis on employee engagement, multiple opportunities for training and promotion and a more positive work-life balance. Page visitors can also learn about the wide variety of railroad jobs available to people with all levels of work experience and education. This includes positions in operations, technology, mechanical, marketing, engineering, training and administration.
On the Career Opportunities page, visitors can view lists of participating railroads, organized according to geographic region. Links go directly to a site managed by the ASLRRA member, many of which describe the company’s work environment and provide a way to review job openings and submit resumes or job applications.
Being listed on the Career Opportunities page is currently a benefit only available to ASLRRA’s Class II and III railroad members. Those interested in participating are still able to submit their company’s information by sending their company name, career page link and ASLRRA region, if known, to Mariel Takamura at mtakamura@aslrra.org. Those with other questions can also contact Takamura at the email address listed above.
Today was the final day of ASLRRA’s Eastern and Southern Region Meeting in Jacksonville, Florida. The Association was able to host the meeting for a record number of attendees despite the regional impact of Hurricane Helene, which first made landfall near Perry, Florida last Thursday.
One of the highlights of the event was the awards ceremony, where ASLRRA recognized winners of the President’s Awards for safety performance. The Association also honored the 2024 Safety Professional of the Year, Florida East Coast Railway Training Program Manager Albert Manning, who was unable to accept his award at ASLRRA’s 2024 Annual Conference in Kansas City.
This year’s Eastern and Southern Region Meeting offered a wide variety of speakers and educational sessions. Railroaders heard from their colleagues during a Short Line Leaders Panel, while Class I representatives gave updates on their operations and other speakers focused on subjects including locomotive alternative energy, grants and project delivery, signal certification, drug and alcohol regulations and procurement.
Rounding out the educational portion of the meeting were multiple networking opportunities and sandhouse sessions for Eastern region members, Southern region members and suppliers. The Young Professionals Committee hosted an afternoon networking event on Monday, which was followed by an evening reception. ASLRRA’s golf tournament was also able to go on today as scheduled, with participants teeing off at the World Golf Village’s Slammer & Squire Course.
ASLRRA will hold its Central and Pacific Region Meeting later this month. Learn more about it and find registration links in the ASLRRA Events section of this newsletter.
Florida East Coast Railway Training Program Manager Albert Manning, winner of the 2024 Safety Professional of the Year Award, was honored today at the Eastern and Southern Region Meeting.
Consolidated Rail Corporation, Eastern Region Winner – More than 500,000 person-hours worked
Union Railroad Company, Eastern Region Winner – 250,000 to 500,000 person-hours worked
Allegheny Valley Railroad Company, Eastern Region Winner – 50,000 to 150,000 person-hours worked
Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corporation, Eastern Region Winner – Less than 50,000 person-hours worked
Conrad Yelvington Distributors, Inc., Southern Region Winner – More than 500,000 person-hours worked
Paducah & Louisville Railway, Inc., Southern Region Winner – 250,000-500,000 person-hours worked
R.J. Corman Railroad Company-Memphis Line, Southern Region Winner – 150,000 to 250,000 person-hours worked
Georgia Southwestern Railroad, Southern Region Winner – Less than 50,000 person-hours worked
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California issued an order in ASLRRA and the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) litigation against the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and its In-Use Locomotive Rule.
Instead of ruling on the associations’ motion for summary judgment, the court instead stayed the litigation, pending a decision from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on CARB’s authorization request for its locomotive regulation. Although the court’s decision does not provide railroads with the immediate relief they had requested, the decision memorializes CARB’s promise not to enforce any aspect of the regulation until the EPA has issued its decision, at which time the issues will be re-evaluated.
ASLRRA staff continues to review the ruling and will provide an update when the EPA announces its decision.
ASLRRA has joined over 270 local, state and federal trade associations in a letter to President Joe Biden urging him and his administration to work to end the current strike at container ports on the East and Gulf Coasts.
The strike is now in its second day. Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) are fighting for increased compensation and protection from industry automation. The strike is estimated to cost as much as $5 billion per day, particularly affecting U.S. exports. Nearly 2 of 3 containers leaving the U.S. go through eastern ports.
The letter states that while the undersigned associations would have preferred a resolution through the collective bargaining process, the implications of a long strike are too severe and the administration should intervene to reopen ports and “work with the parties to resolve the outstanding contract issues.”
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is investigating a recent fatality involving a conductor, and has issued Safety Bulletin 2004-07 to remind railroads, rail employees and contractors about the importance of safety briefings and training sessions.
The conductor was inspecting his freight train after receiving a hot wheel notification and was standing in a curve within the foul of an adjacent track. He was fatally struck by a commuter train that came around the curve behind him on the adjacent track.
The new safety bulletin reminds railroads that safety briefings and training sessions need to cover and identify location-specific safety risks and relevant operating rules. The FRA focuses on certain points including that railroads should ensure employees fully understand the risks of working on or around tracks and should conduct operational tests to ensure employees are complying with operating rules and safety requirements.
The FRA also suggests railroads consult Safety Advisory 2010-03, which focuses on staying alert and situational awareness.
ASLRRA has added the new safety bulletin to its own safety notification resource page. This page includes links to FRA safety alerts and bulletins, and information from the Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-way Employees and Signalmen (FAMES) Committee, SOFA Working Group and Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS).
A new final rule from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) amends the agency’s accident and incident regulations that govern reporting, classification and investigations. This final rule makes official the FRA’s approach to gathering information from and consulting with stakeholders during an accident or incident investigation.
According to the FRA, the current investigation policy was developed in response to a mandate established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The FRA worked with labor and rail organizations and others to produce a document titled “Policy for Gathering Information and Consulting with Stakeholders.”
Because the FRA views the rule as a “noncontroversial action that generally codifies FRA's current process,” the agency did not publish a prior proposed rule. The rule will go into effect on Oct. 31 unless the FRA receives “adverse, substantive comment” prior to that date. ASLRRA staff is currently reviewing the rule for its effects on short lines.
In support of October being national Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has once again launched a number of resources meant to help companies and people raise their awareness of cyber threats and the means to protect themselves.
Using the theme “Secure Our World,” CISA will offer a number of online resources and training materials, as well as webinars throughout the month. Webinar topics will include CISA’s talent development initiatives and protecting schools from cybersecurity threats. CISA will also host live events on the LinkedIn Live platform throughout October.
For more information please see CISA’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month website or its Secure Our World website.
Additional briefs were filed in the case concerning the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) two-person crew size rule.
On Sept. 24, the FRA filed a response to ASLRRA’s opening brief. The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD) filed an intervenor brief yesterday. In addition, two amicus briefs were filed Monday and Tuesday, respectively, by the Coalition of States and the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), both in support of the FRA, the case respondent.
ASLRRA staff is currently in the process of reviewing these briefs in preparation for the Association’s response at the end of the month. Three organizations, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, the National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF) and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce filed amicus briefs in August in support of ASLRRA.
A technical report from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) discusses efforts to develop a wheel-rail creep force model, while a research results paper examines methods to improve identification and monitoring of rockfall-prone areas near railways.
Modeling the Effects of Top-of-Rail Products on Creep Forces in the Wheel-Rail Interface
This study looked to develop a wheel-rail creep force model that could measure friction forces between the wheel and rail while taking into account the effect the application of top-of-rail (TOR) materials, such as lubricants. The research team evaluated several different TOR products to understand pick-up and consumption of TOR products, which can be used to evaluate new product performance. Researchers also identified opportunities for future tests and ways to expand the existing model.
Detection of Rockfall-Prone Areas Through InSAR-SBAS Analysis
This project aimed to improve railway safety by using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques and Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) analysis to better identify areas along the railroad right of way that are prone to rockfalls and landslides. The FRA noted that current geohazard event prediction models do not identify these specific areas, so the goal was to integrate InSAR techniques with SBAS analysis to evaluate two locations where rockfalls resulted in train derailments, one in West Virginia and the other in Oregon. Results showed that using the SBAS method helped identify specific locations where rockfalls or landslides could occur given a triggering event. Future work will expand on this research to develop an approach that can be used to monitor the railroad right of way and aid the creation of predictive tools.
Last week President Joe Biden signed a continuing resolution (CR) to maintain current fiscal year (FY) funding levels as Congress continues to finalize appropriations bills for FY 2025, which started on Oct. 1. The CR would expire on Dec. 20 unless Congress passes a new appropriations act prior to that date.
Passage of the CR prevents a government shutdown and keeps government agencies, including the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), operating as usual. While the CR maintains most funding at current levels, there are some changes. For instance, the CR provides more money to the Secret Service for operations related to the 2024 presidential campaign and other events. The CR also extends several programs and authorities set to expire, including the National Flood Insurance Program, some veterans and Department of Agriculture programs, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Cybersecurity Protection System and others.
Congress is currently in recess until Nov. 12, after the general election. However, Biden has said he is considering calling lawmakers back to Washington to pass a supplemental bill to fund Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Ranking Member Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) have filed a group of 93 amendments, known as a “manager’s package” to the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2025. One of the included amendments is the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness (REEF) Act, which would permanently end mandated cuts to railroad workers' unemployment and sickness insurance benefits.
Leaders of the SASC and the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) must now work to combine their respective NDAAs before passage of a final bill. The SASC’s manager’s package will be considered during NDAA negotiations. ASLRRA staff will continue to monitor the amendment as the NDAA process moves forward.
ASLRRA supports the REEF Act and has signed several industry letters encouraging lawmakers to support the bill. Nearly 200,000 active railroad workers are eligible for unemployment and sickness benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board’s (RRB) Unemployment Insurance Account. But likely because of an omission Congress made almost 40 years ago, the RRB is subject to sequestration.
Congress paused sequestration during the COVID-19 national emergency, but cuts resumed when the national emergency ended, reducing temporary unemployment and sickness benefits to railroad workers by 5.7 percent. While regular unemployment compensation for other industries is exempt from sequestration, the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) is not.
Register today to join railroad industry professionals at ASLRRA’s Central and Pacific Region Meeting, held Oct. 28 to 30 in Dallas, Texas.
In addition to engaging and up-to-date education sessions, the regional meeting will feature several networking opportunities and a Monday evening reception. ASLRRA will also honor the winners of the President’s Awards for safety performance from the Central and Pacific regions during the meeting’s general session.
ASLRRA will also host its targeted educational events, the General Counsel Symposium and the Finance & Administration Seminar, which are co-located with the regional meeting in Dallas, Texas. The General Counsel Symposium will take place Oct. 28 to 29 and the Finance & Administration Seminar will take place Oct. 29 to 30. Lodging for all three events is available at the Westin Galleria Dallas, but the discounted hotel rate in ASLRRA’s room block ends Oct. 7.
ASLRRA reminds its members that the Association does not partner with outside groups to book registration or hotel rooms and does not authorize any individuals or companies to do so on ASLRRA’s behalf. ASLRRA will not contact you directly via phone or email to make hotel reservations.
The only way to register for events is through ASLRRA communications and its website. Likewise, the only way to book a hotel room in ASLRRA’s room block at special rates is by using links provided on the Association’s website or by contacting the hotel directly using information and codes from ASLRRA.
APEX Rail Automation (formerly Vossloh Signaling), based in Grass Valley, California, is a leading provider of advanced automation technology tailored to the specific needs of short line and regional railroads. APEX offers a range of rail automation solutions, including railyard management software, remote-controlled hydraulic switch machines, remote FAS-PAS dark territory switch control, and AEI RF railcar tracking. Their switch control and signaling products include main line track switch machines, connecting rods, layouts, and industrial crossing warning systems. Blake Kelly, Director of Sales – Short Lines, Contractors, and Industrials, is our primary contact and can be reached on (254) 292-8500.
ASLRRA hosted its Leadership Development Training Seminar – Regulatory Module this week, co-located with the Eastern and Southern Region Meeting in Jacksonville, Florida.
The number of attendees was the largest to date for this seminar, which incorporates a review of federal regulatory agencies and key railroad regulations with exercises to improve participants’ leadership and management skills. ASLRRA’s Vice President, Safety and Compliance JR Gelnar and Rio Grande Pacific Corporation’s Vice President, Safety and Compliance Mitch Harris led the two-day training event.
The Leadership Development Training Seminar was the last of ASLRRA’s educational events for 2024. The Association has posted a tentative list of next year’s training seminars, which will include two new courses: Leadership Development – Train the Trainer Module and Railroading 101.
Other seminars planned for 2025 include:
ASLRRA staff is working to confirm seminar locations and dates. Bookmark ASLRRA’s Training Seminars page to keep track of all updates.
Attendees hear from ASLRRA's JR Gelnar during the Leadership Development Training Seminar – Regulatory Module. A record number of people participated in this week's training event, which was co-located with the Eastern and Southern Region Meeting in Jacksonville, Florida.
ASLRRA members have exclusive access to downloadable Drug and Alcohol Educational Materials, including posters, a Part 219 educational brochure, affidavit templates and employer review documents, designed in consultation with subject matter experts on the Association’s Safety and Training Committee.
The members-only educational-materials webpage also features links to webinar recordings addressing Part 219 control of alcohol and drug use, and covering regulatory requirements, testing programs and issues, and educational materials for railroads. All recordings can also be found in ASLRRA’s On-Demand Webinar library.
As an ASLRRA Preferred Provider, Loram offers discount pricing on its Aurora Track Inspection Technology featuring state-of-the-art imaging technology that scans track to reveal the specific condition of every tie along the way, pinpointing potential problems and marking their exact location.
A comprehensive tie inspection using Loram’s Aurora technology provides a detailed report that enables a railroad to streamline capital maintenance programs and helps ensure they are in line with industry regulations with compliance reports, while also helping them to plan repairs in the most efficient way possible.
All ASLRRA Member Discount Program Preferred Providers are carefully vetted companies committed to providing discounted pricing, special offers and guaranteed exceptional services on a range of industry-specific products and services. Visit the Association’s Member Discount Program page to view all Preferred Providers and learn how Loram’s Aurora Track Inspection Technology can make railroad operations safer and more efficient.
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
Those who are looking to learn more about legal issues in the railroad industry can find several recordings in ASLRRA’s On-Demand Webinar Library. Look for the titles below in the legal category online:
Visit ASLRRA’s webinar homepage and log in to view all the on-demand offerings in the Association’s webinar library.
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.
