NRC conference and NRC-REMSA exhibit marks another success in Florida

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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The 2015 National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Annual Conference in Florida is another record-breaking success.

 

{besps}March15_safetyawards{/besps}
{besps_c}0|1safetyawards.jpg| 2014 Platinum, Gold and Silver Safety Award Winners.{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|2safetyawards.jpg| Left to right: NRC President Chuck Baker, 2014 Field Employee of the Year, Mike Spalding and Ernesto Scarpitti, Delta Railroad Construction.{/besps_c}

The 2015 National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Annual Conference in Florida is another record-breaking success.

Contractors, railroaders and suppliers escaped the winter chill and gathered in Hollywood, Fla., for the 2015 National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Annual Conference. For the eleventh consecutive year, the gathering hit an attendance record with more than 1,200 attendees. The January 7-10 meeting provided informational presentations, excellent networking opportunities and an active exhibit hall where more than 135 companies displayed their products and services.

Speakers from North America’s Class 1 railroads, shortlines and transit systems detailed the upcoming year’s capital spending programs, as well as outlined contracting opportunities available on their property.

“We were thrilled with the conference this year. It was the eleventh consecutive year for record attendance with north of 1,200 people, which is up close to 10 percent from the previous year,” said Chuck Baker, NRC president.
When asked what he credited the conference’s continued success to, Baker said, “I think at its core, it’s a real bread and butter conference. You have the major players, who give relevant details on capital spending. We’re not offering life coaching seminars, the speakers are giving timely, crucial information that’s relevant to lots of contractors and suppliers, you do that in a warm place, while the rest of the country is experiencing a polar vortex and it’s a pretty easy sell.”

Following the opening reception in the exhibit hall, the general session began with Randy Bowman, engineer, Track and Materials for Norfolk Southern, as well as chairman of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA). Bowman pulled double duty at the conference presenting NS’ planned 2015 capital program and providing an update of AREMA’s activities.

Bob Bergen was the first speaker of the major transit agencies to address the conference. He outlined New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s five-year capital plan, discussed the continuing efforts to recover from Superstorm Sandy and reiterated the authority’s commitment to enhancing safety.

Next on the schedule was Jo Strang, vice president for regulatory affairs with the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and Jeff Moller, assistant vice president, Transportation Systems and Practices with the Association of American Railroads, who tackled the topic of federal rail safety initiatives and the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee process.

Bruce Marcheschi explained many of Metra’s projects scheduled for the upcoming year in the Chicago area including the UP North Line’s bridge replacement project, various interlocker renewal projects and Metra’s involvement with the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program.

After a light breakfast and networking time in the exhibit hall, attendees heard Canadian National’s Jim McLeod discuss the estimated $1.8 billion in basic capital renewal the railroad has planned for 2015.
The NRC Safety Committee offered a preview of the latest Safety DVDs, “Safety Around Replacing Grade Crossings Part 1 (preparation)” and “Safety Around Replacing Grade Crossings Part 2 (execution).” The NRC Safety Committee has produced 18 safety DVDs for railroad contractors that are free to NRC members.

OmniTRAX’s Ken Koff was the first of shortline and regional railroad speakers. He stated a common theme among speakers at the NRC Conference: The importance of safety. As far as the company’s capital spend in 2015, ties will be a focus and close to 18 percent of OmniTRAX’s budget will be spent on bridges.

Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell, LLC President Keith Hartwell provided a rail legislation update, followed by a presentation detailing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s construction plan for 2015.

Day two of the conference included two Class 1 capital plan presentations from Union Pacific and BNSF, which between the two railroads will account for more than $10 billion in 2015 capex.

Presentations from Miami Dade Transit and Watco Transportation provided attendees with a well-rounded snap shot of where contracting opportunities lie in the industry in the next year.

Day two also saw the presentation of the NRC/RT&S/Commercial Insurance Associates 2014 Safety Awards. The way in which the awards were given was revised this year to make the selection process more objective. According to NRC, there were multiple contestants with perfect scores and in order to reward this achievement, the NRC awarded the 19 perfect-scoring contractors with a Platinum Award. Gold and Silver award winners were also recognized and all can be viewed on page 39.

The final day of the conference saw Class 1 presentations from Canadian Pacific and CSX, as well as from Genesee & Wyoming and Florida East Coast Railway describing plans for the various shortline railroads.
Tony Hatch provided an update to the Rail Renaissance and attendees also received an update on the All Aboard Florida project.

New to the conference this year was a congressional staff panel, which addressed transportation related legislation and priorities for the current session of Congress.

The third annual special awards recognized the 2014 Field Employee of the Year, which was awarded to Mike Spalding, track superintendent with Stacy and Witbeck. Regarding Spalding’s selection, the NRC said, “Mike’s performance, commitment to the industry and character make him the type of leader the NRC is trying to recognize with this award.”

The 2014 Construction Project of the Year award was separated into two categories this year with one awarded being presented to a construction project with a budget more than $10 million and an award being presented to a project under $10 million.

The Large Railroad Construction Project of the Year went to Herzog Contracting Corp. for its work at the Port of Los Angeles Berth 200 Rail Yard. Herzog Contracting Corp. managed the relocation of the existing Pier A Rail Yard to the Berth 200 site to accommodate the TraPac terminal expansion. Herzog Contracting developed a strong communication strategy with the Port of Los Angeles, which helped overcome unknown challenges and allowed the project to be completed on time and within budget.

The Small Railroad Construction Project of the Year was awarded to the Joseph B. Fay Company for the Crawfordsville Bridge Repair. The project rehabilitated a bridge for CSX in an isolated area. Joseph B. Fay Company successfully dealt with site access issues, as well as river and weather challenges to complete the project within budget and with an admirable safety record.

Both the Large and Small Railroad Construction Project of the Year will be detailed in the May issue of Railway Track & Structures.

The next NRC event will be the annual NRC Railroad Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction on Friday, April 17, 2015, in Lonoke, Ark., at 8 a.m. Blackmon Auctions will run the proceedings, as well as host the auction at is facility.

The next NRC Conference and NRC-REMSA Exhibition will be January 6-9, 2016, in San Diego, Calif., when the event returns to the Hotel Del Coronado.

2014 NRC/RT&S/Commercial Insurance Associates Safety Awards

Platinum Winners – Score of 100 out of 100 points
American Track Generations; Balfour Beatty Infrastructure; Herzog Contracting Corp.; Herzog Services, Inc.; Herzog Technologies; Holland LP; Joseph B. Fay; Kelly-HIll Company; L.K. Comstock National Transit; Lone Star Railroad Contractors; PNR RailWorks; Ragnar Benson; RailWorks Track Systems; Rhinehart Railroad Construction; Scott Bridge Company; Sharp and Fellows; Stacy & Witbeck; Trumbull; US Trackworks

Gold Winners – Score of 80-99 points
American Rail Marketing; Ames Construction; Armond Cassil Railroad Constructors; Capital Railroad Contracting; Clayton Railroad Construction; Coleman Industrial Construction; CR Construction Company; Crafton Railroad Company; Delta Railroad Construction; East Coast Railroad Services; Fritz-Rumer-Cooke; Georgetown Rail Equipment Co.; GW Peoples Contracting; HAFCO Services; Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.; K.W. Reese; Moran Environmental; Queen City Railroad; R&R Contracting; Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey; Railroad Construction Company; Railroad Constructuros; RailWorks Track Services; R.J. Corman Railroad Group; Tranco Industrial

Silver Winners – Score of up to 79 points
Colo Railroad Builders; J-Track LLC; Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.; Railroad Controls Limited

2014 NRC special Awards

2014 Field Employee of the Year Award
Mike Spalding, track superintendent; Stacy & Witbeck

2014 Large Railroad Construction Project of the Year Award
Port of Los Angeles Berth 200 Rail Yard; Herzog Contracting Corp.

2014 Small Railroad Construction Project of the Year Award
Crawfordsville Bridge Repair; Joseph B. Fay Company

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