Full Schedule

Session will discuss certification updates, processes and audit results from short lines.

Speaker(s): Kevin Lewis, Program Manager, Certification, Federal Railroad Administration; Kurt Erickson, Rail Safety Specialist-Certification, Federal Railroad Administration; JR Gelnar, VP Safety & Compliance, ASLRRA

Many freight short lines view passenger operations as risky, peripheral, or simply outside their core business. This panel argues otherwise. Three operators each took a different path into passenger service. Alan Maples (Everett Railroad) built excursions from nothing after losing a major freight customer; passenger revenue now accounts for nearly half of the railroad's income. David Bevins (Patriot Rail) inherited an excursion operation through acquisition and rebuilt it around professional safety culture, disciplined financial returns, and consistent ridership growth. Eric Betke (Finger Lakes Railway) made the choice to end their passenger operations but saw the value in bringing on a third party to continue the service on his railroad. Each will share the why, the how, and the lessons learned..

Speaker(s): Christopher Homco, VP Operations, FMW Solutions / Indiana Northeastern Railroad; Alan Maples, President, Everett Railroad; David Bevins, VP Operations, Patriot Rail; Eric Betke, President, Finger Lakes Railway

As demand for broadband expansion, utility infrastructure, and energy development grows, short line railroads are facing increasing pressure to provide access to railroad rights of way. This session will examine how railroads can safely manage third-party access requests while balancing operational priorities, liability concerns, and revenue opportunities. The session will also address emerging state and federal legislative and regulatory developments impacting railroad right of way access, including broadband deployment initiatives, permitting requirements, preemption issues, and public policy trends affecting railroad property rights.

Moderator(s): Nicole Brewin, Vice President, Congressional Affairs, ASLRRA

Speaker(s): Ross Lane, Assistant Vice President, Government Affairs, Genesee & Wyoming, Inc.

This session will discuss the reorganization of the FRA and how it will affect short lines. Findings from Part 225 audits and routine inspections will be discussed including areas of needed improvements.

Speaker(s): Adam Giovando, Staff Director - SMT 8, FRA; Steve DuPont, SMT-6 Deputy Administrator, FRA

Supply chain managers, site selectors, public officials, grant reviewers and community leaders increasingly rely on AI queries and online research during their decision-making process, forming opinions before they ever make contact. Yet many short lines have thin digital footprints, leaving influence and opportunity on the table.

Speaker(s): John Hatfield, Partner, CDLB Communications

Customer-focused panel exploring shipper expectations around service, communication, and partnership. Attendees will gain practical insights to strengthen relationships and support business growth.

Material shortages, extended lead times, and supplier capacity constraints continue to challenge short line railroads' ability to maintain infrastructure, execute capital projects, and respond to new business opportunities. As critical first- and last-mile providers, short lines must balance cost control with supply assurance while operating with limited resources and lean procurement teams. Railroad leaders and supplier representatives will share real-world examples of procurement challenges, lessons learned, and successful approaches that improved material availability, project execution, and operational reliability.

What I would do differently in retrospect, lessons learned.

Speaker(s): James Bonner, President, New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway; Joe Parsons, President & CEO, Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd.; Mark Wegner, CEO, Twin Cities & Western Railroad Co.

Short line railroads and the shippers they serve face a common challenge: limited visibility into railcar location, condition, and status creates inefficiencies that ripple across the entire supply chain. This panel brings together RailPulse, a short line railroad, and a shipper to discuss how shared access to trusted, real-time railcar data is improving visibility, coordination, and operational performance.

Speaker(s): David Shannon, General Manager, RailPulse; Carla Ewing, SVP of Service Assurance, Watco; Rob Cook, Sr. Mgr. Rail Operations, Bunge

Multi-stakeholder discussion on how rail-served projects move from concept to execution. Attendees will gain insight into site selection, coordination, and learn to better position rail for growth opportunities.

FRA's cybersecurity lead outlines the agency's recent efforts to strengthen rail network defenses, from updated guidance and vulnerability notices to partnerships with other government agencies and industry. The session looks ahead to emerging threats and FRA's priorities for building a more cyber-resilient national rail system.

Moderator: Fred Oelsner, VP, Data, Technology and Security, ASLRRA

Speaker(s): Jennifer Gallagher, Operational Technology Cybersecurity Lead, Federal Railroad Administration

Navigating concerning shifts in jury verdicts, the critical role of video evidence, and how to build a defensible record on inspections and sightlines. State of the Market -2026/2027 Outlook- A broker and underwriter panel discussing carrier capacity, rate trends, and appetite shifts driving renewals heading into next year.

Speaker(s): Jeffrey Bauman, Vice President, Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad

Shortlines hold the most customer-proximate spot in the rail network. They serve the plant and know the shipper by name. Yet on most carload moves the connecting Class I owns the through rate and the contract, so the shortline takes a division and a switching charge while a carrier two interchanges away runs the relationship with its own customer. PSR widened the gap, and many shortlines cannot see what their customer pays end to end or where the freight moves after interchange. This panel puts the disagreement in the open. A shortline commercial leader, a Class I marketer, a visibility specialist, and a working shipper each argue who owns the relationship. The moderator runs every seat through the Five Control Tests and polls the room at the open and close. Operators leave able to pinpoint where their own customer relationship leaks and what it takes to hold it.

Speaker(s):Paul David Tonsager, CEO, Integrated Multi Modal Solutions LLC

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Speaker(s): Ron Sparks, Senior Staff Consulting, Engineering Systems Inc.

This session shows executives and department leaders how to use AI to save time, reduce bottlenecks, and lead more effectively. You'll learn how to communicate with AI so results match your intent, use it as a strategic sounding board to pressure-test decisions and reduce blind spots, and build delegation systems and workflow automation that reclaim hours every week. You'll leave with actionable frameworks and a practical approach to building AI-enabled teams that move faster with less friction.

Speaker(s): Andrew Hollister, CEO, Simple Tech Innovations, Inc

What does it take to bring a dormant or underutilized rail line back to life? Hear from industry leaders as they discuss the business, regulatory, legal, operational, and economic considerations involved in restoring rail service and transforming overlooked infrastructure into productive transportation assets.

Speaker(s): Michael Gray, Associate General Counsel, Watco; Cassie Dull, Chief Commercial Officer, Pinsly Railroad Company; Steve Berish, General Manager, Davenport Industrial Railroad, LLC

This moderated panel would focus on the safety improvements of all types experienced by three to four Short Line CEOs or railroad General Managers that have taken advantage of one of the offerings from the Short Line Safety Institute (safety culture assessment, leadership education and/or hazmat training). Panel participants would offer key learnings from direct experience with specific programs. Audience would hear first-hand about challenges, solutions, and outcomes on the participating railroad and impact on surrounding community participants, if applicable.

Moderator: Tom Murta, Executive Director, Short Line Safety Institute

Speaker(s): Tomeka Bryant, General Manager, New Orleans Public Belt; Jared Martin, Modesto and Empire Traction Company; Marcus Westreicher, General Manager, St. Mary's West Railroad; Tom Greene. Chairman, President and CEO, Paducah and Louisville Railroad

A CRISI session to focus on grant post-award topics. One Project Manager and a Grant Manager will present on lessons learned that grantees have found helpful in getting to obligation faster.

Moderator: Richard Sherman, AVP, Policy and Industry Affairs, ASLRRA

Short lines run on tight margins, aging power, and crews that are hard to find and keep. Autonomous railcars are built to ease exactly those pressures. In this session, Intramotev CEO Tim Luchini and COO Alex Peiffer will lay out what the technology does on a short line: moving cars on first-and-last-mile and short-haul moves without tying up a locomotive or crew, and what that means for asset utilization, fuel and maintenance costs, and service flexibility. They’ll share candid lessons from Intramotev's early commercial deployments, including work with Class III operators, covering where this fits, where it doesn't yet, and the real numbers behind a pilot. The session is built for dialogue, so operators are encouraged to bring their own track conditions, traffic patterns, and hard questions. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for thinking through whether this technology has a place on their network.

Speaker(s): Tim Luchini, CEO, Intramotev ; Alex Peiffer, COO, Intramotev