In this section, we showcase short line industry stories published in local media.
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 members in Florida are preparing for another deadly hurricane as other railroads in the region continue to recover from the devastation caused recently by Hurricane Helene.
Members have already estimated damage from Helene will cost millions of dollars to fix, but limited federal resources are available to help railroads with the cost of repairing damaged equipment and infrastructure and restoring freight rail service. To add to the struggle, many short line employees must deal with the storm’s impact on their own homes in addition to working long hours to fix the railroad.
The devastation affecting railroads includes downed trees and power lines, blocked rights of way and washed-out track, damaged buildings and flooded railcars, mudslides and more. Railroad customers also experienced damage to their properties, and other issues related to local infrastructure such as roads and bridges and fuel shortages have further complicated recovery efforts.
ASLRRA is in communication with affected members, offering to help where it can. The Association continues to call on Congress to provide federal disaster relief to short lines, whether through a formal program or direct appropriations to the Federal Railroad Administration.
ASLRRA is also advocating for the passage of H.R.3782, the Short Line Disaster Relief Act, which would provide grants to short lines “for capital projects to protect, repair, reconstruct, or replace short line railroad equipment and facilities that the Secretary determines is in danger of suffering catastrophic damage, or has suffered catastrophic damage, as a result of an emergency.” The bill was introduced by Representative Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and has 23 cosponsors to date.
Use ASLRRA’s Disaster Resources to Prepare for Emergencies
To help members plan for and cope with extreme weather events and other catastrophes, ASLRRA has assembled disaster preparedness resources available on the Association’s website. Railroad and supplier members helped ASLRRA develop essential templates and checklists 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.
Resources on the Association’s Disaster Preparedness page include disaster planning, hazmat response and instructions on accessing an emergency docket, in addition to links to other government websites. ASLRRA members may download materials directly from the website. Find the Disaster Preparedness page under the Safety & Compliance tab.
A notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) aims to make changes to rules concerning the transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat) as defined in the Hazardous Materials Regulations.
PHMSA’s NPRM seeks to change specific provisions related to the transportation of hazmat via highway, rail and vessel. Some of the proposed changes would affect rail tank car use requirements and rail tank car and service equipment design approval requirements. According to PHMSA, the revisions will provide “greater clarity for hazardous materials rail carriage requirements and remove regulatory barriers to efficient operation without diminishing safety.”
Some of the rail-related changes include updating parts of the Association of American Railroads’ Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices, clarifying requirements for tank car loading and unloading, revising some current definitions of key terms, adding exceptions for route planning and expedited tank car movements in certain circumstances, and more.
ASLRRA staff is currently reviewing the rule and assessing its effect on short line railroads.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has published an updated version of its Locomotive Emissions Comparison Tool Emissions Data Documentation, which supplements the FRA’s Locomotive Emissions Comparison Tool (LECT) User Guide.
The LECT offers users a standardized approach to estimating emission reductions that would result from implementing FRA-funded projects. The data documentation information explains how emission datasets were derived for the LECT and identifies primary data sources. In particular, the document includes equations used to calculate emission reductions, discusses diesel locomotive emission factors and different engine replacement options.
The October edition of the Railroad Retirement Board’s (RRB) Question and Answer (Q&A) series discusses company buyouts and how they affect future railroad retirement benefit eligibility.
The Q&A covers a number of scenarios concerning buyout payments, including factors employees should consider when deciding between options that involve relinquishing or retaining job rights. Information provided also covers maintaining a current connection and whether employees can receive unemployment or sickness benefits paid by the RRB after accepting a separation or dismissal allowance.
Though Congress is currently in recess until after the November election, ASLRRA’s government affairs team continues to reach out to lawmakers’ offices to discuss support for House bill H.R.9522 and its companion Senate bill S.5008, which would update the current railroad track maintenance credit, known as 45G.
Representatives Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) introduced the bills in their respective chambers on Sept. 10. In an article posted on the Senate Finance Committee website on Sept. 11, Wyden emphasized the importance of short line and regional railroads to businesses nationwide and the value of the original 45G credit, adding that “the next step is to improve [the tax credit] to meet the needs of our businesses and communities today.”
Both bills have already garnered several cosponsors each in the month since they have been introduced, with additional lawmakers expressing an interest in supporting the legislation. The bills would increase the current tax credit cap from $3,500 per track mile to $6,100 per track mile and allow the credit to be adjusted for inflation in the future. Also, more track would be eligible for the credit, as the bills expand eligibility to all track owned or leased as of 2024. The current law only allows the tax credit to be applied to track owned or leased as of 2015.
In October’s ASLRRA Perspective in Railway Age magazine, ASLRRA President Chuck Baker discussed efforts to update 45G. He described a recent fly-in involving ASLRRA-member short line representatives who traveled to Washington, D.C. to talk about the tax credit and its importance with lawmakers and their offices. Baker also highlighted five reasons to support the 45G modernization bills, including for the potential to help create jobs, support American goods and services and improve railroads’ overall operational safety.
Several other publications have reported on efforts to update 45G, helping raise the issue’s visibility. Progressive Railroading magazine recently spoke with ASLRRA members about how the tax credit helps their short line railroads and why updating it is so important. That feature is available on Progressive Railroading’s RailPrime website.
To further share information about 45G with lawmakers and the public, ASLRRA has created a Tax Policy webpage and a two-page fact sheet. The Association hopes that its work to educate Congress about the importance of short lines and the tax credit will build momentum for the bills when they are reintroduced during the new 119th Congress that will convene next year.
ASLRRA is happy to recognize the winners of the golf tournament at the Eastern and Southern Region Meeting last week in Jacksonville, Florida. Congratulations to:
Individual Winners
Top Teams
Winners can contact ASLRRA’s Golf Chair Tom Austin for information regarding their prizes. ASLRRA thanks Austin for his help coordinating golf events at the Association’s meetings.
As a reminder, there are limited spaces remaining in the upcoming Central and Pacific Region Meeting golf tournament at the Luna Vista Golf Course. Register to play today!
Don’t delay in securing your spot to attend the Association’s Central and Pacific Region Meeting, held Oct. 28 to 30, as well as its targeted educational events, the General Counsel Symposium and the Finance & Administration Seminar.
The Eastern and Southern Region Meeting had record attendance, and positive reviews of education and speaker sessions. The Central and Pacific Region Meeting will provide a similar lineup of excellent education led by industry experts representing federal agencies, safety organizations and Class I railroads. President’s Safety Award winners will be honored, and there will be plenty of time for networking. Click here for a meeting agenda.
The General Counsel Symposium and the Finance & Administration Seminar are co-located with the regional meeting. The General Counsel Symposium will take place Oct. 28 to 29 and the Finance & Administration Seminar will take place Oct. 29 to 30.
The targeted events offer human resources, administration and legal professionals an opportunity to learn about issues in their fields as they directly relate to railroads. For instance, General Counsel Symposium attendees can hear about utility access to railroad property and the impact of recent Supreme Court rulings on administrative law. Finance & Administration Seminar attendees can learn about pre-employment functional testing, talent retention, payroll issues and retirement planning.
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. The only way to register for events is through ASLRRA communications and its website.
Hundreds of employees at ASLRRA-member companies are now receiving crucial industry training through programs available on the online Learning Management System (LMS), part of the Short Line Training Center. Meanwhile, their employers can track training and manage other records, all in one convenient place.
The training center is a collaboration between ASLRRA and Iowa Northern Railway Company and includes the LMS and a mobile training center. With the LMS, short line railroads can access a custom-built suite of industry training programs, including three newly added virtual reality courses. The LMS simplifies the training process, allowing companies to enroll employees, assign courses and monitor progression. Railroads can also generate reports and upload employee on-the-job training records to take full advantage of the platform’s ability to facilitate a company’s record-keeping capabilities.
In addition to the virtual reality courses, railroads can access training on Part 214 roadway workplace safety, drug and alcohol reasonable suspicion training and post-accident toxicological testing training. There are also a variety of other programs on federal regulations including track safety standards, railroad operating rules and freight car safety standards. Click here to view a list of programs currently available in the LMS.
For more information about enrolling in the LMS program or to schedule an online demonstration, please contact ASLRRA’s Sabrina Waiss.
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.
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
Strategic communications are important for railroads, whether the purpose is to advance government or community partnerships or identify and attract business opportunities. ASLRRA has held several communications-related webinars, recordings of which are available at any time online. Look for the titles below in ASLRRA’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.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has published a draft agenda for its Rail Share event being held Nov. 19 to 20 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The two-day meeting will bring together rail industry professionals, regulators and safety experts to discuss issues related to two main areas, “safety success through training and proactive safety methods for modern railroading.” Listed in the agenda are presentations focused on training best practices, safety risk identification and mitigation and more.
ASLRRA’s JR Gelnar will participate in a panel discussion on training best practices for maintenance of way and signal and train control, while Mark Vaughn of ASLRRA member Iowa Northern Railway and Katie Inouye of ASLRRA associate business member Spark TS will also participate in separate panel discussions.
Registration for the event is free, but required for all participants. Click here for more information and links to registration and the event hotel.
A new Hazmat Safety Tip from the Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) helps railroads prepare for site inspections made by representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The tip provides an overview of OSHA inspections and offers seven key points railroads can review to help them develop pre-established protocol that can improve communication, cooperation and compliance during an inspection. The tip also includes a list of the main types of violations and the accompanying penalties OSHA could identify as the result of an inspection.
Find a PDF version of the Hazmat Safety Tip here, or view a video version here.
SLSI produces Hazmat Safety Tips and general Safety Tips for organizations to use in safety briefings and for other relevant purposes. Many of these tips also have accompanying video versions. Find them all on SLSI’s Safety Tips page here.
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.
