Monday, February 10

6:00 – 7:30 PM

Opening Reception

Tuesday, February 11

7:00 – 8:00 AM

Breakfast

Keynote and Opening Presentation

David Connell, Union Pacific Railroad (retired) – Moderator

8:00 AM

Welcome / Introduction, Edward D. Sparks II, CSX Transportation and AREMA President

8:10 AM

Keynote Speaker, Keith Creel, President & CEO, Canadian Pacific Railway

8:30 AM

Life Cycle Considerations, Peter Veit, PhD., Graz University of Technology

9:00 AM

On the Importance of Railway Track Drainage, James P. Hyslip, PhD., PE, HyGround/Loram

9:30 AM

Ballast and Subgrade Studies by Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), DingQing Li, TTCI

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Coffee Break

Ballast and Roadbed Management

Shawn K. Vecellio, Kansas City Southern Railway - Moderator

10:30 AM

Ballast Behavior & Enhancement, Erol Tutumluer, PhD., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

11:00 AM

Ballast Undercutting at Amtrak: Inspection Technologies & Information Management, Amanda Kessler, PE and Evan Whatley, EIT, Amtrak

11:30 AM

Track Substructure Management – Lessons Learned from 40 Years of Track Substructure Investigation, David E. Staplin, PE, HNTB Corporation and Steven M. Chrismer, PhD., PE, Amtrak

12:00 PM

Subgrade Maintenance Management, Rudolf Schilder, Dipl. Ing., Dr.techn., ARTS Schilder & Partner GmbH

12:30 – 1:30 PM

Lunch

Research and Development

Theodore R. Sussmann, Jr., PhD,  U.S. Department of Transportation – Moderator

1:30 PM

Linking Ballast Research to Practice, Theodore R. Sussmann, Jr., PhD, U.S. Department of Transportation

1:45 PM

Penn State Altoona RTE Research,  Hai Huang, PhD, PE, Penn State University, Altoona

2:00 PM

Ballast Behavior and the Probabilistic Analysis of Ballast Life, Carlton Ho, PhD, PE, University of Massachusetts

2:15 PM

In-Track Timber Crosstie-Ballast Interfacial Pressure Measurements for Revenue Freight Trains and DOTX 218/219 Test Train Operating Conditions, Jerry G. Rose, PhD, PE, University of Kentucky

2:30 PM

Triaxial Testing of the Shear Strength Behavior of Degraded Ballast, Yu Qian, PhD, University of South Carolina

2:45 PM

R&D Panel Discussion, All of the Above including Michael T. Hendry. PhD, University of Alberta and Erol Tutumluer, PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

3:15 – 3:30 PM

Coffee Break

Effects on Other Components

Rainer Wenty, Ing., Senior Track Technology Advisor - Moderator

3:30 PM

Ballast and Track Lateral Stability, Andrew Kish, PhD. Kandrew Inc. Consulting Services

4:00 PM

Railroad Ballast - More Than “Just” A Stone, Fabian Hansmann, PhD.,  Plasser American

4:30 PM

Ballast and Transitions ‘’The Bump at the End of the Bridge,’’, James McLeod, PE, CN and Mario Ruel, PE, ME, Mario Ruel Consulant

5:00 PM

The Influence of Ballast Support Condition and Moisture on Concrete Crosstie Performance, J. Riley Edwards, PhD, PE, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

5:30 PM

Day 1 Closing, Darrell D. Cantrell, Cantrell Rail Services, Inc.

Wednesday, February 12

7:00 – 7:45 AM

Breakfast

Introduction and International Presentations

Joseph Smak, Amtrak (retired) - Moderator

7:45 AM

Welcome / Introduction, Joseph A. Smak, Amtrak (retired)

8:00 AM

Overview of 15 years of Canada’s Railway Ground Hazard Research Program, Michael T. Hendry. PhD, University of Alberta

8:30 AM

Railway Roadbed Characterization and Performance Monitoring, Hannes Grabe, PhD, University of Pretoria

9:00 AM

The Management of Roadbed in the United Kingdom, Phil Sharpe, PhD, Independent Roadbed Specialist

9:30 AM

Ballasted Trackbed Degradation and Settlement, Erol Tutumluer PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for Xuecheng Bian PhD, Zhejiang University

10:00 – 10:15 AM

Coffee Break

Maintenance and Renewal Process

Conrad Ruppert, University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign and HNTB Corporation - Moderator

10:15 AM

GAM - Geo-Hazard Risks & Asset Management Railway’s Perspective, Mario Ruel, PE, ME, Mario Ruel Consultant and James McLeod, PE, CN

10:45 AM

Things That Affect the Life of Tamping; Recommended Tamping Cycles, Darrell D. Cantrell, Cantrell Rail Services, Inc.

11:15 AM

Federal Railroad Administration (Ballast Waiver), Hugh Thompson, Federal Railroad Administration

11:45 PM

The Mobile Mud Spring,  Tyson J. Spire-Sweet, Union Pacific Railroad

12:15 – 1:15 PM

Lunch

Maintenance and Renewal Equipment

Edward F. Boyle, Jr., Norfolk Southern Corporation - Moderator

1:15 PM

Shoulder Ballast Cleaning, Daniel W. Hampton, CSX Transportation

1:45 PM

The Evolution of Ground Penetrating Radar and Ballast Maintenance at BNSF Railway, Adam Bankston and Christopher Pickard, BNSF Railway 

2:15 PM

Ballast and Roadbed Drainage and Remediation Practices, Matthew Foot, P.Eng. Canadian Pacific

2:30 PM

Improved Railway Trackbed Support Design with Asphalt Concrete in European Lines, Diego Ramirez Cardona, Eiffage Infrastructure and Jerry G. Rose, PhD, PE, University of Kentucky

3:00 PM

Closing, Darrell D. Cantrell, Cantrell Rail Services, Inc. & James P. Hyslip, PhD., PE, HyGround/Loram