Railroad Day on Capitol Hill Is On, Virtually
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Registration is now open for this year’s Railroad Day on Capitol Hill, to be held virtually April 13-14.
While the goal of educating Congressional members on industry issues is the same, Railroad Day on Capitol Hill meetings will be spread over two days and held via Zoom, due to the pandemic. With transportation issues at the forefront of the 117th Congress, the meetings will lay the groundwork for working collaboratively on legislation.
Railroad Day on Capitol Hill allows the freight rail industry “to exercise our First Amendment rights, and to petition our federal government on issues that are important to us and to the customers and communities we serve,” said Chuck Baker, President of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA). “This year, we will be conducting meetings via Zoom. This medium has proven successful in communicating with members of Congress and their staff, and while we’ll miss walking the hallways together, we’re optimistic that this will open up Railroad Day on Capitol Hill to an even broader group of participants than have been able to travel to D.C. in the past. Freight rail is critical to America’s continued growth and prosperity, and provides solutions to many tough problems that Congress will grapple with in this session, including environmental sustainability, safety, and ensuring that every industry and geography—particularly those in rural locations—has efficient access to the U.S. and global economy.”
Railroad Day on Capitol Hill is supported by ASLRRA, Association of American Railroads; National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association; Railway Supply Institute; Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association; Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc.; Railway Tie Association; and SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers.
Attendance is open to all Class I, II and III railroad personnel; shippers; labor rail representatives; state and local government representatives; and members from the supplier community with an interest in furthering the political goals of the railroad industry.
Participants will be scheduled into Railroad Day Zoom meetings that relate to their respective business.
Informational Zoom calls will also be held to ensure participants are able to log in and to review messaging, for example.
For more information and to register, visit the Railroad Day on Capitol Hill page of the ASLRRA website.
