NRC Updates and Announcements | |
|
NRC 2023 Conference and NRC-REMSA Exhibition is Jan 4-7!
The 44th Annual NRC Conference and NRC-REMSA Exhibition is back and right around the corner! Please mark your calendars for January 4-7, 2023 in Boca Raton, FL at the Boca Raton Resort for the industry's premier networking event. Haven't been or participated in an NRC Conference before? Check out our 2023 conference teaser on what you can expect!
| |
|
Registration, exhibit booths, sponsorship opportunities, and more program information will be available in the coming weeks, so please keep your eyes peeled for that announcement and make sure to check our website www.nrcma.org for updates. If you have any questions at this time, please email NRC staff at info@nrcma.org for more updates.
We ask that our members and conference attendees be vigilant of scams including any solicitations via phone or email that offer hotel deals or conference registration lists on behalf of the NRC. These groups are not affiliated with the NRC. Please check the NRC website or contact staff directly for the most up-to-date conference information.
| |
|
NRC Members: The NRC 2022 Scholarships application now available!
The NRC 2022 Scholarship Program is currently accepting applications and wants your child or grandchild to apply. The NRC offers tuition assistance to children or grandchildren of NRC member company employees. The deadline to submit your application is COB September 15, 2022.
This year, three total scholarships will be awarded as follows: the first place applicant will receive $12,000, the second place applicant will receive $6,000, and the third place applicant will receive $3,000. Scholarship funds, awarded annually, will be sent directly to the student at the beginning of the next term of study. Students must be in attendance for a full year following receipt of the award.
Please click here to view the 2022 NRC Scholarship Application.
In order to apply, an applicant must meet the following criteria:
-
be a daughter, son, granddaughter or grandson of a current employee of an NRC member company. Not a member? Click here to join today.
- be enrolled at the time of application as a full-time college student at an accredited two-year college offering an Associate's degree or an accredited four-year college or university, or if the student is a recent high school graduate enrolling at one of the aforementioned institutions.
Please compile your completed application with all required materials in to one PDF and send directly by email to mmcgonagle@nrcma.org with "2022 NRC Scholarship Application" in the subject line. The deadline for receiving completed applications is COB September 15. Applicants will be informed of their application status in early December. Grant application materials can be emailed to info@nrcma.org, sent via Adobe PDF, Dropbox or similar program. If you have any questions, please reach out to NRC staff by email at info@nrcma.org or phone at 202-975-0365.
| |
|
NRC 2022 Education Grant: Submit by August 31!
The NRC is accepting applications for its Education Grant Program. Originally scheduled to have a deadline in late Spring, the Education Committee extended the application deadline in order to give each university ample time to apply. The deadline is now Wednesday, August 31.
The Program awards an education grant to a college, university or technical school within the United States with a railway construction, railway engineering or construction management program. This year the NRC will award one $15,000 grant to the top applicant. Applications will be judged by the NRC Education Committee. NRC Education grant funds are intended for targeted student educational and research purposes. Learn more about the program and download the application here.
The deadline for receiving completed applications is Wednesday, August 31. Applicants will be informed of their application status shortly after Labor Day. Grant application materials can be emailed to info@nrcma.org, sent via Adobe PDF, Dropbox or similar program.
| |
|
NRC and REMSA Unveil Grassroots Events Video
NRC and REMSA staff put together a short video to highlight past successful grassroots events and the efforts of both NRC and REMSA member companies to advance our industry's message on Capitol Hill. The video discusses how these events are an effective tool in showcasing the economic benefit of railroad contractors and suppliers to the industry, supply chain, and nation. To view the video, please click here or click on the thumbnail below:
| |
Are interested in learning more about the NRC grassroots program and advocacy for members? Is your organization interested in hosting or participating in a grassroots event? If you and your organization are, or have any questions about the program and the benefits to membership, please click here or email NRC staff at info@nrcma.org. | |
Renew Your NRC Membership or Join Today!
It's time to renew your company's NRC 2022 membership. NRC staff has emailed your organization's primary contact for with all corresponding information for your organization's renewal. If your organization was a member in 2021, and you would like to renew or have any questions about renewing or joining in please contact NRC staff at info@nrcma.org
| |
|
US Senate Releases Appropriations Bills for FY 2023
On July 28, the Senate Appropriations Committee released the text of its omnibus fiscal 2023 spending bill, that includes a total of $106.6 billion for the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). As info a summarized table of specific railroad-related appropriations is below. The next steps will be for the Senate to markup the bill following the August recess.
| |
|
FRA Issues NPRM on Railroad Crew Size
On July 28, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) recommending minimum requirements for train crew size. The regulation proposed a minimum of two crewmembers required for all railroad operations, with certain exceptions based on types of movements or characteristics of the railroad, such as size of the railroad business (Class I, II, III), type of cargo they carry, and the grade of the territory the railroad traverses or operates in.
Another part of the proposed rulemaking are minimum requirements for the location of crewmembers on a moving train. Meaning, that if a railroad is not otherwise exempt from the rule, that a second crewmember in a trailing or shadowing pickup truck would not qualify as a second crewmember, pertaining to the rule. To view the proposed rule in the federal register, please click here. Comments on the proposed rule must be received by September 26, 2022. FRA will consider comments received after that date to the extent it is practicable.
| |
FRA Issues NOFO for New Railroad Crossing Elimination Program
On July 1, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for a new Railroad Crossing Elimination Program. The new program will have up to $573 million in grant funding for eligible projects. The pilot program is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021.
“The Railroad Crossing Elimination Program will make many grade crossings safer or eliminate them altogether in the coming years,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “The projects funded by the program demonstrate the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s lasting impact on communities by strengthening their infrastructure, reducing congestion and saving lives.” This rule is one of several ongoing FRA initiatives to address the complex operational, environmental, and cultural issues that contribute to fatigue.” FRA’s rule comes as Democratic leaders with the U.S. House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials urged FRA in April to do something about worker fatigue.
| |
Industry News and Updates | |
|
As of mid-June, US Class Is employed 116,251 people, a 0.41% increase compared with employment levels in mid-May and a 0.28% increase from June 2021's level, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data. Year over year, the following categories registered increases: executives, officials and staff assistants, 5.73%; and transportation (train and engine), 1.34%. Categories that registered YOY decreases were professional and administrative, down 2.29%; transportation (other train and engine), 1.6%; maintenance of equipment and stores, 1.57%; and maintenance of way and structures, 0.53%.
NTSB issues preliminary report on Amtrak derailment in Missouri
Late in the week of July 18, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a first report of its report of its investigation into the fatal Amtrak train derailment that occurred on June 27 in Mendon, Missouri. Preliminary review of the data from the leading locomotive’s event recorder showed that the train was traveling 89 mph when its emergency brakes were activated. The weather was clear with no precipitation at the time of the accident. NTSB investigators on the scene conducted grade crossing and highway vehicle inspections, reviewed data from the lead locomotive’s forward-facing image recorder and event recorder, obtained the dump truck’s engine control module and conducted interviews. The NTSB's investigation is ongoing. Future investigative activity will focus on highway-rail grade crossing design specifications, rail-car design, survival factors and passenger rail-car crashworthiness, the report stated
On July 22, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) announced it will hold a three-day public hearing on the proposed merger between Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) and Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCS) on September 28, 29, and 30 at STB headquarters in Washington, DC. The STB is also modifying the procedural schedule so that final briefs will be due by October 14, 2022 after the public hearing. The public hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT and end around 5:30 p.m. EDT each day. By September 14, 2022, any person wishing to speak at the hearing must file a notice of intent to participate: (i) identifying the entity, if any, the person represents, the proposed speaker, and whether the speaker will appear in person or via video conferencing, and (ii) summarizing the key points the speaker intends to address. Speakers will be allotted five minutes for their presentation unless they request otherwise in their notice of intent, in which case the Board will consider the request.
| |
The NRC is a trade association representing businesses from across the nation in the rail construction and maintenance field. NRC members range in size from small family businesses to the largest companies in the industry. NRC members perform work for transit, commuter, intercity passenger, industrial, and freight rail customers, with services including track construction and maintenance, grade crossings, signal and communications installation, bridge construction and repair, rail yard work, and many more. The NRC strives to put an emphasis on rail safety and quality while proudly serving the rail industry | | | | | |
