|
Upcoming
Industry Events
Wheel Rail Interaction Conference
June 18-21, 2019
New Orleans, LA
APTA Rail Conference
June 22-June 26, 2019
Toronto, ON
AARS 123rd Annual Meeting
July 22-July 24, 2019
Norfolk VA
Railway Interchange 2019
September 22-25, 2019
Minneapolis, MN
RailTrends 2019
November 21-22, 2019
New York, NY
|
|
REMSA
Welcomes New Members:
|
|
Railway Interchange 2019
September 22-25 in Minneapolis, MN
Housing & Registration Open & Exhibit Space Filling up
Railway Interchange 2019
,
North America's largest railway exhibition and technical conference, will be back in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA September 22-25.
Here's why you should register NOW:
- Experience invaluable opportunities for networking and collaboration with nearly 9,000 rail industry professionals from around the globe
- Technical sessions at the AREMA 2019 Annual Conference focus on increasing your knowledge, technical expertise and networking and provide a forum for exchanging ideas. You can earn up to 12.5 professional development hours.
- Learn about the latest technology, products, services and research from 600+ exhibitors at both indoor and outdoor exhibits.
- Save $75 if you register before August 15, 2019.
- Class I and short line railroad employees and government employees are eligible for complimentary Expo passes.
With vital educational workshops and seminars, state of the art products, services and technology on view in the indoor and outdoor exhibition, as well as networking opportunities throughout
Railway Interchange
is THE place to meet railway industry representatives from around the world.
Any questions related to the exhibition can be directed to Urszula Soucie at (202) 715-2921 or [email protected]
.
|
Washington Update
President Trump Cancels Infrastructure Meeting,
Short Line Tax Credit Reaches Majority in the House,
and Congress Prepares a Ban on Chinese Rail Cars
President Trump's meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at the White House went awry and was abruptly cancelled as both sides traded barbs and questioned each other's intentions to negotiate in good faith. The group had been scheduled to discuss funding proposals for a $2 trillion comprehensive infrastructure package, which they had agreed to only weeks before. As time runs out, this represents a major setback for any infrastructure bill before the 2020 presidential election.
This month, the short line tax credit crossed a key milestone in the 116
th Congress as it reached 221 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, constituting a majority support in the lower chamber. The tax credit continues to inch towards a majority support in the Senate with 47 cosponsors. On June 20, the House Ways & Means Committee is expected to hold a markup on tax legislation that is rumored to include a three-year extension of the short line tax credit, covering 2018 through 2020. That legislation would likely be paired with Democratic priorities, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, along with pay-fors that include rolling back portions of the estate tax exemption and bumping the corporate tax rate from 21% to 22%. While some of these items may create problems in the Republican controlled Senate, the legislative movement in the House is a positive sign as a prerequisite for future negotiations on tax issues.
The House Armed Services Committee has approved a bill that would ban transit agencies from using Federal Transit Administration money to purchase Chinese-manufactured rail cars. The economic and security concerns of the China Railway Rolling Stock Corp's foray into the American rail market is gaining significant traction on both sides of the aisle in Congress.
This week, leaders from the rail industry are set to testify before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on rail workforce issues, including potential mandates that would require two-person crews operating freight railroads. FRA Administrator Ron Batory and AAR President Ian Jeffries will be among the key witnesses along with heads of several rail labor associations. Meanwhile, the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee is set to hold a hearing on FA
ST (
Fixing America's Surface Transportation)
Act. Reauthorization of the FAST Act, which expires in 2020, is likely to replace any meaningful infrastructure legislation and would not include massive increases that a larger infrastructure bill could provide. The FAST Act of 2015 was funded at $305 billion over 5 years, in contrast to current proposals for a $2 trillion infrastructure bill over 10 years.
-------------------------------------------
If you are interested in learning more about REMSA's government affairs efforts, please reach out to Jacob Carter at
[email protected]
.
|
Become the REMSA Member-of the-Month
Ready for the chance to be named the official REMSA Member-of-the-Month?
Every month, starting in July, REMSA will be highlighting an individual from one of our member companies in the Mainline newsletter and on our social media pages.
We want to know how you got started in the rail industry, what you love most about the business, who you are outside of the "office" and so much more.
Tell us your
story.
-------------------------------------------
Contact Madeleine Stern, Membership & Marketing Manager to apply today at:
[email protected] or (202) 715-2919.
|
|
LRW Accepting Nominations for Railway Woman of the Year Award
The League of Railway Women
(LRW) has opened nominations for its 2019 Railway Woman of the Year Award, which is co-sponsored by Progressive Railroading.
Nomination criteria and the online nomination form
are available on the LRW website
. Nominations will be open until August 16.
Corina Moore
, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Northland and the 2018 Railway Woman of the Year said, "The award is a great way to showcase the opportunities that exist for women leaders in the industry, and I am proud to have been a recipient.
This important organization and award recognize and support the growth of women in rail, advancing the impact and strength of women in the workplace."
|
REMSA Introduces Member Facebook Group
The Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association, Inc.
(REMSA) has created a community for members to share ideas, collaborate and connect with fellow industry associates.
We want to create a space for members to ask questions, exchange marketing ideas and be a part of a rail industry community.
-------------------------------------------
Contact Madeleine Stern, Membership & Marketing Manager, with questions at:
[email protected] or (202) 715-2919.
|
|
REMSA Grassroots Program
Interested in Hosting a Grassroots Event in 2019?
The 116th Congress has more than 100 new members in the House of Representatives and 10 new Senators, making 2019 a terrific opportunity to host a REMSA grassroots event at your company.
REMSA's Grassroots Program connects our association's membership with members of Congress to host tours and site visits of company facilities and ongoing projects. It's a terrific way to showcase the positive impact that your company has in the local community, while also building strong personal relationships with your elected representatives. We will also take the initiative to engage with local and regional media outlets to highlight your company and maximize the visibility of the great work that you are doing.
Are you interested in growing your network and highlighting your products and services to the rail industry?
|
Industry News
UP recently implemented PTC on 582 route miles, bringing required PTC-operated route miles to 13,597. PTC was implemented on all required passenger routes on track owned by UP in 2018, UP officials said in a press release. (Progressive Railroading)
The construction project will include the laying of 490,000 ties and transporting 2.35 million tons of granite and limestone by 20,000 rail cars. About 2 million spikes and bolts will be hammered into place over the next 36 months. "Connecting Central and South Florida will bring thousands of jobs today and by modernizing infrastructure, we will strengthen Florida's economy for decades. For a project of this scope and magnitude, a world-class construction team has been assembled to undertake this tremendous assignment and we congratulate them helping us make history," said Virgin Trains USA President Patrick Goddard. (Progressive Railroading)
Total combined U.S. rail traffic for the week was 536,358 carloads and
intermodal units, down 1.8 percent. Railroads registered a combined total of 267,006 carloads, up 2.2 percent, and a combined total of 269,352 intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.5 percent versus a year ago.
Five of the ten carload commodity groups that AAR tracks on a weekly basis posted increases. They included coal, up 5,696 carloads to 84,256; petroleum and petroleum products, up 2,511 carloads to 13,165; and chemicals, up 1,794 carloads to 33,646. (Progressive Railroading)
Sound Transit
's Board last week identified preferred design alternatives for the 11.8-mile West Seattle and Ballard Link light-rail extensions
to study in a draft environmental impact statement (EIS). The project calls for extending light rail nearly 8 miles from the Angle Lake station in SeaTac to Federal Way. It includes final design and construction of a light-rail guideway that will connect to the existing Angle Lake Station and extend south to the Federal Way Transit Center bus station.
(Progressive Railroading)
The CA$775 million project will be financed through the joint investment of all three partners. "In an economy driven by consumer spending-derived freight, long haul supply chains need to be modern, cost effective and reliable. Hutchison is a world class container operator and we are confident that we are partnering with a group that can make the project a success," said CN President and Chief Executive Officer JJ Ruest. (Progressive Railroading)
The track work will require 14 weekend service disruptions scheduled to take place through the summer into fall on the south branch of the Green Line and along the shared Green and Pink Line tracks between the Loop and Ashland Avenue in downtown Chicago, according to a CTA press release. (Progressive Railroading)
The global market for metro vehicles is expected to continue to grow at the rate of about 3% per annum, despite an already high market volume. The metro car after-sales market is expected to continue to expand by almost 6% annually due to the continually increasing size of metro train fleets. (International Railway Journal)
Patrick Ottensmeyer Named the 2019 recipient of the Railroad Innovator Award by Progressive Railroading
Progressive Railroading and RailTrends® have named Kansas City Southern President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Ottensmeyer the 2019 recipient of the Railroad Innovator Award, which recognizes an individual's outstanding achievement in the rail industry. (Progressive Railroading)
|
Member News
The companies formed a joint venture to provide full-service railroad, industrial and civil construction service to Canada's rail industry. Allied-Tron will offer increased training, employment and economic opportunities for indigenous people in Canada, according to a joint press release. (Progressive Railroading)
Austintown Rail Supply will now operate as BR&L's Austintown, Ohio, location. BR&L retained the company's 10 employees, and expects to add three or four more employees to support a new crane rail operation.
(Progressive Railroading)
Balfour Beatty has completed construction of a 2.3-mile extension of the Regional Transportation District of Denver's E, F and R light-rail lines. Known as the Southeast Rail Extension during construction, the project adds three new stations: Sky Ridge, Lone Tree City Center and Ridgegate Parkway. (Progressive Railroading)
The tie plugging device has been used for decades in the field and now has been trademarked with the official name. (Progressive Railroading)
Vice President and Project Manager Mat Fletcher celebrated 20 years of service with the company. Fletcher has provided services for more than 200 projects, including the grade separations for BNSF Railway Co. in Galesburg, Illinois; work for Union Pacific Railroad for the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency program; the BNSF intermodal facility expansion in Memphis, Tennessee; a new triple track for BNSF in Kelso, Washington; and Alaska Railroad Corp.'s northern extension. (Progressive Railroading)
Norfolk Southern is preparing to roll out TOP21, the railroad's new precision scheduled railroading operating plan, to enhance customer service, increase operating efficiencies, support growth, and drive long-term shareholder value. "TOP21 will improve our network fluidity and velocity, reduce our circuity and train miles, make our railroad more resilient, and give us greater capacity for growth. We are engaged with our customers to talk about these changes and how we all can benefit from the opportunities that lie ahead as we fully implement the plan," said Alan Shaw, Chief Marketing Officer. (Norfolk Southern)
The Omaha-based contractor will operate the branch line that runs between the Idaho state line near Pullman and Marshall, just south of Spokane, WSDOT officials said in a press release. Meanwhile, Washington State Transportation Secretary Roger Millar announced a federal $5.7 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant will help fund improvements to the state-owned Palouse River and Coulee City (PCC) rail system. (Progressive Railroading)
Pettibone and Mecalac partnered to provide sales and service support in North America for the Mecalac 8MCR Rail-Road, a compact crawler excavator built with factory-installed hi-rails for railway maintenance and service work. (Progressive Railroading)
|
|
(1).png)
