2025

WASHINGTON, December 10, 2025 — Support in Congress for the modernization of a critical lever for short line freight rail infrastructure improvements is building, notes the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), representing the nation's 603 short line freight railroads. H.R. 516 and S. 1532, bills to modernize the Section 45G Railroad Track Maintenance Credit, have strong and growing bicameral and bipartisan support. READ MORE

WASHINGTON, December 9, 2025 — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association has selected three inductees to the Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame. Richard Jay Corman (posthumously), R. Lawrence McCaffrey, and Michael V. Smith have each left indelible marks on the short line industry.

WASHINGTON, November 19, 2025 — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) today filed a notice of intent to participate in the Surface Transportation Board (STB)’s review of a forthcoming application to be filed in STB docket FD 36873 for authorization to combine the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroad networks under common ownership.

This proposed major consolidation transaction is of significant interest to short line railroads across the nation. Both individually and collectively with the involvement of the ASLRRA, short lines are actively engaged in ascertaining how the proposed transaction may positively or negatively impact smaller railroads and their customers.

WASHINGTON, November 18, 2025 — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has selected Gary Vaughn as the 2026 Schlosser Distinguished Service Award honoree. For many railroaders, Gary Vaughn has been a mentor and a vociferous safety champion for the short line industry.

WASHINGTON, September 29, 2025 — Today, six new mechanical training courses, delivered in two pathways, were made available in the Short Line Training Center’s online Learning Management System (LMS). All six courses have been approved by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) as Part 243 compliant, as each includes required documentation such as an On-the-Job Training (OJT) checklist and exam. The seventh module released earlier this quarter, Part 214 Supplemental Training, may be customized by a railroad and used to train contractors on railroad-specific on-track safety procedures and rules.

WASHINGTON, August 7, 2025 — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), representing the nation’s 603 short line freight railroads, announced the 100th cosponsor of H.R. 516 – the Railroad Tax Maintenance Credit Modernization bill. Representatives Adam Gray [D-CA-13], Michael Lawler [R-NY-17], Frank Lucas [R-OK-3], Mary Miller [R-IL-15], Max Miller [R-OH-7], and Kim Schrier [D-WA-8] signed onto the bill on August 5th, joining 96 other bi-partisan cosponsors of a bill that would modernize a successful, decades long public-private partnership and sending the cosponsor count over the symbolic 100 marker.

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2025 — Today, Peter Gilbertson provided testimony to Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines and Safety’s hearing, “On the Right Track: Modernizing America’s Rail Network.” In his testimony, Gilbertson outlined three initiatives that would enable short lines to remain a critical transportation provider to more than 10,000 customers, and a driver of economic growth in small town and rural areas of the United States: robust and predictable federal infrastructure funding, especially through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program; regulatory reform that is data- and risk-driven, not prescriptive and support for innovation; and new technologies, through streamlined testing, waivers, and investment.

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2025 — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) today announced that 394 railroads earned a 2024 Jake Safety Award. Most notably, 357 of the awardees are noted “with Distinction” for zero reportable injuries in 2024, which is a record. Nineteen member railroads will be further recognized by ASLRRA as President’s Safety Award winners for the lowest injury frequency rate in a variety of regions and person-hours worked categories.