Message From The President

Professional Development

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BECOME A MEMBER AND SAVE e primary objective of this Committee is to update the AREMA Strategic Plan to progress our mission more e ectively in the coming years. ere are several additional objectives set before the committee, 1) revision of the AREMA Technical Committee Regulations and Procedures, which was successfully approved by the Functional Group Board of Directors (BOD) in June (thank you Past President Jim Kessler for all your work on this in the past few years!),

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My term as AREMA’s President concludes at the end of the AREMA 2023 Annual Conference which will be held in conjunction with Railway Interchange, October 1-4 at the Indiana Convention Center. is will be my last message. I have enjoyed sharing some of my thoughts and a few of AREMA’s endeavors with you over the past year. “Far and away the best prize that life o ers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing” – eodore Roosevelt.

I am honored to have been given the privilege to lead this distinguished association. I hope I am leaving it is just a little bit better than upon my arrival.

Early in my term I set up a Strategic Planning Committee which includes Ray Verrelle, Jr., Senior Vice President and four Past Presidents – Jim Kessler, Ed Sparks, Vic Babin, and Mike Freeman, and AREMA’s CEO and Executive Director, Beth Caruso.

2) evaluate the bench strength for future leaders of the association - those who qualify for nomination to the BOD and Senior Vice President positions, and 3) propose modications to the AREMA Bylaws that may be necessary with our future direction. With the help of an association organizational expert, the committee will be meeting numerous times this fall and winter to work on the Strategic Plan. Our schedule calls to have a new dra Strategic Plan in the rst quarter of 2024 that will be ready for review/ approval by the Board of Governors.

Several major initiatives will continue. Managing the health of the Manual for Railway Engineering and the Communications and Signal Manual has been an e ort underway for several years and is core to our mission. I am glad to report that we have made good progress to ensure the manuals remain healthy. ank you to all the committee leaders and members who have done all the hard work in reviewing and updating their respective manual chapters.

As the rail industry continues to evolve, AREMA will also evolve and respond to the needs of the times. I introduced AREMA’s Sustainability and Resilience Position Paper in my July message. Sustainability and Resilience are essential for the viability of our future – leveraging our inherent eciencies and nding solutions to become more sustainable will be a long-term journey for the industry and AREMA.

I am pleased to announce that AREMA will be hosting a Sustainability and Resiliency Symposium this coming February in Tampa, Florida. Look for details coming soon. For those of you that are already working in this space I invite you to share your knowledge. If this is new to you, I hope you will consider attending. Come to learn more about how you can be part of the solution in helping the industry become more sustainable and resilient. I would like to thank the R&S Symposium Committee (lead by Ashley Pate, Leo orbecke and Ned Bagniewski and Committee 13 (chaired by Kari Harris) for all the work they are doing to making this symposium successful for our membership.

As we continue to prepare for the Annual Conference, held in conjunction with Railway Interchange, I would like to thank the AREMA Program Committee for their e orts. anks to Ray Verrelle, Jr. and the Functional Group leaders for your dedication during the presentation selection and review process. anks also to Stacy Spaulding, Senior Director Executive & Board Operations for supporting this Committee and working closely with those presenters selected to present. ere will be an excellent line-up of presentations that you will not want to miss. ank you to all the sponsors who help make the event successful with your nancial support.

With regret, this will be the last Railway Interchange that AREMA will participate in for the foreseeable future. Although we recognize the value to the industry to have many associations collectively participate, it has not been nancially sustainable for AREMA. We are hopeful that someday in the future we can participate again. Looking ahead, plan to join us in Louisville, KY on September 15-18 for the AREMA 2024 Annual Conference & Expo.

I wish to thank the dedicated sta at AREMA headquarters that works tirelessly to provide value to our members and the railway industry. With the turnover and hiring of several sta positions, you have all stepped in to help with the transition and maintained the support to which we

2023 Meetings

SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 1

Committee 24 - Education & Training

OCTOBER 1

Committee 12 - Rail Transit

Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization

Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems

Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems have become accustomed. And equally, a big thank you to all the member volunteers who work on the manuals, prepare and deliver seminars/webinars, support the student chapters, and work at the annual conference – AREMA could not ful ll its mission without you!

I could not have accepted this position to lead the association without the support of my wife, Christy and my employer, BNSF Railway. My sincere appreciation to both for allowing me to take this opportunity.

At the end of the 2023 Annual Conference Ray Verrelle, Jr.’s term as AREMA President 2023-2024 will begin – congratulations Ray!

I hope to see you in Indianapolis!

TRENT M HUDAK AREMA President 2022-2023

References: theodorerooseveltcenter.org

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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.

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Upcoming Committee Meetings

Committee 5 - Track

Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations

Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals

Committee 40 - Engineering Safety

OCTOBER 2

Committee 13 - Environmental

Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways

Committee 41 – Track Maintenance

Committee 4 – Rail

OCTOBER 5

Committee 39 – Positive Train Control

Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment

Committees 11 and 17 Joint Meeting

Committee 10 – Structures

Maintenance & Construction

Join a technical committee

OCTOBER 4-5

Committee 38 – Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems

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.