Virtual Technical Sessions

Monday, September 14

1:00 – 1:30 PM ET

Communications & Signals Technical Presentation: Remote Device Monitoring, Carlos Aguilera, BNSF Railway

1:00 – 1:30 PM ET

Maintenance-of-Way Technical Presentation: Emergency Slope Stabilization and Snowshed Repairs at Stampede Pass: A Complex Rockslide Requiring Evolving Mitigation Strategies, Ethan D. Guzek, William C.B. Gates, PhD, PE and Carol A. Ravano, PE, McMillen Jacobs Associates

1:30 – 1:45 PM ET

Break

1:45 –2:15 PM ET

Structures Technical Presentation: Lower Santa Ana River BNSF Bridge Protection Project: A Case Study in BNSF Bridge Scour Protection by Implementing Unique Hydraulic and Construction Solutions in Order to Support a Major USACE Infrastructure Project, Erich G. Schmitz, PE, Wilson & Company, Inc. and Jason L. Sanchez, BNSF Railway

1:45 –2:15 PM ET

Passenger & Transit Technical Presentation: Virginia Rail Program More than DC2RVA Higher Speed Rail: A Case Study for Relieving Congestion on the I95 Corridor through Virginia, Patrick H. Porzillo, PE and Michael Estes, PE, HDR, Michael McLaughlin, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

2:15 – 2:30 PM ET

Break

2:30 – 3:00 PM ET

Track Technical Presentation: History of Heavy Axle Load Subgrade Research at Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST), Stephen Wilk, PhD, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)

2:30 – 3:00 PM ET

Engineering Services Technical Presentation: Quantifying the Relative Influence of Classification Yard Performance Factors, C. Tyler Dick, PhD, PE, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Tuesday, September 15

Communications & Signals Technical Session

Session Chair: Jerry W. Specht, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
BNSF Railway

Session sponsored by  

10:00 – 10:30 AM ET

Rail Asset Related Innovations from the International Railway Community with Potential for Use in North American Railways
Mark C. Lentini, Strukton Rail

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

Novel Detection and Prediction Tool for Bearing Damages on Heavy Haul Vehicles Using Way-Side Detectors
Wolfgang Birk, PhD and Jesper Westerberg, Predge AB

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

The Use of Ultra-Wideband in Rail Systems
David Garcia, Piper Networks

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

Artificial Intelligence-Aided Railroad Trespassing Data Analytics based On Camera Video Data at Grade Crossings
Xiang Liu, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

2:30 – 2:45 PM ET

Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM ET

Jointless Track Circuits for Broken Rail Detection for use with PTC and CBTC Systems
Edwin R. Kraft, Transportation Econ & Mgmt Sys, Inc.

3:15 – 3:30 PM ET

Break

3:30 – 4:00 PM ET

Modeling Crash Frequency and Severity for Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Using Inventory and Historical Crash Data from North Dakota State
Amin Keramati, North Dakota State University

Tuesday, September 15

Engineering Services Technical Session

Session Chair: Trent M. Hudak, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
BNSF Railway

Session sponsored by 

10:00 – 10:30 AM ET

Use of Big Data for Optimizing Maintenance, Service and Capital Planning
 John F. Betak, PhD, University of Texas at Austin, Christie L. Nelson, PhD and Trefor P. Williams, PhD, PE, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

Using Advanced PTC with Moving Blocks to Improve the Operational Feasibility of Short Trains on Single-Track Rail Corridors
 Adrian Diaz De Rivera, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

11:15– 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

Pavement Management Systems – Developing a Strategic Approach for Multi-Facility Planning
 Jonathan Scott Gould and Abbas Kachwalla, PE, AECOM

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

Roller Compacted Concrete Pavement for Intermodal Facilities
 Will Gray, RCC Paving Council and L. Brack Brown, PE, Norfolk Southern Corporation

2:30 – 2:45 PM ET

Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM ET

Intermodal Terminal Capacity Modeling
 Mobina Masaeli, AECOM Canada Ltd. and Michael Leue, PE, Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority

3:15 – 3:30 PM ET

Break

3:30 – 4:00 PM ET

Planning to Meet the Rail Needs at San Pedro Bay Ports: A Programmatic Plan for Terminal Capacity and Its Integration with Line Capacity
Michael Leue, PE, Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority and Carlo Luzzi, The Port of Long Beach

Tuesday, September 15

Maintenance-of-Way Technical Session

Session Chair: Stephen J. Ashmore, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
Union Pacific Railroad

Session sponsored by 
10:00 – 10:30 AM ET

Infrastructure Resiliency: Planning for Disasters, Emergency Situations and Climate Change
 Timothy P. Rock and Kevin D. Hicks, PE, TranSystems

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

Rail Inspection – A Railroad and Manufacturer Perspective
 Bradford Spencer, CSX Transportation and Gregory A. Garcia, EVRAZ North America

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

A Case Study: Lessons Learned in Design, Construction and Maintenance Challenges in MDOT MTA Reconstruction of Johns Hopkins Double Crossover Project, an Agency Perspective
 Nageshwarreddy V. Karnati, PE, Maryland Transit Administration and Ayan Ghosh, PE, HNTB Corporation

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

Field Investigation of Spike Breakage Using Instrumented Spikes
 Yin Gao, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)

2:30 – 2:45 PM ET

Break 

2:45 – 3:15 PM ET

Next Generation Turnout Design and a Performance Update on Clothoid Turnout Geometry
 Stephen J. Ashmore, Union Pacific Railroad

3:15 – 3:30 PM ET

Break

3:30 – 4:00 PM ET

Smart Tamping: The Fundamentals of Tamping
 Fabian Hansmann, PhD, Plasser American and Bernhard Antony, Plasser & Theurer

Tuesday, September 15

Passenger & Transit Technical Session

Session Chair: Francis J. Miller, III, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
AECOM

Session sponsored by 
10:00 – 10:30 AM ET

Laboratory Structural Investigation of the of Heavy Rail Transit Direct Fixation Fastening System Capacity
 Arthur De Oliveira Lima, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Ravi Amin, PE, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

Examining the Effects of Precision Scheduled Railroading on Passenger Rail Service
 John G. Green, PhD, PE, California State University, Fresno and Francis J. Miller, III, PE, AECOM

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

Main Street Bridge Replacement Project - Keeping Things Moving: Trains, Cars, Pedestrians and Bridges
 Evan C. Lowell, TranSystems

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

Significance of Sustainable and Resilient Critical Infrastructure Systems
 Avinash Prasad, PE, LS, Ph.D.(C), NYCDOT/NYU and Indira Prasad, Stevens Institute of Technology

2:30 – 2:45 PM ET

Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM ET

Rock Slope Stabilization While Maintaining Passenger Operations
 Evan Whatley, EIT, Amtrak and Kyle Guenther, MS, PE, GeoStabilization International

3:15 – 3:30 PM ET

Break

3:30 – 4:00 PM ET

Derailment Avoidance and Containment Barriers on High Speed Railways
 Steven L. Clark, PE and Ardalan Mosavi, PhD, PE, Arup

Tuesday, September 15

Structures Technical Session

Session Chair: Michael P. Freeman, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
Union Pacific Railroad

Session sponsored by  

10:00 – 10:30 AM ET

Triumph on the Turkey River: A Case Study on the Emergency Replacement of 400’ of Bridge Superstructure Washed out by Floodwaters
 Michael Keller, PE, HDR, Karl Rittmeyer, PE and Patrick Flannery, PE, Canadian Pacific

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

CSX Transportation Br. A605.25, over the St. Mary’s River, Truss Counter Removals and Eye-Bar Conversions Without Disruption to Rail Traffic
 Daniel A. Doty, PE, Alfred Benesch & Co., Jacob Metcalf and Michael Dumais, EIT, CSX Transportation

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

MBTA Beverly Drawbridge - Fabrication Details and Installation Procedures for Rapid Installation
John Williams, PE, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates and Shane Bendall, G&G Steel

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

SMART Precast Concrete Trough Rail Bridges
 Brian Olp, PE, STV Incorporated

2:30 – 2:45 PM ET

Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM ET

Design & Construction Techniques to Maintain Rail Service Throughout Repairs to the CSX Bridge over Chef Menteur Pass
 James Caster, PE and Jordan N. Robbins, PE, PCL Civil Constructors, Inc., R. Matthew Crawford, PE, CSX Transportation

3:15 – 3:30 PM ET

Break

3:30 – 4:00 PM ET

Design and Ownership Considerations for Remote Control Bridges
Raymond Lopez, III, PE and Kevin M. Ciampi, PE, Hardesty & Hanover, LLC

Tuesday, September 15

Track Technical Session

Session Chair: Kevin D. Hicks, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
TranSystems
Session Sponsored By 

10:00 – 10:30 AM ET

Fatigue Enhancement Technologies to Extend the Life of Rail-end Bolt Holes Evaluated Through Simulation Technologies to Predict Fatigue Failure and Verified Through Laboratory Testing
Dave Kim, PhD, Washington State University, Adam Elliott, Hird Rail Development and Diana Echols, Fatigue Technologies, a PCC Company

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

Fibre Optic Sensing for Thermal Stress Measurement
Merrina Zhang, National Research Council Canada

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

A Novel, Vision-Based and Reference-Free Procedure for RNT Measurements
Dimitris C. Rizos, PhD, University of South Carolina

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

Evaluation of ECHO-Rail Runner Scanning System for RCD Measurements
Anish Poudel, PhD, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)

2:30 – 2:45 PM ET

Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM ET

Belen to Dalies Capacity Improvement Project: A Case Study in the Installation of a Permanent Soil Nail Wall While Managing Limited Access in Challenging Soil Conditions
Cody Telgheder, PE, Nicholson Construction Company and Scott M. Mackiewicz, PhD, PE, D.GE, Braun Intertec Corporation

3:15 – 3:30 PM ET

Break

3:30 – 4:00 PM ET

Controlling Risks of Trenchless Pipe Construction Beneath Railways
Sarah Poot, P.Eng., Golder

Wednesday, September 16

8:45 – 9:15 AM

Passenger & Transit Technical Presentation: Chicago – St. Louis Higher Speed Rail Program Update, Philip G. Pasterak, PE, WSP and John R. Jerome, Union Pacific Railroad

9:15 – 9:45 AM

Maintenance-of-Way Technical Presentation: Union Pacific Composite Tie Roadmap – A History and Roadmap for the Future, Rachel Beck and Christopher Roop, Union Pacific Railroad

9:45 – 10:15 AM

Engineering Services Technical Presentation: Incorporating Digital Engineering Tools into Project Design, Glen E. Smith, PE and Meraj Mohebi, PhD, P.Eng., Argus Consulting, Inc.

10:15 – 10:45 AM

Coffee Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM

Track Technical Presentation: Field Investigation of Load Environment in Revenue Service Track with Railroad Spike Failures Systems, Marcus S. Dersch, PE and Matheus Trizotto, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Thomas A. Roadcap, Union Pacific Railroad

11:15 – 11:45 AM

Communications & Signals Technical Presentation: Leveraging PTC Infrastructure for CTC over ITCM: Development to Implementation, John D. Danyluk, MeteorComm LLC and Christopher Griffis, Norfolk Southern Corporation

11:45 AM – 12:15 PM

Structures Technical Presentation: Emergency Rebuild of Norfolk Southern Railway’s Grand River Bridge S-189.19 Near Brunswick, MO, Eric W. Neprud, PE, Hanson Professional Services Inc. and Jonathon E. Hocker, PE, Norfolk Southern Corporation

12:15 PM

Adjournment

Wednesday, September 16

Communications & Signals Technical Session

Session Chair: Jerry W. Specht, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
BNSF Railway

Session sponsored by  

 
10:00 – 10:30 AM ET

Using LIDAR To Detect Rockfall - A Case Study of Using COTS Equipment for a Safety Critical Application
Paul Shih, BNSF Railway and Mark Aston, LB Foster

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break 

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

ACSES PTC: Past, Present, and Future - An Overview of this Transponder-Based PTC-Enabling Technology and How it Stacks Up Against its More Publicized GPS-Based Counterpart
Michael Ehrenberger, Burns Engineering, Inc.

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break 

11:30 AM – Noon ET

Next Generation Track and Signal Surge Protection
Jason Mies, Transtector and DJ Niemiec, Jr., WAGO Corporation

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch 

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

Onboard Vibration and Temperature Monitoring System for Passenger Car Bearings
Marcos Paulo Torre, Vale S/A – Carajás Railroad 

2:30 – 2:45 PM ET

Break 

2:45 – 3:15 PM ET

Increasing Capacity with Relative Distance Braking in Moving Block Systems at LRT Jakarta Network
Hermanto Hermanto, PT. LEN Industri

Wednesday, September 16 

Engineering Services Technical Session

Session Chair: Trent M. Hudak, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
BNSF Railway
Session sponsored by 
10:00 –10:30 AM ET

Phased Construction of Union Pacific Railroad's LATC Intermodal Facility - Los Angeles, CA
Aaron Karow, PE and Jeffrey D. Hanak, Ragnar Benson Construction, LLC, Rosa Chen, PE, TranSystems

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break 

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

A Risk Management Tool to Evaluate Adjacent Track Accidents on Shared-Use Rail Corridors
Chen-Yu Lin, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break 

11:30 AM – Noon ET

Understanding Influences on Student Pursuit of Railway Education and Careers
 Lee Evans, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch 

2:00 – 2:30 PM

Railroad Rights: ICCTA Preemption, the Shift in Regulators’ Understandings, and the Impact on Critical Railroad Project Schedules
Matt A. Williams, PE, PMP, Amtrak and David M. Moore, JD, BS, Earth and Water Law Group

2:30 – 2:45 PM ET

Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM

“So you Want to Build a Railroad?” - An Environmental Clearance and Permitting Story
Kevin K. Keller, PG, CGWP, HDR

Wednesday, September 16

Maintenance-of-Way Technical Session

Session Chair: Stephen J. Ashmore, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
Union Pacific Railroad

Session sponsored by 
 
10:00 – 10:30 AM ET

Effect of Tie Condition Distribution on the Life Expectancy of a Wood Crosstie
Allan M. Zarembski, PhD, PE, Hon. Mbr. AREMA, University of Delaware

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

Identifying High Risk Areas in Vast Distributed Rail Networks to Support Decision Making through Predictive Analytics
Daniel Einbinder, ENSCO, Inc.

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

Application of Premium Synthetic Grease at CP’s Western Corridor
Marco Santoro, L.B. Foster Company and John Furlong, Canadian Pacific

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

Continuous Monitoring of Wheel/Rail Forces During In-Service Freight Operations Has Led to a Successful Performance Based Track Maintenance Plan
Albert Wahba, P.Eng., M.A.Sc., PMP and Yan Liu, National Research Council Canada, Dominique Sirois, Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway

Wednesday, September 16

Passenger & Transit Technical Session

Session Chair: Francis J. Miller, III, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
AECOM

Session sponsored by   
10:00 –10:30 AM ET

Michigan DOT: The Journey from Daily Slow Orders to Operating at 110MPH
Daniel Schulte, PE, Quandel Consultants and Robert J. Lippert, Jr., PE, Michigan Department of Transportation Office of Rail

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

Seattle King Street Yard Locomotive Shop
 Daniel D. Radeke, Amtrak, Cody Glasgow, PCL Construction Services, Inc. and Gabriel Carhill, RA, TKDA

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

Noise- and Vibration-Mitigating Track Design Elements: Case Studies from Recent Projects around the Globe
 Joseph K. Digerness, Arup

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

The Feasibility of Year-Round MBTA Cape Flyer Service
Maximilian Pavlov and Gary A. Gordon, PhD, PE, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Wednesday, September 16

Structures Technical Session

Session Chair: Michael P. Freeman, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
Union Pacific Railroad

Session sponsored by  

 
10:00 –10:30 AM ET

Improved Fatigue Life Estimation of Riveted DPG Railroad Bridge Using Reliability Analysis
 Duane E. Otter, PhD, PE, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM

Metra Bridge Z-100 over the Fox River: Using ABC Techniques and Innovative Design Details to Overcome Site Access Challenges
 Lawrence L. Kirchner, PE, SE, TranSystems, D. David Moses, PE, Gannett Fleming, Inc. and Jim Carson, ICC

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

A Framework for Efficient Management of Railroad Bridge Strikes
 Brett Story, PhD, PE, Southern Methodist University and David R. Masceri, Jr., SENSR

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

Trinity Railway Express Bridge Replacement - Threading the Needle Between Clearance Requirements
 Ryan Bateman, PE, SE and Cassandra Wallof, PE, HDR

2:30 – 2:45 PM ET

Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM ET

Coos Bay Swing-Span Bridge Column Collapse and Repair - A Monumental Undertaking
Gene A. Davis, PE, Stantec Consulting Services Inc. and Richard D. Floyd, PE, Koppers Railroad Structures Inc.

3:15 – 3:30 PM ET

Break

3:30 – 4:00 PM ET

Unmanned Aerial Systems for Railway Bridge Inspection
Nathan Schuett, PRENAV, Inc. and Steven R. Williams, PE, BNSF Railway

Wednesday, September 16

Track Technical Session

Session Chair: Kevin D. Hicks, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
TranSystems
Session Sponsored By 

10:00 – 10:30 AM ET

Reduction of Train Derailments Based on Friction Management
Barbara Dias Moreira and Leonardo Soares, Rumo Logística S.A.

10:30 – 10:45 AM ET

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM ET

Field Validation of Longitudinal Rail Load Distribution Model
Shushu Liu, DigitaliBiz Inc.

11:15 – 11:30 AM ET

Break

11:30 AM – Noon ET

Adaptive Prestressing System for Concrete Crossties using Shape Memory Alloys and Steel
Minsoo Sung and Bassem Andrawes, PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Noon – 2:00 PM ET

Lunch

2:00 – 2:30 PM ET

Artificial Intelligence-Aided Prediction of Broken Rail Occurrence Using Railroad Big Data
Xiang Liu, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Thursday, September 17

1:00 – 1:30 PM ET

Structures Technical Presentation: Emergency Rebuild of Norfolk Southern Railway’s Grand River Bridge S-189.19 Near Brunswick, MO, Eric W. Neprud, PE, Hanson Professional Services Inc. and Jonathon E. Hocker, PE, Norfolk Southern Corporation

1:00 – 1:30 PM ET

Passenger & Transit Technical Presentation: Chicago – St. Louis Higher Speed Rail Program Update, Philip G. Pasterak, PE, WSP and John R. Jerome, Union Pacific Railroad

1:30 – 1:45 PM ET

Break

1:45 – 2:15 PM ET

Track Technical Presentation: Field Investigation of Load Environment in Revenue Service Track with Railroad Spike Failures Systems, Marcus S. Dersch, PE, Matheus Trizotto and Christian Khachaturian, Uniiversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

1:45 – 2:15 PM ET

Engineering Services Technical Presentation: Incorporating Digital Engineering Tools into Project Design, Glen E. Smith, PE and Meraj Mohebi, PhD, P.Eng., Argus Consulting, Inc.

2:15 – 2:30 PM ET

Break

2:30 – 3:00 PM ET

Communications & Signals Technical Presentation: Leveraging PTC Infrastructure for CTC over ITCM: Development to Implementation, John D. Danyluk, MeteorComm LLC and Christopher Griffis, Norfolk Southern Corporation

2:30 – 3:00 PM ET

Maintenance-of-Way Technical Presentation: Union Pacific Composite Tie Roadmap - A History and Roadmap for the Future, Rachel Beck and Christopher Roop, Union Pacific Railroad