Message From The President

What about the “M” in AREMA? e Maintenance team of railway engineering departments is by far the largest part of their organization. How does AREMA support this important group in our industry and how can we improve what we o er them? First, I will provide some background about the “M” and discuss how we have been striving to better support the maintenance teams.

AREMA was formed in 1997, as the result of a merger of three associations - the American Railway Bridge and Building Association (B&B), the American Railway Engineering Association (AREA) and the Roadmaster’s and Maintenance of Way Association (Roadmaster’s), along with functions of the Communications and Signals Division of the Association of American Railroads. e Roadmaster’s Association was the oldest of these associations dating back to 1883 and its purpose was very similar to the B&B Association. ey were a group of track maintenance professionals from many railroads who met to discuss common problems and share solutions for the betterment of the railway industry. Annually, they published the discussions and recommended practices on the topics they addressed, which were focused on practical eld applications.

AREMA operates similar to how AREA did. Most areas of the new association ourished, however some of the maintenance areas, particularly track, struggled. To address this and make a commitment to support this important group the Maintenance Functional Group was created in 2005. Within it, “Teams” were established to focus on providing practical guidance and training materials. e Teams were Engineering Safety, Track Maintenance, Bridge Maintenance, and Signal Maintenance. is helped to provide some momentum, but more was needed to strengthen AREMA’s maintenance expertise. In 2016 the Functional Group Board of Directors (BOD) elevated the Teams to full Committee status to allow for the development of technical material and provide emphasis on not just design of infrastructure, but maintenance of it as well. e following year the BOD, with direction from the Board of Governors, realigned a few Committees within the Functional Groups and renamed the Maintenance Functional Group the Maintenanceof-Way Functional Group. is resulted in the MOW FG Committees we have today that focus primarily on track maintenance:

• 2 - Track Measurement and Assessment Systems

• 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment

• 40 - Engineering Safety

• 41 - Track Maintenance e MOW FG is currently led by FG Vice President Mathew R. Porto (Sr. Director Workforce Planning and Analytics, Amtrak) and produces various educational and reference materials as listed below:

Committee 42 - Bridge Maintenance was merged with Committee 10 - Structures Maintenance & Construction which is part of the Structures FG. Committee 43 - Signal Maintenance was moved to the Communications, Signals & Information Technology FG.

• 15 presentations are scheduled at the 2023 Annual Conference in conjunction with Railway Interchange this October in Indianapolis. Providing informative presentations on track maintenance has been a long-term strength of this FG.

• Committee 2 has two webinars that are available On Demand on the AREMA website for purchase - Critical Geometry Defects and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for Track Bed Inspection. Committee 41 is working on a future Track Inspection Procedures webinar.

• Committee 2 is reorganizing their chapter this year for the 2024 Manual of Railway Engineering (MRE) publication. Both Committees 2 and 27 are actively updating their respective

MRE chapters.

• Committees 40 and 41 do not have a corresponding chapter in the MRE, but instead develop and maintain Best Practices for practical eld applications, intentionally similar to the objectives of the former Roadmaster’s. Committee 41 published ve Best Practices in 2022 exclusively as a member bene t –Installation of Switch Points and Stock Rails; Renew and Repair Road Crossings; Correct Gage Repair on CWR; Jointed Track, and Turnouts, Installation of Frogs; and Proper and Safe Spot Tie Replacement. ese can be found on the AREMA website under Member Home and then “Track Maintenance Best Practice.”

• Committee 40 is taking over the bridge worker and track safety subjects from other committees outside of the MOW FG and is working on e ective safety brie ng material.

Class I employee memberships have re ected the slow downsizing of Class I engineering sta s in recent years. is has particularly impacted the MOW FG. Committees 40 - Engineering Safety and 41 – Track Maintenance have the greatest need for members from railways. Because of their very small rosters it has been di cult for these committees to progress their work. Class I employee memberships are essential to how AREMA operates and to ensure the materials produced are aligned with the needs of the industry.

How can AREMA better position the MOW FG to add more value and to be more relevant to the track maintenance community? What changes should be made? e current organization of the MOW FG and the methods of material delivery were speci cally intended to align best with the needs of the maintenance community. Have we achieved that goal, or do we have more to do?

I have spoken with several of my maintenance peers in recent months to understand what they think would improve AREMA’s value. Here are a few things I heard:

• Provide good material for safety meeting discussions.

• Provide practical advice and actionable materials that can be applied by the eld for day-to-day business.

• Hold training events geared toward eld supervisors and those with less experience. Provide “back to the basics” topics.

• Format material and events that accommodate eld supervisors’ limited time.

• Seek to attract the new, younger generations. e support of the Class I’s, Transits and Shortlines is imperative when seeking younger generations. ese companies must support their involvement and encourage participation in AREMA Technical Committees.

• O er maintenance symposiums to share common concerns and solutions, much like the former Roadmaster’s did. ey are less intimidating due to the smaller group, require less of a time commitment, and are tailored to more speci c interests.

• Consider using a local/regional maintenance group meeting format that limits the need for travel and time commitments by the maintenance personnel

JUNE 9-10

Committee 24 - Education & Training

Baltimore, MD

SEPTEMBER 30 -

OCTOBER 1

Committee 24 - Education & Training

OCTOBER 1

Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization

OCTOBER 1

Committees 11 and 17 Joint Meeting

yet provides networking opportunities. AREMA will look at this helpful feedback to see how it can be incorporated. What additional recommendations do you have? Please consider how you might bene t by joining a MOW FG committee and what you may have to o er to support the railway maintenance community. Your knowledge, experiences, and perspectives are important to AREMA and the next generation of railway professionals. Pass this article to colleagues in your organization who may not be familiar with AREMA. Expose them to this opportunity and encourage involvement. To learn more about what the MOW FG committees are involved with or to contact a committee chair go to the AREMA website under About Us and then “Technical Committees.”

Enjoy your journey until next month.

TRENT M. HUDAK AREMA President 2022-2023

Register now for the AREMA 2023 Annual Conference in conjunction with Railway Interchange. Railway Interchange is back after four years October 1-4 at the Indiana Convention Center. For the latest information about Keynote Speakers, Technical Presentations, Sponsorship, and more, visit www.conference.arema.org

Is your Library up to date? Order the new 2023 Communications & Signals Manual today. With over 35 new, revised, reaffirmed, or extended Manual Parts, including over 500 pages of updates, get your copy of the 2023 Manual. Order online now at www.arema.org

NOT AN AREMA MEMBER?

JOIN TODAY AT WWW.AREMA.ORG

CONNECT WITH AREMA ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

JUNE 15-16

Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Washington, DC

OCTOBER 1

Committee 5 - Track

OCTOBER 1

Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations

OCTOBER 1

Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals

JUNE 21

Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations Virtual

OCTOBER 1

Committee 10 – Structures Maintenance & Construction

OCTOBER 1

Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems

OCTOBER 1

Committee 40 - Engineering Safety

*Indianapolis, IN in conjunction with the AREMA 2023 Annual Conference

OCTOBER 1

Committee 12 - Rail Transit

OCTOBER 1

Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems

OCTOBER 2

Committee 13 - Environmental

Joining a technical committee is the starting point for involvement in the Association and an opportunity for lifelong growth in the industry. AREMA has 30 technical committees covering a broad spectrum of railway engineering specialties. Build your network of contacts, sharpen your leadership skills, learn from other members and maximize your membership investment. If you’re interested in joining a technical committee or sitting in on a meeting as a guest, please contact Alayne Bell at abell@arema.org.

For a complete list of all committee meetings, visit www.arema.org.