Booth reservations are filling up quickly for the 2024 NRC-REMSA Exhibition in Scottsdale!

The exhibition will take place January 3-4, 2024 at in conjunction with the 2024 NRC Conference, which will run January 3-6, at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, AZ. Please follow this link for the 2024 NRC-REMSA Exhibitor Terms & Conditions which includes show schedule, display guidelines, etc. For more information on exhibits, booth pricing, etc., or to reserve a booth, please visit the NRC-REMSA 2024 Exhibition Welcome Page.

For questions regarding hotel, sponsorships, or the NRC Conference, contact Mike McGonagle.

Eligible students may submit one application to be considered for both awards.

Applications for both programs are due by November 28, 2023. Contact Heidi Baker for additional questions.

Washington Update

On September 7, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) issued a long-awaited proposed reciprocal switching rule. The rule seeks to enable shippers to move cargo from one railroad to another under certain circumstances. This has long been an issue the freight railroads have opposed. The proposed rule aims to allow companies that ship goods whose facility is served by only one railroad to switch their load to a different railroad at the first possible juncture. The STB, which previously approved the rule unanimously, says it will promote competition among the consolidated railroad industry. The rule would enable a reciprocal switching agreement when a railroad’s service fails to meet certain performance standards. Additionally, no rail customer has succeeded in obtaining a reciprocal switching order in the last 40 years and none have even been sought by a shipper since before 1990. Comments on the NPRM are due by Oct 23. For more information, please click here.

Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), who co-wrote the Railway Safety Act bill with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), said that he spoke with Democratic leadership on September 6 about bringing the bill to the floor. “They, in the most explicit terms yet, confirmed to me that we will have a vote on it this fall,” Vance said. “Obviously, a lot of funding stuff, appropriations stuff is taking precedence in September.” Vance is referring to the looming potential (and increasing likelihood) of a government shutdown if a Continuing Resolution or ‘omnibus’ bill is not agreed to by September 30. The bill would need 60 votes to get through the Senate, and at this time it is rumored that there is not enough to reach that threshold. There are seven Republicans total who have publicly said they would support the bill, and Sen. Brown also stated that all 51 Dem Senators would join their Republican colleagues in voting for it. Vance said that he’s open to making changes to the bill if it would mean a bigger margin of victory, but that he doesn’t think the bill needs to be changed from its current form. “We need to move first in the Senate, because our bill was really the first out of the gate,” Vance said. “It will create a lot of momentum in the House once we get ours passed.”

Additionally, over the month of August, REMSA participated in outreach and meetings targeting members of the House of Representatives highlighting our issues with heavier truck bill language. REMSA highlighted that when it comes to passing an appropriations omnibus or a continued resolution that the THUD appropriations, the farm bill and the supply chain, be free of any language to increase truck size or weight. Of particular concern are bills H.R. 3372, H.R. 2948 and H.R. 2493. Additionally, REMSA President Urszula Soucie, co-authored a letter to Congress with ASLRRA, NRC, and RSI on behalf of REMSA. Please click here to see the letter. The letter and outreach conducted mentioned that as Congress looks to address significant issues in the coming months, specifically THUD appropriations, the farm bill and the supply chain, that these bills be free of any language to increase truck size or weight. Of particular concern, are the aforementioned bills, that would cause significant damage to our nation’s infrastructure.

Samantha Kozak, Marketing Specialist | Holland

How did you get started in the rail industry?

After graduating with a degree in marketing & advertising, I started the typical job hunt like most college grads. I originally worked in the jewelry industry through high school and college so I was looking for a change of industry to broaden my experience. A friend of mine worked for Holland and let me know that there was a position open, and I applied not knowing much about the industry. It’s now been over 5 years working with Holland and I cannot imagine being in another industry!

What do you love most about your job/the industry?

Over these last 5 years I have met the smartest, most passionate individuals working not only at Holland but in the rail industry. That’s truly what I love most is how dedicated some of my coworkers and industry friends are to truly making railroads run more safely and efficiently. I also love our girl-gang marketing team at Holland. They’re so passionate about Holland and everything that we do, and I couldn’t be prouder of them!

What do you find yourself doing most in your downtime? Hobbies outside of work?

During my downtime I am in full mom-mode! I have a nine-month-old daughter who keeps our time after work and the weekend very busy. When I do have time to myself, I love cooking and trying new recipes.

How do you define the “future” of rail? Where do you think the industry is headed?

I see the “future” of rail as becoming more autonomous. I’m proud of how far Holland has come with our product and service offerings that truly innovate how things have been done for years and years in the past. Services like our HAMR welding and Locomotive UGMS are changing the way railroads can keep their tracks running safely and more efficiently.

What do you enjoy most about being part of REMSA?

I love being able to work with REMSA on industry events such as Railway Interchange coming up, NRC and others. The REMSA team keeps these events fun and informative to truly give railroads the most with being a member.

Anything else you would like to add/share?

Stop by and say Hi to the Holland team and myself at this year’s Railway Interchange! I always love to meet new people in the industry and I’m looking forward to a great event!

Interested in being featured in an upcoming Mainline and on REMSA's social media? REMSA is looking for members to feature as the member of the month! Whether you are a seasoned railroader or new to the industry, REMSA will share your story and recognize your company across our digital channels. Email Trade Shows & Marketing Manager Heidi Baker at baker@remsa.org to apply today.

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. This program highlights REMSA members' products and services throughout the industry and to members of Congress, which helps to advance REMSA's legislative agenda in Washington.

If you are interested in hosting a grassroots event at your facility please reach out to Mike McGonagle at mcgonagle@remsa.org. Download and share the the new REMSA Grassroots Events flyer to learn more.

Engineered Plastics Inc.: ENG Plastics is dedicated to providing the most innovative and durable FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) composite products available. Decades of building and maintain relationships with industry leaders has allowed us to create a variety of products that can withstand the wear and tear of everyday, intensive use in even the most challenging environments and extreme climates.

Geofabrics Limited: For many years Geofabrics has developed and provided a broad spectrum of tailor engineered products that are specifically manufactured to address many of the problematic ground conditions that exist beneath railway track.

Geosynthetics have been proven to enhance trackbed performance and significantly extend maintenance intervals.

Fortis Construction: Railroad Services. Environmental Services, Heavy Civil Construction

Ground Support Specialists: Ground Support Specialist (GSS), based in the Memphis, TN area, is a Government Service Administration (GSA) certified manufacturer of ground support equipment.  

Piper Networks: Piper Networks is an innovative rail engineering solutions provider and systems integrator specializing in the development of transportation technologies. Founded in 2011, Piper has four primary product lines that serve the industry, including: Vital Train Positioning, Maintenance of Way (MOW) Protection, Automatic Train Protection (ATP), and Passenger Information Display Systems (PIDS). Piper’s proprietary Ultra Wideband (UWB), GPS-RTK, and patent-pending TrackSightTM LiDAR image positioning technology are designed to operate in some of the most challenging transportation environments while maintaining pinpoint accuracy that improves performance for train operators and train control suppliers.

Sensor Technologies: Sensor Technologies are an advance safety sensor developer, we pride ourselves on leading the way for disruptive technology within the rial sector. Through our inhouse technical design teams and software development platforms STL have supported industry with increasing safety awareness whilst showing cost reductions in operational processes. Within the Rail sector our commercial arm Advantec Rail is responsible for the development and commercialisation of our track bed stabilisation remote monitoring system.