Technical Sessions

Monday, October 2

8:00 – 8:30 AM

Communications, Signals & Information Technology Presentation: Significance of GIS & GPS in Engineering & Surveying, Avinash Prasad, PE, PLS, Ph.D., NYCDOT & New York University and Indira Prasad, Stevens Institute of Technology

8:30 – 9:00 AM

Engineering Services Presentation: Planning for the Future - Union Pacific Global IV, Kimberly Hastings & Daniel White, TranSystems, and David Nielsen, Union Pacific Railroad

9:00 – 9:30 AM

Coffee Break

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Maintenance-of-Way Presentation: CSX NO&M Subdivision - Gulf Coast Hardening and Revetment Design, Nabil Hamadani, PE, HDR and Jacob Metcalf & Christopher Harmon, CSX Transportation

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Track Presentation: Effect of Fixed Structures on Longitudinal Rail Stresses and Buckled Track Accidents, Marcus S. Dersch, PE and Kamyar Kosarneshan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Structures Presentation: Emergency Response and Stabilization of NS’ Swing Span Truss over Wabash River during Repairs to Nine Structural Members with Derailment Damage, Ruth V. Brown, PE, Norfolk Southern Corporation and Michael Sondles, PE, HDR, Inc.

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Passenger & Transit Presentation: Eglinton Crosstown LRT West Extension Core Overlap and Mixed Fleet Concept, Henry Chiu, P.Eng. and Neda Hohlacov, M.Sc. Eng., B.Sc. Eng., Arup and Luv Sehgal, PE, ENV SP, TYLin

Tuesday, October 3

Communications, Signals & Information Technology Technical Session

Session Chair: Jerry W. Specht, EIT, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
CPKC

Session sponsored by  

8:00 – 8:30 AM

Applying State of Good Repair Principles in the Rail Industry
John T. Elsberry, Railroad Software

8:30 – 9:00 AM

Safe Lithium-Ion Technology Can Help Rail Meet its Climate Goals
James Madej, Viridi Parente, Inc.

9:00 – 9:30 AM

Modern Technology Solutions for Safe Rail Operations
John Hawkins, Lilee Systems

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Coffee Break in Exhibits

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Economic & Performance Considerations when Specifying Identification (Tags, Labels, Nameplates) for Critical Assets in your Operation
David Kesic, Horizons Inc

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Wireless Activation for Crossing Systems
Tim Schultz, Wabtec Corporation and Mike Ramolt & Mitchell Beard, BNSF Railway

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Artificial Intelligence Aided Light Rail Grade Crossing Violation Detection and Data Analytics
Asim F. Zaman, Rutgers University

11:30 AM – Noon

A Parametric Analysis of Railway Track Electrical Coefficients
Edwin R. Kraft, PhD, Transportation Econ & Mgmt Sys, Inc., Stuart Landau, PE, MIRSE, Parsons Transportation Group and Stephen Dillen, PE, Penn State University Altoona

Noon – 2:00 PM

Lunch in Exhibits

2:00 – 3:00 PM

CS&IT Committee Open Forum Discussion
Jerry Specht, CPKC (Moderator), Robert W. Kramer, Wabtec Corporation, William D. Wiedmann, The Burns Group, John D. Danyluk, Meteor Communications Corporation and Mitchell Beard, BNSF Railway

Tuesday, October 3

Engineering Services Technical Session

Session Chair: Michael K. Williams, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
Norfolk Southern Corporation (Ret)

Session sponsored by 

8:00 – 8:30 AM

Integrated Planning and Analysis Tool for Freight Rail Terminals
Hardik Gajjar, WSP

8:30 – 9:00 AM

Tracks to the Future – Multi-University Effort to Attract the Next Generation
Pasi Lautala, PhD, PE, Michigan Technological University and John G. Green, PhD, PE, California State University-Fresno

9:00 – 9:30 AM

Project Funding in the Future: Taskforce for Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD): What It Is and Why Railroad Engineering and MOW Should Care
Dava Kaitala, Jacobs

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Coffee Break in Exhibits

10:00 – 10:30 AM

FAST Forward: Designing a New Accelerated Service Test Facility
Christopher L. Johnson, PE, and Benjamin Bakkum, PE, MxV Rail

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Electrification Readiness: What to Consider for the Shift to Electrified Intermodal Facilities
Chad Hewitt, PE, & Will Kirby, PE, HDR and Nick Novay, BNSF Railway

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Meadowdale Beach Park Railway Bridge: A Case Study in How Railways Can Support Municipal Projects that Accomplish Shared Environmental and Sustainability Goals
Tristan G. Rickett & Travis D. Painter, Hanson Professional Services Inc. and Stephen Semenick, BNSF Railway

11:30 – Noon

An Automated Rail Extraction Method Using Low-Cost LiDAR Sensor Data
Yihao Ren, North Dakota State University

Noon – 2:00 PM

Lunch in Exhibits

2:00 – 2:30 PM

Deployment of an Internal Real-Time Kinematic Network at Norfolk Southern for Engineering Operations
James McIntyre and Alan B. Johnson, PE, Norfolk Southern Corporation

2:30 – 3:00 PM

Sustainability Meets Performance - Recycled Plastics in Asphalt
Joseph Yaede, Pacific GeoSource and Rudy Cantrell, BNSF

3:00 – 3:30 PM

CPKC Airdrie Luxstone Pedestrian Tunnel Rehabilitation
Kenn Leonhardt, P.Eng., AECOM Canada Ltd.

3:30 – 4:00 PM

Railroad Facility Maintenance and Repair
Abbas Kachwalla, PE, and Jonathan S. Gould, PE, AECOM

Tuesday, October 3

Maintenance-of-Way Technical Session

Session Chair: Matthew R. Porto, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
Amtrak 

Session sponsored by 
8:00 – 8:30 AM

Automated Ballast Scanning Vehicle Paired with Shoulder Cleaners for Maintenance and Condition Evaluation
Erol Tutumluer, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Craig D. Block & Franco Fanucci, PE, Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

8:30 – 9:00 AM

Hidden Danger Trees: The New Climate Threat
Jeff Pauska, Hitachi Energy

9:00 – 9:30 AM

Ballasted Railroad Track Geometry and Deformation Monitoring: An Objective Comparison of Established and Emerging Automated Instrumentation & Monitoring Techniques
Zachary Boucias, MSCE, Geo Instruments, LLC

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Coffee Break in Exhibits

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Norfolk Southern Railway Progressive Sinkhole Remediation MP 95.3-A Morristown, Tennessee
Jordan Harris, PE, Geostabilization International

10:30 – 11:00 AM

FTA’s Track Inspection and Track Asset Management Research and Demonstration
Jennifer Zahaczewski, ENSCO, Inc.

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Railroad Infrastructure Inspections using Augmented Reality
Fernando Moreu, PhD, PE, University of New Mexico

11:30 AM – Noon

Safeguarding Rail Infrastructure from Space using L-band SAR
James Perry, ASTERRA

Noon – 2:00 PM

Lunch in Exhibits

2:00 – 2:30 PM

Correlation of Combined Track Geometry with Wheel - Rail L/V Ratios Collected on Two Class 1 Railways
Yan Liu, National Research Council Canada - Ottawa, ON

2:30 – 3:00 PM

A Case Study on the Risk-Based Maintenance Prioritization of Fouled Ballast Locations Using Vertical Rail Deflection Measurement System Technology
Christopher M. Hartsough, Protran Technology

3:00 – 3:30 PM

Comparing the Effect of Shoulder Ballast Cleaning on Different Areas through Laboratory Flume Test
Yu Qian & Yufeng Gong, University of South Carolina and Franco Fanucci, PE, Loram Maintenance of Way

3:30 – 4:00 PM

Continuous Railroad Track Health Monitoring Using Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor
Yuliang Zhou & Hai Huang, The Pennsylvania State University and Anish Poudel, MxV Rail

4:00 – 4:30 PM

Review of a Newly Implemented Grind Planning Feedback Loop Integrating an Advanced Pre/post-grind Inspection Vehicle
James Patrick Kelly and Christopher Hartsough, Harsco Rail

Tuesday, October 3

Passenger & Transit Technical Session

Session Chair: Lucas A. Bathurst, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
HDR

Session sponsored by 
8:00 – 8:30 AM

NCDOT Raleigh to Richmond Infrastructure Engineering & Safety Program
 Troy Creasy, NCDOT Rail Division and Corey Vernier, PE, HNTB

8:30 – 9:00 AM

NICTD West Lake Corridor: The Tale of Evolution
Justin Brown, PE, SE and Kenneth Shields, PE, Jacobs

9:00 – 9:30 AM

CONNECT NEC, Developing a 15-year Infrastructure Plan for the Northeast Corridor
Manuel Ramos, PE and Thomas Wagner, PE, Arup

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Coffee Break in Exhibits

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Achieving Revenue Service for the Green Line Extension - A Holistic Approach for Testing and Commissioning, Safety & Security Certification, and Pre-Revenue Service Fault Monitoring
Anil Patel, CEng FICE PE DBIA and Matt Davy, PE, Arup US Inc.

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Innovative Approach of Optimizing Curves for Passenger Service on Mixed Use Rail Corridors
Sonia Rahman, & Stefan Linder, B.Eng., MBA, Stantec Consulting Ltd. and Mark Austin, PMP, PMI-ACP, Metrolinx

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Rhode Island DOT Pawtucket/Central Falls Commuter Rail Station Simulation Model Informs Decision-Making and Cost Savings
Austin White, PE, VHB

11:30 AM – Noon

Delivering Metra's Largest Infrastructure Program
Philip G. Pasterak, PE, WSP and Mark Delaney, Metra

Noon – 2:00 PM

Lunch in Exhibits

2:00 – 2:30 PM

Surviving Commuter Service Through Construction
Travis Hall, PE and Matt Van Hattem, HDR

2:30 – 3:00 PM

Advances in the Measurement of Stray Current and Track Resistance on Operating Transit Systems
Patrick McGinn and Drew Haiko, Hatch

Tuesday, October 3

Structures Technical Session

Session Chair: William S. Riehl, III, PE, F.SAME, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. 

Session sponsored by  

8:00 – 8:30 AM

MacArthur Bridge West Approach Bridge Replacement in Downtown St. Louis
F. Allen Smith, PE & Jared R. Wigger, PE, Crawford, Murphy and Tilly

8:30 – 9:00 AM

BNSF Sandpoint Junction Connector Project
Ryan Kopera, BNSF Railway and Jason E. Cunningham, PE, SE & Max Rexroad, PE, Hanson Professional Services Inc.

9:00 – 9:30 AM

AREMA/NSBA Steel Railroad Bridge Constructability Guideline
Jaclyn M. Whelan, PE, Consolidated Rail Corporation and Brandon Chavel, PhD, PE, Michael Baker International

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Coffee Break in Exhibits

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Rehabilitation of the CSX Castleton Bridge
Michael Leonard, PE, Colliers Engineering & Design

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Rapid Replacement of Two Bridges Simultaneously on Same Line
Andrew Burkholder, PE and Shanta Keller, VHB

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Protection of Railroad Tunnel Portals Using Steel Rockfall Canopies
Paul Fikse, PE, SE and Ethan Guzek, PG, Delve Underground

11:30 AM – Noon

Historic Stone Bridge Remediation of CSX Acquired Pan Am Railway
Kyle Guenther, MS, PE, GeoStabilization International and Tim Reynolds, PE & Jake Metcalf, CSX Transportation

Noon – 2:00 PM

Lunch in Exhibits

2:00 – 2:30 PM

Norfolk Southern Bridge N 6.66 Rolling Bascule Tread Replacement
Brandon Hinson, PE, PCL Construction, Inc., Nicholas Bayer, PE, Norfolk Southern Corporation and Matthew Cassera, PE, HDR

2:30 – 3:00 PM

CSX Cincinnati & Covington Viaduct Rehabilitation Project: Managing Hundreds of Unique Repairs
Joseph Humbert, PE, HDR Inc. and Timothy B. Reynolds, PE, CSX Transportation

3:00 – 3:30 PM

Consideration of Train Braking and Traction Force Distribution Over Long Bridges
Yong Yang, PhD, PE, SE and Derek Boeldt, PE, SE, Jacobs

3:30 – 4:00 PM

MDOT Jackson & Mechanic Street Railroad Bridge: Case Study
Ryan Cummings, Nicholson Construction

4:00 – 4:30 PM

Advanced Inspection of Timber Bridge Elements
Eric Thornley, PE, SE, SPRAT 3, Collins Engineers

4:30 – 5:00 PM

Evaluation of DPG Railway Bridges Using Vehicle Onboard Systems
Anna M. Rakoczy, PhD, Warsaw University of Technology

Tuesday, October 3

Track Technical Session

Session Chair: David C. Clark, PE, AREMA Functional Group Vice President
CSX Transportation

Session Sponsored by 

8:00 – 8:30 AM

Leveraging 3D Laser Scanning Track Condition Data for Lateral Track Strength Quantification and Track Buckle Mitigation
Arthur Bilheri, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

8:30 – 9:00 AM 

Concrete Tie Degradation and Ballast Maintenance
Adam Bankston, BNSF Railway and Stephen Wilk, MxV Rail

9:00 – 9:30 AM

The Effect of Sand Fouling of Ballast on Track Response Behavior
Allan M. Zarembski, PhD, PE, University of Delaware

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Coffee Break in Exhibits

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Design of High-speed Rail Bridge-embankment Transition Zones
Amjad Hussain and Aamir Durrani, HNTB Corporation

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Track Buckles in a Controlled Environment
Stephen Wilk, PhD, MxV Rail

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Lateral Load Measurement using Strain Gauges: Accuracy, Challenges and Recommended Protocol
Rakan Alturk, ENSCO, Inc. and Debakanta Mishra, Oklahoma State University

11:30 AM – Noon

Light Rail South End Curves Rehabilitation and Replacement of Open Deck Ties Over Patapsco River Bridge: A Case Study in Lessons Learned in Construction
Nageshwarreddy V. Karnati, PE, Maryland Transit Administration

Noon – 2:00 PM

Lunch in Exhibits

2:00 – 2:30 PM

On the Use of InSAR Techniques to Detect Precursors of Shallow Geohazards in Railway Right of Way
Dimitris C. Rizos, PhD and Sumanth Byrraju, University of South Carolina

2:30 – 3:00 PM

Non-Contact Ultrasonic NDE Method for Railway Joint Bars Defect Detection
Anish Poudel, PhD, MxV Rail 

3:00 – 3:30 PM

A Hybrid Prestressing System for Concrete Crossties using Shape Memory Alloy and Steel Reinforcement
Bassem Andrawes, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Wednesday, October 4

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Passenger & Transit Presentation: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Elwyn to Wawa Service Restoration Project Topic: Maximining Value through Alternative Delivery Methods, Edward LaGuardia, PE and Alexander Reiner, PE, Michael Baker International

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Maintenance-of-Way Presentation: Innovative MOW Safety Solutions: How Using Multi-sensor Limits Compliance and Collision Avoidance Systems Can Improve Track Safety, Robert Hanczor, Piper Networks 

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Engineering Services Presentation: CREATE Update, William C. Thompson, PE, Association of American Railroads (AAR)

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Track Presentation: Wood Tie Life Study Using Machine Vision Technology, Adam Bankston, BNSF Railway and Yin Gao, MxV Rail

11:30 – Noon

Communications, Signals & Information Technology Presentation: Safety & Security Applications of LiDAR in the Railroad Industry, Robert Coppenhaver, Denso Wave

Noon – 12:30 PM

Structures Presentation: From Second-hand Materials to a First-Class Bridge, Ross M. White, PE, Stantec Consulting Services Inc., Paul Pleasant, St. Marys Railroad and Chris Lindsey, Lindsey Contractors, Inc.

12:30 PM

Adjournment