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Railroad members! If you want to be featured in this section, please email us the link. You can also tag us (@ASLRRA) in your social media posts. Interested in seeing your railroad showcased in your local newspaper? Contact Amy Krouse for assistance.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced recipients of the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 (FY25-26) Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grants. A record-breaking number of short lines received a record-breaking amount of money to invest in critical infrastructure projects across the country.
Of the 105 awards announced, 87 projects across 40 states were awarded to small business short line freight railroad projects, totaling $1.885 billion.
“Simply put, this is the single biggest funding commitment for short line railroad infrastructure in the 199-year history of the industry. It’s an extraordinary endorsement from the federal government of the critical importance of these first and last mile freight connectors,” said ASLRRA President Chuck Baker. “This exceptional result recognizes the breadth and depth of the planned projects that will pay dividends for generations. Dedicating funding to short line railroads provides an excellent bang for the public buck, benefitting tens of thousands of shippers and the communities they serve.”
Funding for short line CRISI projects will enable track modernization and new track installation, improvements to over 50 railroad bridges and hundreds of rail crossings, acquisition of new locomotives, completion of locomotive upgrades and much more.
“We are profoundly grateful to the congressional leaders who have robustly funded the CRISI program through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriations,” said Baker. “We commend the USDOT and FRA leadership, particularly Secretary Duffy, Deputy Secretary Bradbury, FRA Administrator Fink, Deputy Administrator Feeley, and the entire FRA grants program team for their steadfast commitment to America’s local railroads and to the communities and businesses that depend on them.”
Click here to view the FRA’s full list of project summaries.
ASLRRA Receives $5.6 Million CRISI Grant for Short Line Training Center
One of this year’s CRISI grant awards will go to ASLRRA for the Short Line Training Center. ASLRRA received $5.625 million to deliver expanded and enhanced in-person and computer-based training over a six-year period.
“The Short Line Training Center has met and exceeded all expectations, has become a trusted training resource for dozens of short line railroads, and is steadily growing. This new FY25-26 CRISI grant will provide for a continued pipeline and the delivery of subject-matter-expert-developed training that would otherwise be out of reach for most short line railroads,” said Baker. “Training delivered via the online Learning Management System platform allows employees who cannot be spared for a three or four day in-person seminar the opportunity to gain knowledge, acquire skills, and improve the safety, compliance and efficiency of their railroads. It’s a win for our workforce and a win for the industry by improving safety and compliance through affordable, accessible, and vetted training designed specifically for short line railroads.”
The project award will be supported by a 25% match from ASLRRA, for a total project value of $7.5 million. The FY25-26 grant will fund a minimum of 24 industry-specific instructor-led and computer-based training programs; support delivery of up to 48 in-person instructor-led training seminars; and enable acquisition and implementation of cutting-edge technology to enhance course delivery, improve the learner experience, and maximize content retention.
Originally funded by a FY20 CRISI grant to the Iowa Northern Railway Company with ASLRRA as the primary contractor, training developed under the Short Line Training Center is available to all short line railroads and contractors. The project has already delivered essential industry-specific safety, compliance, and regulatory training to nearly 2,000 short line railroad employees through in-person instructor-led seminars and online computer-based courses.
ASLRRA is grateful to all those who submitted letters of support for the grant application, including 20 member railroads and Indiana Senator Todd Young, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Representative Jesus G. "Chuy" Garcia, Florida Representative Daniel Webster and South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy (center, tan jacket) traveled to Alaska to announce the latest round of Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant awards. Duffy made the announcement at ASLRRA member Alaska Railroad Corporation. Also in attendance were Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (back row, center), Senator Dan Sullivan (center, left of Duffy) and Representative Nick Begich (second row, fourth from right), along with railroad representatives and other dignitaries.
These links are a sampling of the widespread coverage of CRISI grant news by local media outlets across the country.
ASLRRA has released its October 2026 Short Line Carloads Report, showing increases in overall carloads and all movement types.
Total carloads handled were up in August 2026 over July 2026 and increased 8% year-over-year (YOY) compared to August 2025. Bridge movements, originations and terminations all increased YOY, with the latter two representing the bulk of the increase.
From August 2026 to August 2025, the commodity groups that experienced the most carload growth were mining, coal and petroleum, while durable manufactured goods and chemicals decreased the most. The report includes data for these commodity groups and six others, showing carloads handled and percent change YOY for each group across all trip types.
Carload data is based on a custom short line carload report created in cooperation between ASLRRA and Railinc based on waybill data submitted by railroads. This work product may not be disseminated without permission granted by ASLRRA. Contact ASLRRA at foelsner@aslrra.org for all inquiries.
Two announcements from the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) describe increases to railroad retirement annuities and earnings limits in 2027.
In January 2027 most railroad retirement annuities will increase based on a rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The tier I portion of a railroad retirement annuity will increase by 3.6%, equal to the percentage of the CPI rise. The tier II portion will increase by 1.2%, which is 32.5% of the CPI increase.
That means a monthly increase of $106 for the average regular railroad retirement employee annuity and an average increase of $149 a month for an employee and spouse. In late December the RRB will mail all annuitants a notice of the annuity rates payable to them starting in January.
Also in 2027, railroad retirement annuitants will have their earnings limits increased based on growth in average national wages. Those under full retirement age throughout 2027 will have an exempt earnings amount of $25,560, up from $24,480 in 2026. Those reaching full retirement age in 2027 will see their exempt amount increase to $67,920 from $65,160 for the months before the month full retirement age is attained.
The RRB goes on to describe the earnings deduction for annuitants and other information concerning deductions and how they are assessed.
The ASLRRA legislative team would like thank those who came by the Political Action Committee (PAC) table during the Fall Super Regional Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. We were able to raise $8,350 during the event. We would like to thank the following donors for contributing during and immediately following the meeting:
Funding the PAC helps ASLRRA continue its important work advocating for short lines in Washington, D.C. We enjoyed meeting new contributors and discussing the importance of political giving during the “Lunch with a side of PAC” event at the Fall Super Regional Meeting as well. If you are interested in learning more about the ASLRRA PAC, please reach out to Richard Sherman or visit ASLRRA’s PAC Website.
James Kornas, executive vice president, business development at Railroad Development Corporation, rings the bell after donating to ASLRRA’s Political Action Committee (PAC). ASLRRA’s government affairs team was collecting PAC donations during the recent Fall Super Regional Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. The PAC supports the Association’s government advocacy work on behalf of its members.
Wi-Tronix’s comprehensive platform combines hardware, software, and cloud services for maximized fleet efficiency and reliability. Their powerful onboard platform grants unparalleled visibility into rail operations, enabling real time, data-driven decisions for peak performance.
Click here to learn more about ASLRRA’s Member Discount Program and view all available products and services, or contact ASLRRA’s Sabrina Waiss for more information about becoming a Preferred Provider.
Nov. 10, 2026: Evaluating Railroad Infrastructure Exposure to Natural Hazards using FRA's Composite Hazard Index (CHI)
The Composite Hazard Index (CHI) for Rail serves as the definitive empirical baseline for evaluating railroad infrastructure exposure to natural hazards. By synthesizing multidimensional environmental data—such as annualized frequencies of recorded occurrences for various hazard types—into a unified, rail-centric scale by census tract, the CHI provides a standardized framework to quantify risks to safety and service reliability. Currently, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is utilizing GIS technology to assist with weighting hazards geographically and gathering qualitative insights. To support these analytical efforts, FRA has built an interactive geospatial tool that provides CHI baseline results, top-ranked hazards by census tract, and spatial integrations with the North American Rail Network (NARN).
Speakers: Raquel Wright, Transportation Analyst (GIS), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Ruby Li, Operation Research Analyst, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Jo Strang, SVP, Safety, Regulatory, and Environmental Policy, ASLRRA and Fred Oelsner, VP, Data, Technology and Security, ASLRRA.
It’s not too late to register! Only a few spots remain!
ASLRRA Leadership Program: Crisis Communications Training Seminar
October 27-29, Charlotte, North Carolina
This new training seminar will help railroads prepare for their worst day by developing a communications strategy and working with key partners in advance of an incident. During the seminar, individuals or teams from a railroad will create a Crisis Communications Plan and become proficient in using a Communicators Response Guide to determine the appropriate level of response based on the incident. Training will also address the role of the railroad communicator when Incident Command is in place. Attendees will return to their railroad with a communications plan that they may further refine, implement and incorporate into their railroad’s Emergency Response Plan.
Developed as a new module of ASLRRA’s Leadership Program, the crisis communications training seminar is geared to company leaders who are responsible for driving the external response to an incident on their railroad, as well as company spokespersons and communications professionals.
ASLRRA’s On-Demand Webinar Library offers more than 200 recordings on a variety of topics. Click here to log in and access the library.
Every year for Veterans Day, ASLRRA shines a light on those in the short line industry who have served or are serving their country in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Last year, the Association invited individuals to share their stories via online form. ASLRRA looks to continue that tradition in 2026, encouraging veterans who work for either railroad or supplier members to talk about their personal experiences in these fields.
The connection between the military and the railroad industry is strong. Your responses will help ASLRRA share more about this connection and help the public understand it better.
Click here to complete an online form. Responses are due by Nov. 5.
ASLRRA is accepting nominations for its annual Safety Person of the Year and Safety Professional of the Year Awards. Winners will be honored in person at ASLRRA’s 2027 Annual Conference, which will be held March 14-16 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Safety Person of the Year Award recognizes any railroad employee at any level, except those considered to be professional safety management employees.
The Safety Professional of the Year is open to any professional safety management employee of an ASLRRA Class II or Class III member railroad who is responsible for safety programs, training and the overall management of safe behavior and actions on their railroad(s).
Nominations for both awards are due Nov. 12. Please email Mariel Takamura with any questions about the award, especially if unsure about whether a candidate falls under the Safety Person or Safety Professional category. If submitted under the wrong category, the nominator will be asked to re-submit the nomination using the correct form.
Organizations in Virginia looking to receive grant funding for freight rail access projects will now be able to receive awards of up to $1 million after Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board approved an increase.
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) announced the increase for future Rail Industrial Access (RIA) projects, up from the previous $750,000 maximum. The RIA program provides funding to encourage private businesses to choose sites and make expansion decisions that include shipping by rail. The goal of the program is to mitigate road traffic by encouraging a shift from truck to rail.
RIA grants help fund construction or rehabilitation of railroad tracks for new or substantially expanded industrial and commercial projects in Virginia. Eligible entities include railroads, businesses and local governments or economic development organizations acting on behalf of businesses. RIA applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Jo Strang is at the Sustainability & Resiliency Day event, which precedes the Railroad Environmental Conference she is also attending. Both are being held at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign by co-hosts the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) and the University of Illinois Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC). ASLRRA is a sponsor of the Railroad Environmental Conference, and Strang reports several Association members are also in attendance.
Amy Krouse, JR Gelnar and Sabrina Waiss traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to present ASLRRA’s inaugural ASLRRA Leadership Program: Crisis Communications Training Seminar.
Fred Oelsner is in Dallas attending the National Defense Transportation Association’s Fall Meeting, jointly hosted with U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM). The meeting includes updates on critical issues in defense transportation via rail, with significant focus on protecting against advanced cyber threats from nation-state actors.
ASLRRA maintains an industry calendar featuring events that may be of interest to members. If you have an industry event you would like included on the calendar and possibly in Views & News, please send relevant event details and links to Mariel Takamura for consideration.
Railway Age magazine has announced its 2026 Women in Rail Award honorees. Of the 27 winners, 11 are employees at ASLRRA member companies, as are three of the four honorable mention recipients.
According to Railway Age, winners were chosen for “their excellence in leadership, vision, innovation and community service involvement.” All honorees will be featured in the November 2026 issue of Railway Age, and they will be recognized in person at the Women in Rail Conference in 2027.
ASLRRA congratulates all of this year’s winners, especially:
Honorable Mention:
On Oct. 28, GoRail, a national freight rail advocacy organization, will host a webinar titled “The Cost of Organized Theft: A Conversation on Cargo, Retail and CORCA.”
Speakers will explore the problem of organized theft, discussing how organized theft networks operate across state lines, why these cases are difficult to investigate and how the bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) would strengthen coordination and give law enforcement additional tools to pursue them.
Follow this link to learn more and register.
National rail safety education nonprofit Operation Lifesaver, Inc. has published its 2025 Annual Report, with audited financials. The report highlights the organization’s growth and its efforts to embrace innovation as it delivers “tried-and-true rail safety education messages.”
“In 2025, just under 2,000 Operation Lifesaver Authorized Volunteers (OLAVs) reached over 1.3 million people through in-person events,” said OLI Executive Director Rachel Maleh in a press release. “These are people-to-people connections and do not include online or media reach. That number is staggering! It is a testament to the dedication of these individuals and the collective desire to empower the public to make safe choices around tracks and trains.”
Among the accomplishments highlighted by OLI include organizing the first-ever Emergency Notification System (ENS) Sign Awareness Day, introducing four new public service announcements and reaching millions through online engagement.
ASLRRA Senior Vice President, Safety, Regulatory and Environmental Policy Jo Strang is chair of OLI’s Board of Directors.
Views & News is published by American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
Please contact Mariel Takamura, associate editor, with questions or comments.
