February 2020 NRC Bulletin
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NRC Updates and Announcements
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NRC Annual Auction is May 14th, Hotel Block Now Available
The 17th
Annual NRC Railroad
Equipment Auction will be held on Thursday, May 14th in Granite City, Illinois.
The NRC has secured a room block for NRC Auction attendees at the Towne Place Suites in Edwardsville, IL.
To make your hotel reservations through our passkey link please click here
, or call the Towne Place Suites directly at 618-655-3001 and be sure to mention the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association's annual equipment auction to receive the discounted room rate of $129.00 USD.
As info, the auction will be held at 1900 Missouri Avenue, Granite City, IL 62040 (address via Google Maps
here
) from 8:00am to 1:00pm CT. Equipment Inspection will be on May 13th from 8:00am to 5:00pm, but practically speaking anytime in the weeks leading up to the auction. To schedule shipment or delivery of equipment for the auction, please contact Thomas Blackmon Jr. of Blackmon Auctions at
thomas@blackmonauctions.com
or contact NRC Staff at info@nrcma.org
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Railroad Day is Next Wednesday
The NRC is thrilled to partner with the industry in supporting Railroad Day on the Hill 2020. If you have not already registered please click
here
to register.
If you are already registered for Railroad Day on the Hill, please register for the Railroad Day 2020 Webinar Preparation Session, scheduled for March 2nd at 2:30pm ET. Please click
here
to register for the webinar. Also please note, that March 2nd will be your last chance to receive key information on FAQ's and other logistic information ahead of one of the important legislative days in the industry!
If you have any questions, please contact NRC staff at
info@nrcma.org.
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2020 NRC Membership: Join Today
Are you interested in joining the premier association that is building a safer and stronger railroad construction and maintenance industry then the NRC is for you!
The NRC works hard to expand rail construction and maintenance business opportunities, protect rail contractors from intrusive government regulation, and improve railroad construction safety and operations. In addition, NRC members find value in the networking provided by the NRC, including the annual conference, which annually features over 1200+ attendees from industry (Left, Finale Reception at 2020 NRC Conference).
If you would like to join,
please click here to fill out a membership form
and email to
mmcgonagle@nrcma.org
If you would like to learn more, please visit the NRC website at
www.nrcma.org
.
Look for testimonials from our members about the benefits they gain from membership. If you have any questions at all, or would like to confirm your company is current on 2020 dues, please contact NRC Staff at
info@nrcma.org
.
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USDOT: $1 billion in BUILD grant funding
The grants are used for planning and capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure and are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant local or regional impact, and
can be used to fund projects in rail, transit, ports, intermodal and other modes of transportation. The deadline to apply is May 18th. Please visit
https://www.transportation.gov/BUILDgrants
for more information.
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Progressive Railroading is Accepting Rising Stars nominations, Deadline is March 6
Progressive Railroading
is soliciting nominations for the eighth annual "Rising Stars" Awards. The magazine defines a Rising Star as someone under the age of 40 who is making a positive difference in his or her company, department or team, and is viewed by others — peers, colleagues, supervisors, clients or associates — as a rising star in the rail industry.
To be considered for the award, nominees must be younger than 40 years of age on Sept. 1, 2020, and currently work in North America's rail industry. The ideal candidates will be considered for recognition based on qualities such as their contributions to railroading, career achievements, demonstrated leadership, education, training, and professional association activity or community involvement.
Progressive Railroading will select 25 Rising Stars and publish their profiles in the magazine's September issue and will be honored at a recognition dinner on July 20 in Chicago. If you would like to nominate a nominate a Rising Star, please click
here.
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FRA Safety Symposium in Louisville
The FRA announced they will be hosting a free Track & Roadway Workplace Safety Symposium from May 19-21 in Louisville, KY at the Galt House. To register for the event please click
here.
As info, participation is limited to 700 people.
The symposium plans to cover technological advancements in on-track safety and track inspection, derailment prevention, continuously welded rail management, active research projects with a safety focus, rail defect detection trends and best practices, FRA regulatory guidelines, and more.
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Enhance your Railroad Engineering Skills Today!
Are you interested in enhancing your railroad engineering skills, and continuing your professional development? The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers over 10 continuing education courses serving the railroad industry covering a wide range of topics and offered in locations throughout the United States, and on-site as requested.
For more information, and to register for any of these classes please click
here.
If you have any further questions, please reach out to Dave Peterson, Program Director for the University of Wisconsin-Madison at dmpeter5@wisc.edu.
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Industry News and Updates
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Federal lawmakers U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) introduced the
Invest in American Railroads Act
which would expand the use of funding under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT)
Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing
(RRIF) program. The changes would allow states, local governments and private groups to use the program to upgrade existing rail infrastructure and develop rail lines and rail facilities.
BNSF plans to spend $3.4 billion on capital expenditures this year, down from the $3.57 billion the Class I budgeted in 2019. BNSF plans to spend $2.55 billion on replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast and maintaining rolling stock, they said. Maintenance projects will include 11,000 miles of track surfacing and/or undercutting work, as well as replacement of 489 miles of rail and nearly 2.7 million ties.
CIG funds for LA Metro's Westside Purple Line
A $1.3-billion grant for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) Westside Purple Line Extension, Section 3 project has been sent to Congress for a mandatory 30-day review period. The review of the grant, which is provided through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program, and is the final step before a Full Funding Grant Agreement can be executed between L.A. Metro and FTA. Assuming approval, the extension will help further connect LA's growing rail and bus transportation network.
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The NRC is a trade association representing businesses from across the nation in the rail construction and maintenance field. The NRC’s member companies range in size from small family businesses to the largest companies in the industry. NRC members perform work for transit, commuter, intercity passenger, industrial, and freight rail customers, with services including track construction and maintenance, grade crossings, signal and communications installation, bridge construction and repair, rail yard work, and many more. The NRC strives to put an emphasis on rail safety and quality while proudly serving the rail industry.
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