Agenda

Monday, February 6

10:00 AM - Noon

Speaker Ready Room (by appointment)

11:30 AM - Noon

Registration

Noon - 5:00 PM

BNSF Test Lab Tour
The BSNF Technical Research and Development laboratory in Topeka, Kansas, is the center for BNSF’s research as it relates to ballast, ties, rail, and accident investigation. The tour will include visiting the site and becoming familiar with the full suite of capabilities at their lab. Demonstrations and/or discussions of selected portions of the work that are currently underway will be presented. Steel toed boots, hardhat, and safety glasses are required on the tour. Tour is limited to 50 people.

Noon - 5:00 PM

Kansas City Streetcar Project & Univ. of Missouri KC Laboratory Tours
The Kansas City Streetcar (KCSC) South Extension Project Tour extends the current 2.1 mile “Starter Line” an additional 3.5 miles south from Union Station to the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC). Areas of interest to AREMA members includes streetcar planning, utility management, track slab construction, power systems, and operations. This tour will begin in the KC Streetcar Constructor’s office followed by a tour of the route. After the tour of the KC Streetcar, the group will also tour the new Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise and Research Center at UMKC. The labs within the Plaster Center contain a 3D printing lab and fabrication studio to build prototypes, high-performance computing and analytics equipment and software, an FAA-approved flight simulator, a two-story drone flight-testing bay and $3 million of augmented and virtual reality equipment. Tour is limited to 30 people.

1:30 - 4:00 PM 

Speaker Ready Room (by appointment)

5:30 - 6:30 PM

Registration

6:00 - 7:30 PM

Opening Reception

Tuesday, February 7

7:00 - 7:45 AM

Continental Breakfast

Keynote and Opening Presentations

James P. Hyslip, PhD, PE, HNTB Corporation – Moderator

7:45 - 8:00 AM

Welcome/Introduction, Trent M. Hudak, PE, BNSF Railway and AREMA President

8:00 - 8:25 AM

Keynote Address - WE ARE the Foundation, Edward F. Boyle, Norfolk Southern Railway
Ed Boyle is the VP-Engineering for the Norfolk Southern Railway, a position he has held since May 1, 2019 with headquarters in Atlanta, GA. He started his career as a Management Trainee in 1994 after graduating with a BS Degree in Civil Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. Ed has held positions in Engineering and Operations throughout his 28+ year career with Norfolk Southern Railway including Track Supervisor, Assistant Division Engineer, Division Engineer, Chief Engineer Line Maintenance, Assistant General Manager-Transportation, AVP Communications & Signals and AVP Maintenance of Way & Structures. He has been an AREMA member since 1995, currently serves on the AREMA Board of Governors and is part of NACE-the North American Chief Engineers.

8:25 - 9:00 AM

Recovery after Natural Catastrophic Events such as the Atmospheric River Storm in Western Canada in 2021 - An Example of how Climate Change is Changing our Operation and Emergency Response Plans
Paula Pienton & Trevor Evans, CN

9:00 - 9:25 AM

Latest Ballast Maintenance Research from MxV Rail
Stephen Wilk, PhD, MxV Rail

9:25 - 9:50 AM

Challenges to the Railroad Geotechnical State of Practice in 2023
Rachel Beck and Mark Allen, Union Pacific Railroad and Caleb Douglas, PE, PhD, Anderson Professional Services, LLC

9:50 - 10:15 AM 

Coffee Break

Ballast Maintenance                                                                      

Fabian Hansmann, PhD, Plasser Theurer – Moderator

10:20 - 10:45 AM

GPR, LiDAR, and LineScan, oh-my... Recent Developments in Data Driven Ballast Maintenance at Amtrak
Evan Whatley, EIT, Amtrak

10:45 - 11:10 AM

What Happens during the Tamping Process? - When "Smart Tamper" Meets "Smart-Rocks"
Hai Huang, The Pennsylvania State University

11:10 - 11:35 AM

On the Value of Clean Railroad Ballast
Hamed Kashani, PhD, Loram Technologies, Inc.

11:35 AM - Noon

Improving Ballast's Ability to Provide Durable Track Geometry Under High Speeds and Heavy Loads
Steven M. Chrismer, PhD, PE, HNTB / Amtrak (retired)

Noon - 1:00 PM

Break for Lunch*

Research & Innovative Solutions

Conrad Ruppert, Jr. - University of Illinois/HNTB - Moderator

1:05 - 1:30 PM

Identifying Fouling Conditions at Risk of Rapid Deterioration
Stacey Kulesza, PhD, PE, Texas State University and Michelle Barry, PhD, PE, University of Arkansas

1:30 - 1:55 PM

Quantification of Lateral Track Strength Using 3D Laser Scanning Technology and Deep Learning
J. Riley Edwards, PhD, PE, and Sadaf Shafie, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

1:55 - 2:20 PM

Overview and Class I Experience of UTPs for Track Performance Improvement
Jaeik Lee, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Erik K. Frohberg, BNSF Railway

2:20 - 2:45 PM

Investigating the Effect of Shoulder Cleaning on Fine Particle Migration through Laboratory Flume Test
Yu Qian, PhD, University of South Carolina

2:45 - 3:15 PM

Coffee Break

Ballast and Crosstie Interaction

Dingqing Li, MxV - Moderator

3:20 - 3:45 PM

Concrete Ties and Ballast Maintenance a Symbiotic Relationship
Adam Bankston and Chad Henderson, BNSF Railway

3:45 - 4:10 PM

Effect of Poorly Supported Tie on Railway Track Mechanical Behavior
Shushu Liu, PhD, Changes Inc.- Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

4:10 - 4:35 PM

Load Sharing for Improved Track Life-Cycle
Jose R. Mediavilla, Progress Rail

4:35 - 5:00 PM

Reducing Maintenance and Achieving Higher Track Availability by Using Resilient Under Tie Pads
Edouard Valancogne, Getzner USA

Wednesday, February 8

6:45 - 10:30 AM

Registration

7:00 - 7:45 AM

Continental Breakfast

International Experiences                                                                                         

Mario Ruel – Moderator

7:45 - 8:05 AM

Welcome/Introduction, Darrell Cantrell, BNSF Railway (Retired)

8:05 - 8:30 AM

Keynote Address - Built to Drive Growth, Tom Bourgonje, CP
Tom Bourgonje was appointed Vice-President Engineering at CP in June 2022. In his role, Tom is responsible for track infrastructure across CP’s North American network. He joined CP earlier in 2022 as Assistance Vice-President Engineering bringing with him more than 40 years of experience in the railroad industry with number of engineering and operations leadership roles in Canada and the United States. Tom’s career started in 1980 with CN holding many different positions within the railway’s Engineering function rising to the level of Assistant Vice-President Engineering before retiring in 2022. For nine of his years at CN Tom worked in transportation leadership roles. He worked as a railroad consultant for two years after leaving CN before joining CP. Tom graduated in 1990 with a civil engineering degree from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He is a registered Professional Engineer. He is based in Calgary, AB.

8:30 - 8:55 AM

The Canadian Railway Ground Hazard Research Program - A Unique Practical Research Partnership between Railways, Universities and Government
Melissa Ruel, CN & Mehwish Rahman, CP

8:55 - 9:20 AM

An Integrated Approach to Trackbed Drainage Assessment Utilizing Ground Penetrating Radar and Mobile Terrestrial Laser Scanning
Stephen Atherton, Rhomberg Sersa North America & Asger Eriksen, PhD, Zetica Rail

9:20 - 9:45 AM

A Simple but Powerful Performance-Based Railroad Foundation Design Method
Andrew Lees, PhD, Tensar International Corporation

9:45 - 10:15 AM

Coffee Break

Roadbed and Ballast Management

Chris Bunce, BGC Engineering – Moderator

10:20 - 10:45 AM

Case Studies of Track Substructure Upgrade in the Northeast US
Michael Yates, PE, & Philippe Santos, PE, HNTB Corporation

10:45 - 11:10 AM

The Ties between Roadway and Railway Geotechnical Asset Management (GAM): The Tracks are Parallel
Scott Anderson, BGC Engineering

11:10 - 11:35 AM

Assessment of Railway Tracks for Ground Hazards Using Traditional Condition Monitoring and Remote Sensing Data
Abdul-Rashid Zakaria, EIT, PhD, Michigan Technological University

11:35 AM - Noon

Roadbed and Subgrade Inspection and Monitoring using Geophysical Methods
Oleg Valishin, Sercel / Geocomp 

Noon - 1:00 PM

Break for Lunch*

Advancements in Inspection and Condition Assessment

Franco Fanucci, PE, Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. – Moderator 

1:05 - 1:30 PM

Technology for Comprehensive Track Structural Inspection to Improve Detection of High-Risk Conditions
Hugh Thompson, Federal Railroad Administration and Theodore R. Sussmann, Jr., Volpe Center

1:30 - 1:55 PM

Applying Vertical Rail Deflection Measurement Technology to Prioritize the Maintenance of Soft/Mud Spots in Track
Christopher M. Hartsough, Protran Technology

1:55 - 2:20 PM

The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Detecting and Mitigating Ballast Associated Defects
Darel Mesher, PhD, Peng, Tetra Tech TAS Inc. 

2:20 - 2:45 PM

An Automated System for Ballast Evaluation: Ballast Scanning Vehicle and Deep Learning Framework
Erol Tutumluer, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2:45 - 2:50 PM

Adjournment
Closing Remarks & Adjournment