April 5, 2026 - TRA Newswire -

Take advantage of the lowest registration rate for the 22nd Annual Southwestern Rail Conference, May 18-19 at the Hurst Texas Conference Center. Prices go up dramatically on April 10 for the premier all-rail event held yearly in Texas.

$299.00 Early Bird gives you two days of information and access that you won't find anywhere else when it comes to freight and passenger rail issues in Texas and the Southwest. Agenda and conference information here: https://www.texasrailadvocates.org/events/2026-southwestern-rail-conference/

There are only a few rooms still available at the conference rate of $119 a night (plus taxes) at the Hilton Garden Inn, attached to the Hurst Conference Center. Register through the link on the conference website.

This year the only all-rail freight and passenger conference in Texas focuses on:

• Two new Texas Rail Grant Programs 
• The Union Pacific - Norfolk Southern merger and what it means for Texas
• Two Passenger Rail Success Stories, one in North Texas and one of the Gulf Coast that shattered records
• New Industrial Rail Parks popping up that raise the bar for economic development in North and South Texas
• A new Statewide Multimodal Transit Plan, the first of its kind at TxDOT to connect people and cities in Texas
• Connecting Southwest Texas to the Pacific Mexican Coast - reopening of an international missing rail link 
• Analysis of the rail industry in 2026 and going forward from noted Rail Analyst Anthony "Tony" Hatch

Names you recognize or need to know if you're interested in passenger or freight rail issues:

• Federal Railroad Administrator David Fink
• Surface Transportation Board Member Karen Hedlund
• Union Pacific Executive Vice President-Operations Eric Gehringer
• Texas Department of Transportation Rail Division Director Don Franks
• Texas Department of Transportation Public Transit Director Eric Gleason
• Texas A&M Transportation Institute Senior Research Scientist Allan Rutter
• Transportation for American Chairman John Robert Smith
• DART Executive Vice President Trey Walker
• Jaguar Transport Holdings Senior VP Jeff Van Schaick
• Genesee & Wyoming AVP Ross Lane

Southwestern Rail Conference website: https://www.texasrailadvocates.org/events/2026-southwestern-rail-conference/