The Midwest Rail Conference was held virtually August 11th and 12th, 2020.  With 18 sponsors and over 270 attendees, our first ever all virtual event was a great success!!!  Session recordings will be made available for viewing on the Rail Learning Website soon.  (You must be a registered user of the rail learning website to view. )

 

While COVID-19 has placed an obstacle for Midwest Rail Conference, it won't be stopping us. We are excited to announce the shift of Midwest Rail Conference 2020 into a virtual platform. The conference will take place August 11-12, 2020.  The conference will feature two days of presentations on all things rail, and will include keynote presentations by Mike McClellan, VP Strategic Planning for NS and Joe McHugh, VP State Supported Business Development for Amtrak.     

                                                                                                                                                                                                  


Don't miss our Wednesday morning plenary session, featuring Ian Jeffries from AAR, Patrick Fuchs from STB, and Chuck Baker from ASLRRA talking about Rail Industry Policy Issues!  This is bound to be one of the highlights of the conference!
  • We are continuing to work on filling out our speaker list, but the following speakers are  confirmed, for the full program, click on AGENDA here or in the side bar!

    • Mark Maday- FRA

    • Paul Williams - NS

    • David Woodruff - CN

    • Scott Nason - Chart Industries

    • Rachel Maleh - OLI

    • Dan Ujczo - Dickinson-Wright

    • Hilary Konczal - METRA

    • Tyler Dick - UIUC

    • Francesco Bedini - FRA

    • Starr Kidda - FRA

    • Josh Hamilton - Lansing Station

    • Pasi Lautala - Michigan Tech

    • Chase Armstrong - RJ Corman

    • Daniel Sabin - Iowa Northern Railroad

    • Jim Mathews - RPA

    • Naryana Sundaram - APTA

    • Arun Rao - WisDOT

    • Scott Rogers - WCWRC

    • Peter Swan - Penn State Harrisburg

    • Brad Peot - Wisconsin Southern

    • Larry Chesler - Amtrak

    • Robert Guy - MIPRC

    • Tim Grose - WSP

    • Porie Saika-Eapen - Metro Trans Authority, NYC

    • Andrea Waldock Niethold - CN

 

  • The program is coming together, with the following list of sessions in the current plan:

  • Urban, Regional, and Intercity Passenger Rail in an Era of Social Distancing

  • PSR – Class 1 and Shortline Connection

  • Rail Passenger Experience Improvements

  • LNG Transportation By Rail

  • Developments in Grade Crossing and Trespass Safety

  • Rail Industry Policy Issues

  • Freight Rail Transportation Issues and Opportunities with Covid-19

  • Passenger Rail Transportation Post Covid-19

  • Impacts and Opportunities from USMCA

  • Climate Impacts and Infrastructure Resilience

We will be working collaboratively with our organizing team; the TRB Freight Rail Transportation Committee (AR040), the National University Rail Center (NURail) consortium, and our Michigan based team supported by Michigan State University Center for Railway Research and Education and the Michigan Tech Rail Transportation Program.

Stay tuned for updates right here. We're looking forward to another stellar conference addressing rail transportation in the midwest!!

The Midwest Rail Conference will take place  August 11-12, 2020.   

We want to say thank you to all our amazing sponsors!  Please check out our sponsor brochure!

Thanks to our generous sponsors!
Lean more about how your organization can become a Sponsor!

Diamond Level Sponsorship - $750

Platinum Level Sponsorship - $500

Gold Level Sponsorship - $250

When:

Aug 11, 2020 9:00am to Aug 12, 2020 1:00pm