March 14, 2025 - TRA Newswire -

Early registration for the 21st Annual Southwestern Rail Conference at the Hurst Texas Conference Center ends March 22nd so you only have a few days to take advance of a discounted rate.

The only all-rail two day event in Texas just announced that new presentations have been added to the lineup. The rail conference brings together the public and private sector to discuss important freight and passenger rail issues that affect Texas and the Southwest. The rail conference will be held April 7-8 near DFW International Airport. 

Nicole Bucich, Vice President of Network Development for Amtrak, will outline current projects that the national passenger rail carrier is involved with in Texas and, hopefully, can shed some light on work that is progressing on high-speed rail in the Lone Star state. Ms. Bucich has been involved in transportation and urban planning for several decades and serves on the Northeast Corridor Commission. 

The Monday April 7th conference dinner will feature guest speaker Karen Hedlund, who serves on the Surface Transportation Board, an independent federal agency. The STB has jurisdiction over passenger and freight rail matters, the intercity bus industry, non-energy pipelines, household goods carriers' tariffs, and rate regulation of non-contiguous domestic water transportation.

Holt Edwards is Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs at the Association of American Railroads. Edwards will discuss the role that the association plays as the national voice for freight railroads. Edwards will touch on rail safety issues, the economic outlook for the supply chain, an overview of the industry and other current issues.

The Texas Department of Transportation is very soon to release the updated Texas Rail Plan, which is required by the Federal Railroad Administration if a state wants to obtain federal grants. Kevin Keller of HDR has been intimately involved in the update process with the TxDOT Rail Division. He and others on a panel will discuss the updated plan and how is serves as a roadmap for freight and passenger rail projects in the future. 

Knox Ross is like a thoroughbred at the starting gate, waiting for the bell to open. This gate is the pending announcement of passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast, that has not seen trains since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. The Chairman of the Southern Rail Commission, Ross will outline the final steps before initiation of service this summer. 

Conference link: https://texasrailadvocates.org/events/2025-southwestern-rail-conference/