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This week ASLRRA welcomed over 300 attendees to the Eastern and Southern Region Meeting, Finance & Administration Seminar and General Counsel Symposium, all co-located at the Sheraton/Le Meridien Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.
During the General Session on Wednesday and Thursday, ASLRRA honored winners of the President’s Award in the eastern and southern regions. These awards recognize those railroads with the best safety rate as measured by the lowest accident frequency rate per person-hour of operation below the industry average. Winners in each region are selected based on the previous year’s performance, according to Federal Railroad Administration accident/incident reporting data.
This year’s honorees are:
Eastern Region Winners
(Note: Photos will be available tomorrow after the awards presentation during the general session.)
Southern Region Winners
The Association also welcomed a diverse set of speakers at all three events. Speakers during the region meeting included short line leaders, Class I representatives and subject-matter experts on a number of aspects of rail operations, equipment and business development.
Speakers at the focused industry events offered attendees the opportunity to deepen their understanding of important job topics as they relate specifically to the short line freight rail industry. Recruitment challenges, retirement benefits, legal issues and compliance concerns are often different for railroads, so the Finance & Administration Seminar and General Counsel Symposium offered professionals the opportunity to learn about these topics in a setting that also allowed them to connect with and learn from industry colleagues.
All of these opportunities combined with the chance to network across multiple events, including an evening happy hour at Bowlero, with both railroad and supplier members. ASLRRA is grateful to all those who sponsored and attended all three events and the Association looks forward to hosting the Central and Pacific Region Meeting in November.
Southern Region President's Award Winners
(Not pictured: More than 500,000 Person-Hours Worked winner Conrad Yelvington Distributors.)
250,000 to 500,000 Person-Hours Worked: Paducah & Louisville Railway
Accepting the award is Senior Vice President and COO Floyd Bishop (second from right).
150,000 to 250,000 Person-Hours Worked: Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway
Accepting the award is Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs Joe Arbona (second from right).
50,000 to 150,000 Person-Hours Worked: Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Railway Company
Accepting the award is Vice President of Transportation and Maintenance of Way Ed Thum (center) and Superintendent of Transportation Michael Moore (second from right).
Less than 50,000 Person-Hours Worked: Georgia Southwestern Railroad
Accepting the award is General Manager Philip Sylvester (second from right).
ASLRRA filed a response to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) request for information (RFI) concerning the next surface transportation reauthorization.
Surface transportation reauthorization sets multi-year federal funding levels, policy directives and program requirements, allowing states to make plans for longer-term investments and infrastructure projects. The current surface transportation reauthorization expires Sept. 30, 2026, so Congress is working to pass the next reauthorization bill before then.
The USDOT’s RFI asked stakeholders to provide feedback, ideas and recommendations to inform legislative priorities. In its comments, ASLRRA noted that the next surface transportation reauthorization presents a critical opportunity to strengthen freight rail.
The Association’s recommendations included enhancing transportation safety through continued funding of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, grade crossing programs, and the Short Line Safety Institute, as well as support of a more modern and flexible regulatory framework. ASLRRA also recommended accelerating project delivery by streamlining grant processes and environmental reviews; promoting economic growth and resilience through expanded funding tools such as CRISI and program eligibility in RRIF; and strengthening partnerships and regulatory flexibility to support innovation and right-sized compliance.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced it will increase the number of railroad bridge safety inspectors from less than 10 to over 160. The FRA will achieve this by training federal track inspectors and their state counterparts to enable them to assess railroad compliance with bridge safety standards.
Track inspectors will begin training in November, learning about bridge fundamentals, different types of bridges, the parts of a Bridge Management Program and more. Once training is complete, these inspectors will observe bridges for general condition and safety and can recommend civil penalty violations for certain critical defects.
ASLRRA supports the bridge management program regulation with an FRA-approved template for its members. The Association looks forward to furthering its safety partnership with the FRA on the bridge management program.
It is anticipated that the Senate will move forward next week with confirmation votes on 48 of the Trump administration’s nominees, including three individuals to lead agencies at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Of note for those in the rail industry is the vote to confirm Paul Roberti as head of the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Materials Administration (PHMSA). Also up are Sean McMaster for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Johnathan Morrison for the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The Senate is also moving forward the nomination of Robert Gleason to be director of Amtrak’s board of directors.
On Sept. 8 the House passed the Transitioning Retiring And New Service Members to Port, Ocean, Rail, and Truck (TRANSPORT) Jobs Act. This bill would develop a plan to connect military veterans with jobs in the transportation and logistics sector.
Under the TRANSPORT Jobs Act, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) would develop and make public the Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan that would identify barriers veterans encounter when seeking supply chain industry jobs and challenges employers face when recruiting, hiring or retaining veterans and other members of the Armed Forces. The plan would also make recommendations federal agencies such as the USDOT, Department of Defense and Department of Labor could take to help veterans become supply chain employees.
Representative Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) and Representative Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) introduced the bill in May.
ASLRRA has an exciting lineup of speakers planned for the Central and Pacific Region Meeting, taking place Nov. 3 to 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana. They include Federal Railroad Administration Acting Administrator Drew Feeley, Class I and short line leaders, Short Line Safety Institute Executive Director Tom Murta and many others.
Many of the education sessions presented at the Eastern and Southern Region Meeting being held this week will have similar versions offered at the Central and Pacific Region Meeting, ensuring participants will not miss any of the engaging and timely information offered at the first event.
Early bird registration for the region meeting expires Sept. 24. Early bird registration will also expire the same day for the golf tournament at the English Turn Golf and Country Club.
Click here to register today. Attendees can also click here to reserve a room in the ASLRRA hotel block at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans.
Organizations interested in sponsoring the Central and Pacific Region Meeting can click here to view the sponsorship prospectus or contact the Association’s meetings team at meetings@aslrra.org with questions.
What are the latest ways Association members can engage with ASLRRA? What is ASLRRA’s most recent call-to-action? Below are some of the different types of information the Association would love to gather.
ASLRRA’s final training seminar of the year – Professional Trainer Development – is full, although those who want to attend may join the online waitlist to be notified if there are any cancellations.
The Association’s education team has already begun work on the lineup of 2026 training seminars. A schedule, along with locations and other details, will be posted on the website later this fall.
In the meantime, scholarships are available to employees of small railroads to attend industry-specific training, including ASLRRA’s seminars. Employees of small railroads who attend eligible industry training classes could receive a $1,200 Doug Golden Scholarship or a $500 Jake Jacobson Scholarship.
Scholarship applications are accepted on a rolling basis and can be applied retroactively to an eligible event that has already taken place this year. There are limited funds remaining for scholarships in 2025, so interested individuals are encouraged to submit an application soon.
Click here to learn more about ASLRRA’s scholarship opportunities and submit an online application.
ASLRRA associate business member North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) has awarded its first Brownfields Site Grants to two local governments to help them overcome early redevelopment hurdles in the process to prepare rail-served properties for new industrial uses.
Jackson County will use $92,000 to conduct an environmental assessment and begin remediation planning for a 42-acre former sawmill site. Meanwhile, the Town of Spencer will use its $99,800 grant to transform a former textile dyeing and finishing facility. Both municipalities will work toward turning the properties into industrial sites with rail access.
Brownfields are sites that have environmental concerns complicating redevelopment. NCRR’s Brownfields Site Grants enhance the company’s Build Ready Sites program, which provides funding to support development along active railroad corridors. NCRR will begin accepting applications for Build Ready Site grants in mid-September.
In this new section, ASLRRA will highlight its members that have received Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grants, showcasing the importance of this funding and how benefits reach beyond the railroad itself.
If your railroad has received a CRISI grant and would like to submit information for this section please complete our online form.
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Project Facts
Awardee: Keokuk Junction Railway Company
Fiscal Year: 2022
CRISI Grant: $15,268,018
Local Match: $6,543,437 (30%)
Total Project Cost: $21,811,455
The Ties and Rail Upgrades for Economic Growth on the Keokuk Junction Railway (TREK) project will rehabilitate the 126-mile KJRY mainline from Excepted to FRA Class 2 track safety standards. TREK is straightforward – 28 miles of 80-pound rail will be replaced with 136-pound rail, and over 105 miles will be replaced with new ties and ballast. KJRY’s current Excepted class track limits the speed of trains to under 10 mph and prevents the KJRY from providing timely service to its customers, including Roquette. By improving the track to Class 2 track safety standards, TREK will increase operating speeds from 10 mph to maximum of 25 mph, resulting in faster service and a direct route to east coast markets for its customers.
Notable Quotes
“Over the next five years, carload growth on the KJRY will increase significantly. Replacing KJRY’s aging rail and ties will improve efficiency and shipping times for existing customers and reduce locomotive utilization, fuel consumption, and total crew time per carload. Upgrades to the track will also allow the KJRY to expand opportunities for customers shipping hazardous materials, which is currently limited, given the conditions of the track. This project will boost economic development by expanding the number of railroad cars that can be safely handled by KJRY and keep heavy trucks off community roads.”
The Honorable Omar M. Osman, Secretary, Illinois Department of Transportation
Today, Chuck Baker participated in an online panel discussion hosted by rail advocacy group GoRail. Baker joined Federal Railroad Administration Acting Administrator Drew Feeley and representatives from the U.S. House Rail Subcommittee and the Association of American Railroads to discuss current policy and regulatory issues shaping the freight rail industry.
Left: Chuck Baker arrived in North Carolina ahead of the Eastern and Southern Region Meeting to film portions of videos in a Norfolk Southern railyard where the Class I interchanges with ASLRRA member Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Railway Company (ACWR). The footage will be used in various ASLRRA campaigns.
Above: Nicole Brewin, Richard Sherman and Sabrina Waiss also arrived early in North Carolina to visit the ACWR. The group toured the railroad’s locomotive and passenger car shop, visited ACWR’s two largest customers and saw the entertainment train fleet and Engine Room 87 Locomotive Bar.
“It was such a treat to visit the team at ACWR yesterday, learn about their history, operations, challenges and special projects like the Pinehurst locomotive bar and entertainment train,” said Waiss. “This was a wonderful opportunity to tour some of the most stunning, luxurious and historically significant private rail cars I’ve ever seen outside a museum.”
ASLRRA members can log in to the On-Demand Webinar Library to find recordings of popular webinars discussing technology used in railroad inspection and maintenance. Some of these titles include:
Visit ASLRRA’s webinar homepage and log in to view all the on-demand offerings in the Association’s webinar library.
Next week, Sept. 15 to 21, is See Tracks? Think Train Week, a collaborative rail safety education awareness week held by Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), state Operation Lifesaver programs and rail safety partners in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Formerly known as Rail Safety Week, this effort comprises in-person events and online campaigns to bring public attention to the need for rail safety education and work to prevent rail crossing and trespass incidents in North America.
Each day of the week has a certain theme or focus, such as Operation Clear Track and Red Out for Rail Safety Day. The former involves law enforcement officials and first responders who help educate drivers about safety at rail crossings, while the latter encourages individuals to wear red and share photos of themselves in red on social media to show support for these education efforts.
ASLRRA will participate in See Tracks? Think Train week on social media and encourages its members and rail stakeholders to join in these efforts, either by supporting in-person events or interacting with online posts.
Michigan State University’s Railway Management Certificate Program has opened enrollment for 2026. The program is meant for those in rail with the potential to become senior managers and leaders in their organizations, with content that covers the entire industry.
The program includes four weeks of classroom and site visits at various locations across the United States. ASLRRA representatives usually participate as speakers during Module 2, which takes place in Washington, D.C. and Newark, New Jersey and covers rail regulation, safety and the industry as a whole.
A copy of the program brochure is available here. Early bird registration rates are available until Feb. 28.
Views & News is published by American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
Please contact Mariel Takamura, associate editor, with questions or comments.
