Railway Track & Structures - November 2008 - (Page 15)

NRCChairman’s Column Rail safety legislation reaction Manny Ramirez Chairman The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc. 500 New Jersey Ave., N. W. Suite 400 Washington D. C. 20009 Tel: 202-715-2920 Fax: 202-318-0867 www.nrcma.org info@nrcma.org As 2008 heads toward a close, the rail industry has embraced an enhanced role on the national stage and the issue of rail safety has taken center stage within our industry. There is a clear boom in rail transit and passenger rail ridership, with ridership figures now equaling those from the preinterstate-highways era of the 1950s. There is a freight rail renaissance, so strong that railroads have been able to ride out the growing economic storm surrounding them, at least so far. Capital investment into ready-to-go rail transit projects will likely be included in an upcoming second economic stimulus bill. There is a growing realization in Congress and the next Administration that rail transit investments and freight rail enhancements are effective solutions to both the environmental and economic crisis. On the safety side, the recent accident in Chatsworth, Calif., and the subsequent rail safety legislation, H.R. 2095, passed by Congress has focused the industry’s attention on safety rules and regulations. From the NRC’s perspective, the legislation certainly has some positives and also some negatives, but it is the new law of the land regardless. Some of the hours of service changes are too prescriptive and don’t leave enough flexibility in hands of railroads and contractors running their busiwww.rtands.com nesses on the ground every day. This issue in particular, along with some others, may increase costs unnecessarily throughout the industry without producing a commensurate safety benefit. And it is unclear how the PTC mandate will play out and what kinds of systems will be developed, given that this technology is still not ready for a national roll-out and there are significant technological, operational, and interoperability hurdles to overcome. However, as the regulations get developed by the FRA, RSAC and industry groups, we are confident that the legislation will allow our industry to continue to grow safely and responsibly. With this background, safety continues to be a major focus of the NRC. At the NRC Conference in January 2009, at the Sanibel Harbour Resort, there are a series of safety activities planned: • General Session on the Chatsworth, Calif., accident and the implications for Positive Train Control • Release of NRC Safety DVDs 5 and 6, Safety around Railway Maintenance Equipment, Part 2 and Safety around Transit Track • Announcement and presentation of NRC Safe Contractor of the Year Awards • Seminars on Roadway Worker Protection and AREMA’s Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering: Roadway Worker Protection (49 CFR Part 214) CSX-Based Train-theTrainer Seminar When: Thursday, January 8, 2009 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Instructors: Roadway Worker Training Cost: $300 for NRC Conference Attendees Registration: Go to http://www. nrcma.org/ps.nrcconference.cfm?ID=165 Contact: Sue Dunshee, Roadway Worker Training, general@rr trainers.com, 904-296–8088. AREMA Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar When: Sunday, January 11 (8 a.m.- 5 p.m.); Monday, January 12 (8 a.m.-5 p.m.); and Tuesday, January 13 (Jan. 13 is half-day field trip, 8 a.m.-12 p.m.) Instructors: Gray Chandler, Bill Riehl, Gary Kujala Cost: $600 for AREMA or NRC Members Registration: Go to http://www. nrcma.org/ps.nrcconference.cfm?ID=165 Contact: Desiree Knight, AREMA, dknight@arema.org, 301-459-3200, x703 The above safety-focused topics, and much more, will be discussed and analyzed in detail at the upcoming Annual Conference. The conference/exhibition begins on Wednesday, January 7, at 4 p.m. and will go through Saturday night, January 10. Speakers will includes senior engineering executives from BNSF, UP, KCS, NS, CSXT, CPR, CN, RailAmerica, OmniTRAX, and Genesee & Wyoming. Transit updates are expected from APTA, WMATA, New York City, and Salt Lake City. Railroad finances will be discussed by Tony Hatch and Keith Hartwell of Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell will provide an up-to-theminute rail legislation update. The AAR and IDOT will give the latest on CREATE, while Fred Wise of the Florida DOT’s Rail Office will go over the growing list of rail projects on the table in the Sunshine State. Now is the time to make your arrangements to attend. The exhibition, the golf tournament and the hotel room block are all getting very close to sold out. The conference will be held at The Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in Fort Myers, Fla. To register for the conference and/or arrange an exhibit booth for your company, go to www. nrcma.org. To book a room at the discounted group rate of $210/night, call the Sanibel Harbour Resort at 800-767-7777. As always, I conclude by asking you all to keep the men and women in uniform, as well as their families, in your hearts and prayers. November 2008 15 Railway Track & Structures http://www.nrcma.org http://www.nrcma.org/ps.nrcconference.cfm?ID=165 http://www.nrcma.org/ps.nrcconference.cfm?ID=165 http://www.nrcma.org http://www.nrcma.org http://www.nrcma.org/ps.nrcconference.cfm?ID=165 http://www.nrcma.org http://www.nrcma.org/ps.nrcconference.cfm?ID=165 http://www.trainers.com http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track and Structures Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D TrainingVvital in Shaping Future of Railroad Industry Switch Stands, Switch Machines Automation Offers Improvements in M/W Planning AREMA 2008 Conference Report Products and Literature People Calendar Advertisers Index Sales Representatives Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - November 2008

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