Technical Sessions

Monday, September 17

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Engineering Services Presentation: Virginia Avenue Tunnel Reconstruction Project, Charles E. Gullakson, PE and R. Brandon Knapp, PE, CSX Transportation, Arash Parham, PE, DBIA, Clark Foundations, LLC

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Communications & Signals Presentation: Cyber Security Risk Management of Connected Railroads: A Literature Review, Xiang Liu, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and Duminda Wijesekera, George Mason University

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Track Presentation: Heavy Axle Load Research and Development at TTCI: An Update on the Performance of Next Generation Wheels, Rails, and Welds, Gary T. Fry, PhD, PE, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)

11:30 AM – Noon

Structures Presentation: Design and Construction of the New Portageville Railroad Bridge, Kevin W. Johns, PE, Modjeski and Masters, Inc., Nick Greco, American Bridge Company and Kevin G. Hauschildt, PE, Norfolk Southern Corporation

Noon – 12:30 PM

Passenger & Transit Presentation: Sound Transit’s Tacoma Trestle Track & Signal Project – A Winding Bridge to a Successful Project, Kevin M. Jeffers, PE, PMP, David Evans and Associates and Melissa Flores Saxe, PMP, Sound Transit, Planning, Environmental & Project Development Department

12:30 – 1:00 PM

Maintenance-of-Way Presentation: Operation under Fouled Ballast Waiver, Radim Bruzek, ENSCO, Inc., Hugh Thompson, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Research Development and Technology and Robert Banister, BNSF Railway

Tuesday, September 18

Communications & Signals Technical Session

Session Chair: Brian L. Sykes, AREMA Functional Group Director
Norfolk Southern Corporation

Session sponsored by  

8:00 - 8:30 AM

Analysis of Restricted Speed Accidents and Potential Implementations of Positive Train Control Systems
Zhipeng Zhang and Xiang Liu, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 

8:30 - 9:00 AM

How Do Drivers Behave at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings – Comparison of Data from Actual and Virtual Environments
David Nelson, PE, Michigan Technological University

9:00 - 9:30 AM

PTC Interoperability Third Party Integrator
Jonathan Calderon and Jordan Wine, Parsons

9:30 - 10:00 AM

Communication Based Train Control System (CBTC)
Berhane S. Tadese, PE, New York City Transit Authority

10:30 - 11:00 AM

Developing a Fail-Safe Train Control System - A Canadian Perspective
Kirk M. Scanlan, University of Alberta, Canadian Rail Research Laboratory

11:00 - 11:30 AM

NICTD Positive Train Control Project
David Garcia and Edward McCreary, Parsons

11:30 AM - Noon

Reducing Road Crossing Collisions
Ronald Mitchell, P.Eng., AECOM

12:15 – 2:00 PM

Annual Committee Chairs Luncheon (Ticketed Event)
Keynote Speaker FRA Administrator Ronald Batory

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Design of Grade Crossing Warning Systems for Electrified Environments
Dale R. Hein, P.Eng., Peter Bohmert, P.Eng. and Aaron Fraser, Hatch

2:30 - 3:00 PM

90-GHz Band Radiocommunication System for High Speed Train
Nobuhiko Shibagaki, Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.

Engineering Services Technical Session

8:00 - 8:30 AM

South Florida Regional Transportation Authority: Implementation of Corridor Occupancy Permitting on the South Florida Rail Corridor
Michael J. Shostak, PE, HDR

8:30 - 9:00 AM

Managing Geotechnical Risk in Railroad Design and Construction
Richard W. Smith, PE, McMillen Jacobs Associates

9:00 - 9:30 AM

STEM Outreach to K-12 Students: The Root of Railway Engineering Education
C. Tyler Dick, PE, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Bryan W. Schlake, Penn State Altoona

9:30 - 10:00 AM

Port Houston Bayport Container Terminal, Ready for Today, Planning for Tomorrow
David W. Clary, PE, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc.

10:30 - 11:30 AM

Sustainable Yard Conversions Considering Operations and Engineering (60 Minute Panel)
Jeremiah Dirnberger, GE Transportation, C. Tyler Dick, PE, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Will Roseborough, CSX and Clark Cheng, Norfolk Southern Corporation

11:30 AM - Noon

Taking a New Bulk Product to Market: Using a Transportation Planning Study to Make Informed Business Decisions
Beth C. Kulick, TranSystems Corporation

12:15 – 2:00 PM

Annual Committee Chairs Luncheon (Ticketed Event)
Keynote Speaker FRA Administrator Ronald Batory

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Capacity Expansion of Kansas City Southern Railway in Mexico
Juan C. Szymanski, AECOM

2:30 - 3:00 PM

Introduction to Virtual Reality for the Rail Industry
Andrew Valente, TranSystems Corporation

3:00 - 3:30 PM

BNSF Alliance Intermodal Facility Expansion: A Large-scale Project at a Critical System Facility
Chris T. Phonpituck, PE, HDR, Jeff Estes, PLS, IE and Daniel Sanchez, BNSF Railway 

3:30 - 4:00 PM

Norfolk Southern’s Simpson Yard Intermodal Expansion: Expanding an Existing Facility in a Constrained Footprint
L. Brack Brown, PE and Richard C. Zaluski, Norfolk Southern Corporation

Maintenance-of-Way Technical Session

8:00 - 8:30 AM

From Concept to Reality Combining a Rockfall Barrier with a Retaining Wall to Protect Railway Tracks
Andi Buechi, Geobrugg North America, LLC, and Edward Wu, M.Eng., P.Eng., Canadian National Railway

8:30 - 9:00 AM

Concentrated Boron Rod Diffusion in White and Red Oak Bridge Ties
Tony Chambers, ABC Tie Tech International LLC

9:00 - 9:30 AM

Surgical Automated Tie Replacement Marking
Todd L. Euston, PE, Georgetown Rail Equipment Company

9:30 - 10:00 AM

On Track Welding Robot Creates a Lifelong Connection
Fabian Hansmann, PhD, Plasser & Theurer and Zachary Seegers, Plasser American Corporation

10:30 - 11:00 AM

Resiliency in Planning for Large Capital Rail Projects
William D. Baker, PE, Mott MacDonald and Kyle Bell, Network Rail Consulting

11:00 - 11:30 AM

Data Driven Pavements
Jonathan Scott Gould, AECOM

11:30 AM - Noon

Machine Learning for Maintenance Inspections
John Laurent, P.Eng. M.Sc., Pavemetrics

12:15 – 2:00 PM

Annual Committee Chairs Luncheon (Ticketed Event)
Keynote Speaker FRA Administrator Ronald Batory

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Quantifying Rail Surface Damage Using Machine Vision
Matthew G. Dick, PE, ENSCO, Inc.

2:30 - 3:00 PM

Wireless Monitoring System to Diagnose Problematic Trackbed: Case Study at Mud Spot
Shushu Liu, Penn State University

3:00 - 3:30 PM

Permeation Grouting Keep Norfolk Southern on Track in Goshen
Alex Sherman, Nicholson Construction Company

3:30 - 4:00 PM

Versatility and Value of Automated Track Inspection Data on Norfolk Southern
Antonio Mauricio, Georgetown Rail Equipment Company and Dustin K. Lange, Norfolk Southern Corporation

4:00 - 4:30 PM

Modelling the Effect of Sleeper Distance on Wayside Measurement of Wheel-rail Lateral Contact Force
Feng Yu, Canadian Rail Research Laboratory

Passenger & Transit Technical Session

8:00 - 8:30 AM

AMTRAK Speed Improvement
Daniel J. Seery, PE, HNTB Corporation, Bert Wescott, PE, AMTRAK

8:30 - 9:00 AM

Joliet Interlocker Reconstuction
Joseph L. Lorenzini, PE, T.Y. Lin International

9:00 - 9:30 AM

Navigating the FRA and STB NEPA Process the Easy Way
Leandra Cleveland and Kevin Keller, HDR Engineering, Inc.

9:30 - 10:00 AM

Washington Wabash Elevated Train Station
Jef Jakalski and Thomas Hoepf, EXP

10:30 - 11:00 AM

Chicago Union Station – Low-level Platform Design Considerations
Christopher J. Taylor, PE, Arup and Susan Thayer, AIA, Muller+Muller, Ltd

11:00 AM - Noon

Challenges in Commuting (60 Minute Panel)
Allene B. Rieger, PE, TranSystems Corporation, Jason T. Orthner, North Carolina Department of Transportation, Joel Cox, PE, Capital Corridor Joint Powers Authority, Bruce Marcheschi, PE, Metra and Dallas Richards, PE, Virginia Railway Express

12:15 – 2:00 PM

Annual Committee Chairs Luncheon (Ticketed Event)
Keynote Speaker FRA Administrator Ronald Batory

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Chicago – St. Louis High Speed Rail Program Update
Philip G. Pasterak, WSP and Patrick A. Halsted, Union Pacific Railroad

2:30 - 3:00 PM

Going Off Wire: An Introduction to Off Wire Applications Due to Emerging Technology for Transit Systems
Paul Tegnazian, AECOM

Structures Technical Session

8:00 - 8:30 AM

Field Measurements Support Lower Live Load Impact Factors for Direct Fixation Bridges
David McCune, PE, HDR and Michael Sheehan, PE, Metro-North Railroad

8:30 - 9:00 AM

Emergency Strauss Bascule Link Pin Repair - Seabrook Bascule Bridge
Tyler Miller, PE, Modjeski and Masters, Inc., Patrick Weldon, Norfolk Southern Corporation and Chuck Davis, PE, Scott Bridge Company

9:00 - 9:30 AM

US 190 Mississippi River Bridge, A Combined Railroad/Highway Bridge Rehabilitation
Durk H. Krone, PE and John D. Richard, PE, TRC Engineers Inc.

9:30 - 10:00 AM

Freezing of a Worn Pin Joint in a Pin Connected Warren Through Truss Incorporating Hair Pins and Compression Struts
Evan A. Sanders, PE, STV Incorporated and Jeremiah V. Parunak, PE, Norfolk Southern Corporation

10:30 - 11:00 AM

A Tale of 3 Bridges
Jeffrey R. Hill, PE, Hayward Baker Rail Services, Richard Payne, PE, SE, ESCA and Austin Hurst, PE, SE, BNSF Railway

11:00 - 11:30 AM

Construction Monitoring - Past, Present, and Future
John P. Orsak, PE, SENSR Monitoring and Alan Bloomquist, BNSF Railway 

11:30 AM - Noon

Fatigue Life Estimation for Deck Plate Girder Bridge Spans
Duane E. Otter, PhD, PE, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)

12:15 – 2:00 PM

Annual Committee Chairs Luncheon (Ticketed Event)
Keynote Speaker FRA Administrator Ronald Batory

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Design and Launching of Three Truss Bridge Spans over BNSF Northtown Rail Yard
Martin Furrer, PE, SE, Parsons and Jack Yuzna, PE, City of Minneapolis-Department of Public Works

2:30 - 3:00 PM

Drainage and Icing Improvements in Aging Railroad Tunnels
Carol A. Ravano, PE and Lisa Dunham, EIT, McMillen Jacobs Associates

3:00 - 3:30 PM

New CSX Bridge - Deep Foundation Installation in Karst Bedrock
Jonathan Winer, PE and Lyndsie Janbakhsh, PE, HDR, Amanda Hongisto, CSX Transportation

3:30 - 4:00 PM

Collaboration During Construction and Innovative Retaining Wall Design: BNSF Kelso Martin’s Bluff
Lauren J. Schroedter, PE, Hanson Professional Services Inc., Megan McIntyre, BNSF Railway and Matt Steffan, PE, McMillen Jacobs Associates

Track Technical Session

Session sponsored by 

8:00 - 8:30 AM

Flange Bearing Frog Testing to Evaluate the Effects of Train Speed, Ramp Shape, and Frog Foundations
Benjamin Bakkum, PE, and Duane Otter, PhD, PE, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)

8:30 - 9:00 AM 

The Development of Manganese Steel Laser Additive Manufacturing as a Means of Special Trackwork Repair
Paul Lindemulder and Richard Kral, Holland L.P.

9:00 - 9:30 AM

Development and Application of a Next Generation Rail Wear Model
Joseph W. Palese, PE, University of Delaware

9:30 - 10:00 AM

Big-Data-Aided Rail Defect Risk Prediction Using Machine Learning Algorithms
Xiang Liu, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

10:30 - 11:00 AM

Benefits of Using a New High Strength Reduced Modulus Concrete in Prestressed Concrete Railroad Ties
Dimitris C. Rizos, PhD, University of South Carolina

11:00 - 11:30 AM

Optimization of Concrete Crosstie Designs for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) Operating Environment
Ricardo J. Quiros Orozco and J. Riley Edwards, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Steven M. Melniczuk, National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)

11:30 AM - Noon

Implementing Improved Composite Tie Design and Testing Guidelines into the AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering
Yin Gao, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), Jay Baillargeon, Federal Railroad Administration

12:15 – 2:00 PM

Annual Committee Chairs Luncheon (Ticketed Event)
Keynote Speaker FRA Administrator Ronald Batory

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Principles of Degraded Ballast and Their Track Safety Implications
Steven M. Chrismer, PE, ENSCO, Inc. and James Hyslip, PhD, PE, HyGround/Loram

2:30 - 3:00 PM

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Technology Evaluation and Implementation on an FRA Research Car
Hugh B. Thompson, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

3:00 - 3:30 PM

Track Support Floating Soil Beam on Helical Piles - Canadian National Railway Bala Subdivision Aurora, Ontario
Edward Wu, PE, P.Eng., Canadian National Railway

3:30 - 4:00 PM

Flexible Design in Mitigation of Natural Rock Slopes
Anthony J. Morris, Canadian Pacific Railway and Mark Sandfort, Golder Associates Inc.

4:00 - 4:30 PM

Rock Slope Stabilization on an Active Commuter Line
Russell W. Preuss, PE, Gannett Fleming

Wednesday, September 19

8:45 – 9:15 AM

Passenger & Transit Presentation: Passenger Platforms and Freight Railroads: A Summary of Research and Analysis of Station Design and Code Requirements for Life Safety in the Railroad Operating Environment, Dallas R. Richards, PE, Virginia Railway Express

9:15 – 9:45 AM

Maintenance-of-Way Presentation: Relationship between Track Geometry Degradation and Subsurface Condition as Measured by GPR, Joseph W. Palese, University of Delaware

9:45 – 10:15 AM

Engineering Services Presentation: Asset Care Analytics: Predictive Condition Based Track Asset Management Planning Using Track Geometry and Rail Wear Condition Data, Rafael Maldonado, ENSCO Rail, Inc.

10:15 – 10:45 AM

Coffee Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM

Track Presentation: Union Pacific's Brazos River Bank Stabilization Project, Ryan C. Kosola, PE, CFM, Olsson Associates and Diane L. Jones, PE, Union Pacific Railroad

11:15 – 11:45 AM

Communications & Signals Presentation: Wayside Health Monitoring System, Rahim Ardavani, Rail Logic, Joseph Schnell, BNSF Railway and Adjegan Guidi, Union Pacific Railroad

11:45 AM – 12:15 PM

Structures Presentation: The New Sarah Long Bridge, Peter Roody, Hardesty & Hanover