Elected officials join Axion Structural Innovations for tour, rail discussion
Written by Maggie Lancaster, assistant editor
Representatives from the office of U.S. Congressman Bill Flores's (R-TX-17) and Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver joined representatives from Axion Structural Innovations LLC to tour Axion's Waco manufacturing facility and discuss pressing rail and manufacturing issues with various rail stakeholders and local officials.
The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) coordinated the event.
The tour was led by Axion President Claude Brown. Axion’s Waco, Texas plant continues to increase production and expects to nearly double its growth rate in 2017. Axion’s proprietary technology is utilized in the construction of military, vehicle and railroad bridges along with heavy crane mats, temporary roadways and extensive railroad applications with over 400,000 composite railroad ties in service worldwide.
Congressman Flores’s staff focused their remarks on encouraging economic development in greater McLennan and Falls Counties, and ensuring a strong, efficient, and safe freight and transit rail system to connect Texas’ diverse energy and agricultural producers to the global market.
The rail stakeholder group discussed regulatory initiatives issued by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on reciprocal switching and commodity regulation. These efforts risk creating major inefficiencies in the national freight network, artificially creating government-mandated price caps and would lead to reduced capital investment in freight rail, which is critical to supporting high-paying rail construction and supply jobs throughout the United States.
In Texas, 49 freight railroads operate and maintain over 10,400 miles of track and support over 16,000 jobs.
