2015 National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Training Conference

Sheraton Arlington HotelArlington, Texas

NOVEMBER 1–4, 2015

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2015

MONDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2015

4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. REGISTRATION

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. OPENING RECEPTION Hall of Fame

7:30 p.m. DINNER ON YOUR OWN The Sheraton Arlington Hotel is located in Arlington’s entertainment district, near the Globe Life Ballpark (home of the Texas Rangers) and AT&T Stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys). Dozens of restaurants are in easy reach of a taxi and will be lively on Sunday night during football season.

7:00 a.m. REGISTRATION

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. BREAKFAST Hall of Fame

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. OPENING SESSION Champions Ballroom

WELCOME; ORIENTATION TO CONFERENCE

KEYNOTE ADDRESS Jamie Rennert, Acting Director, Office of Program Delivery, Office of Railroad Policy and Development, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. NETWORKING BREAK Hall of Fame

Refreshments, Exhibit Hall open

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Fox River Grove, 20 Years Later Champions Ballroom

A METRA commuter rail train crashed into a school bus waiting for a traffic signal in Fox River Grove, Illinois on Wednesday morning, October 25, 1995, resulting in 7 fatalities and 10 serious injuries. The crash marked an emphasis on grade crossing and traffic signal interconnection and other issues. This session will focus on what happened that morning and what it has meant for grade crossing safety since.

Rick Campbell, CTC, Inc.

Robert Accetta, National Transportation Safety Board Principal Investigator

Brian Vercruysse, Illinois Commerce Commission

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Every two years, a committee of industry professionals selects an individual to present with its highest honor: the Hoy A. Richards* Career Achievement Award. The award will be presented during the dinner/awards ceremony at the National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Training Conference.

The award recognizes a career of exemplary achievement in improving the safety of rail grade crossings. Nominees should have notable, tangible results or have participated in technology programs or processes for improving grade crossing safety (i.e., technologies that have been implemented in industry, published works, committee service, etc.); have experience in fostering and enhancing relationships within industry and regulatory agencies; and mentored others in grade crossing safety.

*Hoy A. Richards was a Texas Transportation Institute senior research scientist and leader in the highway-rail grade crossing area for more than 40 years. His enthusiasm and persistence for promoting safety at highway-rail grade crossings were instrumental in the formation of the Railroad Highway Grade Crossing Committee at the Transportation Research Board and the ITS User Service 30 for Highway-Railroad Intersections.

HOY A. RICHARDS CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Hoy A. RichardsDecember 25, 1931–November 9, 2006

2007 Hoy Richards

2009 Bill Browder

2011 Anya Carroll

2013 Bill Browder

Previous award winners include:

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2015 MONDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2015 (continued)

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. LUNCH Plaza on the Hill

Exhibit Halls open

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. SESSION 1: Interconnection Topics Champions Ballroom

Discussion of topics associated with crossing and intersection interaction, including interconnecting signal systems, short storage at intersections and signal changes.

Brian Vercruysse, Illinois Commerce Commission

Mark Johnson, Texas Department of Transportation

Rick Campbell, CTC, Inc.

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. NETWORKING BREAK Hall of Fame

Refreshments, Exhibit Hall open

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. SESSION 2: Operation Lifesaver Update Champions Ballroom

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) is a non-profit, multidisciplinary organization dedicated to education about highway-rail grade crossing safety. This session will share information about (1) OLI’s new rail safety education programs for general audiences, school bus drivers, and first responders; (2) OLI’s national public awareness campaign, “See Tracks? Think Train!”; and (3) OLI’ss outreach efforts with th photography and filmmaking communities.

Wende Corcoran, Vice President, Operation Lifesaver, Inc.

Libby Rector Snipe, Director of Communications, Operation Lifesaver, Inc.

5:00 p.m. DINNER ON YOUR OWN

Registrants are encouraged to meet new people, reconnect with colleagues and enjoy any of the restaurants in Arlington’s Entertainment District, from casual to fine dining. More information about Arlington is available at Arlington.org. NOVEMBER 4, 2013

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8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. BREAKFAST Hall of Fame

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. SESSION 3: Pedestrians and Crossings — Analysis and Design Champions Ballroom

This includes discussion of protection devices, safety treatments and engineering solutions for pedestrian movements at highway-rail grade crossings or pedestrian-only crossings, and Americans with Disabilities Act issues associated with such crossings.

Tim Huya, BNSF Railway

Doug Woods, Union Pacific Railroad

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. NETWORKING BREAK Hall of Fame

Refreshments, Exhibit Hall open

11:00 a.m. – Noon SESSION 4: Grade Crossing Program Administration Champions Ballroom

Discussion of a number of issues facing state grade crossing program leaders, including project prioritization, passive crossing improvements, prioritization methodology and risk assessment tools.

Jim Dahlem, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Jason Field, Moffatt & Nichol

Noon – 1:30 p.m. LUNCH On your own

Exhibit Halls open

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. FRA Inventory Training Workshop Champions Ballroom

On January 6, 2015, FRA published the final rule: National Highway Rail Crossing Inventory Reporting Requirements (49 CFR 234 Subpart F). The rule requires railroads to submit information to the Crossing Inventory for previously unreported highway-rail and pathway crossings and newly established crossings. This workshop will discuss new obligations and requirements associated with the revised rule, and offer participants a chance to exchange success stories in bridging between improved state and railroad inventory systems and the national inventory.

Instructors:

Ron Ries, FRA

Brann Greager, Jacobs

Ric Cruz, Tavla Solutions

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2015TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2015 (continued)

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3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. NETWORKING BREAK Hall of Fame

Refreshments, Exhibit Hall open

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Preemption Workshop Champions Ballroom

Issues associated with signal communication, interconnection and signal preemption are some of the highest-consequence crossing problems that pose the greatest complications for government and railroad safety professionals. This workshop will offer participants a chance to work through and discuss successful approaches to analyzing and resolving these issues.

Instructors:

Rick Campbell, CTC, Inc.

Nicole Jackson, P.E., CTC, Inc.

7:00 p.m. DINNER Champions Ballroom

Annual conference dinner and presentation of the Hoy A. Richards Career Achievement Award

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. BREAKFAST Hall of Fame

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. SESSION 5: Grade Crossing Research Champions Ballroom

Participants will learn about grade crossing research conducted by FRA and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, and research discussed at the Transportation Research Board AHB60 Committee on Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, the Global Level Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention Symposium, and applications of the recent Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP 2) Naturalistic Driving Study database to grade crossing behaviors.

Marco daSilva, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

Jeff Warner, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

David Nelson, Michigan Tech Transportation Institute

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. NETWORKING BREAK Hall of Fame

Refreshments

11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. SESSION 6: State Action Plans — Past and Future Champions Ballroom

July 29, 2015, FHWA and FRA issued interim guidance for states to consider in developing State Action Plans for grade crossing safety. FHWA and FRA are developing a model grade crossing Action Plan in response to a recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board. This session will discuss lessons learned from the 10 states required by the 2008 content and the process for states to adopt their own plan or update a previous plan.

Jim Dahlem, FHWA

Debra Chappell, FRA

Allan Rutter, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

12:30 p.m PROGRAM CONCLUSION

Kurt AndersonCTC, Inc.

Rick CampbellCTC, Inc.

Carolyn CookFederal Railroad Administration

Tom Domres Metro Transit

Danny GilbertRail Safety Consultants

Dale HillUnion Pacific Railroad

Tim HuyaBNSF Railway

Steve LaffeyIllinois Commerce Commission

Derrick MasonNorfolk Southern

Ron RiesFederal Railroad Administration

Paul WorleyNorth Carolina Department of Transportation

Doug WoodsUnion Pacific Railroad

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute would like to thank the 2015 planning committee for its efforts in the planning of this year’s conference. Planning committee members are:

TTI1610.1015.275

The following organizations have generously sponsored events throughout the conference. We thank them for their contributions, continued support and participation in the conference.

Exhibitors for the National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Training Conference are always welcome. We hope that you will visit with them and allow them the opportunity to show their stuff! Your 2015 exhibitors are:

CTC, Inc.

D & D Technologies

Enterprise Concrete Products

HiRail Corporation

LightGuard Systems, Inc.

Moffatt & Nichol

Oldcastle Precast, Inc.

TKDA

Texas A&M Transportation Institute/ Center for Transportation Safety

Transpo Industries, Inc.