Short Line Railroads

Trick or treat, smell my feet, Give me something good to eat! If you don’t, I don’t care, I’m a short line railroad and I don’t actually eat candy, but I do ship almost all the things you need for Halloween, like sugar for treats, food and drinks for parties, costumes and so much more! Oh, sorry, where were we? Got completely caught up in reminding everyone that Halloween is made possible in part by short lines. They provide the first- and last-mile service that helps everyone get what they need for a spook-tacular evening!

In honor of the most Friday-est Thursday ever, we just wanted to pop into your feed to say we love short lines because short lines are awesome! And if you love... 🔹keeping businesses local 🔹shipping goods without adding traffic to roads 🔹supporting economic growth and job creation ...then you love short lines, ergo you are also awesome! Congratulations! 🤩

Did we just get back from a super epic most awesome meeting with our members? Yes, yes we did. Does that mean we're resting and not working on the next super epic most awesome meeting for our members? No, no it doesn't. That's right, everyone! Registration for the ASLRRA Annual Conference & Exhibition IS NOW OPEN! (Sadly, the name Super Epic Most Awesome ASLRRA Conference & Exhibition was not approved.) You can go to our conference home page to learn more: aslrra.org/events/conference… Or skip all that and just go directly to the registration page: aslrra.org/events/conference… Join us in New Orleans March 14-16!! PLEASE NOTE: There are scammers out there who try to get you to book hotels through them. 😠 They're NOT authorized to do that, we DON'T work with them, and a lot could go wrong if you use them to secure your conference lodging. Use the hotel links on our conference website to book a reservation with an authorized conference hotel in our room blocks.

Welcome to new member Evolved Benefits! Evolved Benefits is an employee benefits and ACA compliance firm specializing in affordable healthcare solutions for employers with part-time, variable-hour, and hourly workforces. They provide MEC and Minimum Value health plans, ACA compliance support, and customized benefit strategies. Evolved Benefits’ plans are administered through the TPA, SBMA, and they work closely with employers, associations, brokers, and payroll partners to provide practical, cost-effective benefit solutions. evolvedbenefits.com/

There is no magic safety button in railroading. The short line freight rail industry's impressive and ever-improving safety record is thanks to those dedicated workers who make safety the foundation of their daily tasks. Every year we recognize two individuals for their contributions to safety, on the job and in the community. If you have seen these individuals honored at our Annual Conference, you'd know why this is truly one of the best things we do. -----BUT----- Without your nominations, we don't know who deserves these awards. We are currently soliciting nominations for ASLRRA's Safety Person of the Year and Safety Professional of the Year. Follow the links below to submit a nomination. They're due Nov. 12! 🦺 Safety Person: forms.aslrra.org/form/ASLRRA… 🦺 Safety Professional: forms.aslrra.org/form/ASLRRA…

Military Veterans🤝Short Line Railroads It's a good match! We love telling railroad stories and we love talking about the many military-short line connections in our industry. With Veterans Day on the horizon, we're collecting stories from our member employees who have served or are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. If your organization, railroad or supplier, is an ASLRRA member and you're a military veteran, we want to hear from you! Fill out our online form by Nov. 5 and you could see yourself featured here! forms.aslrra.org/25272480625…

CRISI funding for @RJCormanRR is a BIG deal for short line railroads and their customers! We appreciate @RepAndyBarr for his strong support of R. J. Corman and their project. We're excited to see the significant impact this grant will have on communities in Kentucky and beyond!

We are immensely grateful to @SenatorWarnock and Senator Jon @ossoff for their support of the CRISI grant program and Georgia's short line railroads! CRISI funding will make a phenomenal difference in the ability of small-business short line railroads in Georgia to offer even safer, more efficient service to their customers in the state and beyond. Improvements to rail crossings and increased trespass prevention also translates into increased safety for everyone in the community. warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/…

It is no understatement that CRISI grants are transformational for small-business short line railroads. The improvements made possible by this funding will lead to even safer, more efficient freight rail service -- benefiting shippers, customers and community members in Texas and beyond! Thank you to @RepRonnyJackson for his support of short lines and this critical grant program!

These short line projects in Maine, requested by the Maine DOT, are highlights of the big CRISI awards announced today! It’s a significant $37M investment by the @USDOTFRA into rehabilitating 90 miles of railroad tracks in northern Maine. These improvements include replacing aging rail, crossties, and ballast, along with renovating a key railroad bridge. The rail system in Aroostook County provides the only rail connection linking northern Maine’s forest products and agricultural industries to the national freight rail network. @SenatorCollins is one of the key architects of the infrastructure bill that funded CRISI and has been a consistent strong supporter of the program and of Maine’s rail infrastructure because she knows the importance of those investments to Maine’s industrial shippers. We are so grateful to Senator Collins and @SenAngusKing for their support of these CRISI grants!

This is a great example of one of the big CRISI awards announced today! It’s a major $49M investment by the @USDOTFRA into a $100M+ project in Kansas called Unleashing the American Heartland Rail Upgrade Project by Kyle Railroad (Genesee & Wyoming Inc.). Senator @JerryMoran of Kansas is one of the true stalwarts of short line freight railroad infrastructure support because he knows the importance of those investments to Kansas agriculture shippers. As a leader on the Appropriations Committee and Senate Commerce Committee, plus an early bipartisan negotiator on the infrastructure bill that funded CRISI, short line railroads and our tens of thousands of shippers have no stronger supporter than Senator Moran. moran.senate.gov/public/inde…

This is BIG! The @USDOT and @USDOTFRA have announced the fiscal year 2025-2026 CRISI grant awards and the numbers for short lines are OFF. THE. CHARTS. We are immensely excited for all of our members receiving CRISI funding and thankful to USDOT and FRA leadership and program teams for their steadfast commitment to America’s local railroads and to the communities and businesses that depend on them. These awards will go far in helping boost safe operations across the short line freight rail industry!

We are pleased to welcome the newest members of the ASLRRA board! They were elected at the Fall Super Regional Meeting. 🔹Central Region Vice President - Danny Robbins, President, North Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad 🔹Pacific Region Vice President - Ross Lane, Assistant Vice President, Government Affairs, San Joaquin Valley Railroad / Genesee & Wyoming 🔹Southern Region Vice President - Kate Bourgeois, President & CEO, Mississippi Export Rail Company 🔹Regional Director, Eastern Region - Charles Hunter, Asst. Vice President, Government Affairs, New England Central Railroad Inc./ Genesee & Wyoming 🔹Regional Director, Pacific Region - Robert Pinoli, President & CEO, Mendocino Railway 🔹Regional Director, Southern Region - Curtis Sloan, VP, Policy & Sustainability, Alabama Southern Railroad / Watco We are also very grateful to all our outgoing board members for their dedicated service to the Association! They are Otis Cliatt II, President, Pacific Harbor Line; Ben Tarbutton, President, Sandersville Railroad Company; Cathrin Banks, President & General Counsel, Chesapeake and Delaware LLC and Jason Bradt, VP of Operations, Coastal Division, G & W Railroad Services, Inc. At the fall meeting, Ben Tarbutton III (pictured left) received a certificate of thanks from ASLRRA Chair Justin Broyles for his years of service on the Association's Board of Directors.

Welcome to new member JWilliams Contracting! JWilliams Contracting LLC is a railroad construction contractor specializing in railroad bridge construction. They provide experienced crews and equipment for railroad bridge projects throughout the United States, with a strong focus on safety, quality workmanship, and dependable project execution.

Welcome to new member Hedemora Turbo & Diesel! Hedemora Turbo & Diesel is a Swedish turbocharger manufacturer with more than 120 years of engineering heritage serving the rail, marine, and power generation industries. Hedemora turbochargers are trusted in thousands of heavy-duty engine applications worldwide, helping operators improve reliability, fuel efficiency, and lifecycle performance. They work closely with railroad operators and OEMs to deliver compact, proven turbocharger solutions backed by responsive technical support and short lead times. hedemoratd.com/

The Staggers Act is 46! This critical piece of legislation gave birth to our modern short line railroad industry, enabling entrepreneurs to buy lines set to be sold or discarded by big corporations. It helped sustain rail service to small businesses and rural towns across America, not to mention lowered shipping costs and led to improved reliability, efficiency and safety. When we talk about the importance of advocacy and the need to work with lawmakers on common-sense legislation that works for our industry, this is why! And though we celebrate this anniversary every year, we're always looking to the future -- working to advance measures for the good of the short line freight rail industry

Welcome to new member Weston Solutions! @WestonSolutions is an employee-owned environmental and infrastructure services firm providing innovative solutions to Class I and short line railroads, government agencies, and other commercial clients. Backed by 65 years of experience, Weston’s nationwide team helps solve complex challenges and deliver lasting value. westonsolutions.com/

Pssst...confession time. The Fall Super Regional Meeting was the first time we've ever combined all our fall events into one big gathering. So, we had no idea...Would you love it? Would you hate it? Would you show up? Well, it turns out, we had an AMAZING time! We are so grateful to everyone who helped make this event a success, from the sponsors to the speakers and especially to the attendees. Our goal is to offer our members the chance to learn, grow and connect, and this meeting did all that and more. Thank you, thank you, thank you for always supporting our events in all their forms. We couldn't do anything without all of you!