High Speed Rail Conference Full Program

Planning and Delivering on High Performance Rail: Lessons from Around the World

Join this hands-on workshop, included as part of the Forum, to discuss the detailed planning required for high-performance rail, as well as efficient project implementation methods. The practicum will be a unique opportunity for an in-depth exploration of international and US case studies, their best practices and lessons learned.

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

The SEPTA Control Center is a centralized facility that manages the safe and efficient movement of all of SEPTA’s operating modes and provides customer service alerts to our passengers in real time.  The tour will begin with the Command Center, where SEPTA manages all emergencies and major disruptions.  Participants will see each control center mode system – Railroad, Bus, Subway/Elevated, and Light Rail. The Control Center personnel are responsible for ensuring SEPTA’s established service levels are maintained 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Tour will be led by Donte’ Julia, Deputy Chief Officer Control Center Operations.

Each tour group is limited to 15 person capacity.

12:30pm – 1:30pm | 1:30pm – 2:30pm

1234 Market Street meet in the lobby

Amtrak and SEPTA 30^th Street Station Tours

Two for one! Participants will tour two landmark stations in Philadelphia:

• SEPTA 30th Street Market Frankford Line Station Transformation Project: The SEPTA 30th Street Market Frankford Line (MFL) Station Transformation Project includes the reconstruction of the existing MFL30th Street Station including new and refurbished elevators connecting street level to the MFL and trolly platforms, new headhouse escalators, total headhouse replacement, new floor and wall tile, relocated fare lines and cashier booths, new lighting, fire alarm systems, security system and fire suppression system. Participants will see an active construction site within an in-service station that provides access to the Market Frankford Line and the trolleys providing service to southwest and northwest Philadelphia.
• Participants will then tour Amtrak’s William H. Gray III 30^th Street Station, Amtrak’s third-busiest station in America, to learn more about the ambitious plans to transform the customer experience and reinvigorate the station’s potential in partnership with Plenary Infrastructure Philadelphia, renovating and modernizing 500,000 square feet of station, retail, operations, and office space.

The tours will be led by Jack McElwee, SEPTA Senior Program Manager for B&B Transit Facilities and Abagail Barman, Amtrak Program Manager for Gray 30th Street Station.

Tour group is limited to 15 person capacity. Hard hats, vests and eye protection will be provided, please wear appropriate footwear.

Meet in the Marriott lobby where the tour group will access the Market Frankford Line through the 13th Street Station

• Jeffrey Wharton, Connecting America’s Cities Conference Chair, and Director of Contracts and Technical Services, SYSTRA USA

General Session: Visions of State, Local, National and International Leaders

Join a wide range of industry leaders and stakeholders as they discuss the multitude of benefits that can be achieved by building a robust high-speed and intercity passenger rail network that is environmentally friendly, resilient, and sustainable.

• Leslie Richards, General Manager / Chief Executive Officer; Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Philadelphia, PA
• The Honorable Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman, House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
• The Honorable James Kenney, Mayor, City of Philadelphia, PA
• Yassmin Gramian, Secretary of Transportation, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud, Swiss Ambassador to the US
• Elaine Clegg, Council President, City of Boise, Idaho, and Chair, Transportation Infrastructure and Services Committee, National League of Cities

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Sponsored by AECOM

Location:  Independence Ballroom Foyer, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

• Paul Skoutelas, APTA President and CEO
• Jeffrey A. Nelson, APTA Chair; General Manager, Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK), Moline, IL
• Joseph Giulietti, APTA HS&IPR Committee Chair; Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington, CT
• Hon. Nuria I. Fernandez, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Comments on the APTA HS&IPR Committee vision statement for a high performance national intercity passenger rail system and a discussion on its fulfillment as a guidance document for legislators and policy leaders in crafting a national intercity passenger rail plan.

Moderator:  Albrecht (Al) P. Engel, P.E., Immediate Past Chair, APTA HS & IPR Committee; Al Engel Consulting

Panelists:

• Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary, United States Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
• Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
• Stephen Gardner, President and CEO, Amtrak
• Jennie Louwerse, Deputy Secretary of Multimodal Transportation, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Harrisburg, PA
• Marc Guigon, Head of Passenger Rail, Union of International Railways (UIC)

Sponsored by HNTB

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Location: Independence Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Learn about the Federal high-speed and intercity passenger rail program, congressional intent to legislate these program initiatives and how they will be secured

• Allison Ishihara Fultz, Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
• Ryan Arbuckle, Senior Economist , Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
• Auke Mahar-Piersma, Staff Director, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC

Sponsored by Stadler Rail

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Lunch sponsored by

Location: Independence Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Discussion on transit connectivity, community development, intermodal, and airports connections

Moderator:  Gretchen Kostura, Sr. Director Major Stations, Planning & Development, Amtrak

Presenters:

• Anthony Perl, PhD., Professor, Simon Fraser University
• Rich Andreski, Public Transportation Chief, Connecticut Department of Transportation

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Economic Impact at the Corridor Level

Learn how economic development and economic impact assessments are shaping planning decisions and outreach strategies across the country as regions come together to advance intercity corridor investment programs.

Moderator:  Glen Weisbrod, Board Chair, EBP US

Presenters:

• Frank Loetterle, Planning Director, Minnesota Department of Transportation
• Patricia Quinn, Executive Director, Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority
• Sadie Graham, Director, BART Link21 Program

Sponsored by EBP

Location:  Salon K-L, Level 5

Project Delivery for Major Intercity Rail Projects

Overview of project rationale, key outcomes, contract packages, procurements, interface management, key delivery issues and public stakeholder engagement

Moderator:  Connie Crawford, Director of Rail/Transit, ASTM North America

Panelists:

• Brian Kelly, CEO, California High-Speed Rail Authority
• Laura Mason, Executive Vice President, Major Program Delivery, Amtrak
• Wayne Rogers, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Northeast Maglev
• Daniel Freire, Project Manager, Renfe of America, Dallas, TX

Location: Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Planning for Connections Across the Country

Facilitated conversation on best practices in planning for intercity passenger rail service that will cover Amtrak, State, and FRA perspectives.  Hear about the demographic analysis, economic impact, ridership, cost estimates, and partnerships followed by a discussion on lessons learned and steps to implementation.

Moderator:  Paul Vilter, Assistant Vice President, Amtrak

Panelists:

• Peter Schwartz, Chief, Project Engineering and Transportation Planning Division, Federal Railroad Administration
• Arun Rao, Passenger Rail Manager, Wisconsin Department of Transportation
• Grace Gallucci, Executive Director, Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA)
• John M. Spain, Executive Vice President, Baton Rouge Area Foundation; Vice Chair, Southern Rail Commission

Sponsored by HDR

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Workforce Capacity

To ensure the efficient movement of people and products, future transportation professionals must be ready to lead a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable transportation industry. A more diverse workforce yields a wider talent pool with a greater range of problem-solving resources, viewpoints, insights, and experiences. In this session, we will examine obstacles and solutions to attracting, hiring, and retaining the talent we need to ensure that the investment of public dollars provides broad-based benefits to all communities we serve.

Moderator:  Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute; Officer at Large APTA HS&IPR Committee

Panelists:

• Kim Slaughter, CEO, SYSTRA USA
• Tim Tarrant, Vice President, Commuter/Passenger, Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
• Amri Joyner, Project Coordinator for Technical Assistance, International Transportation Learning Center
• Adelee Le Grand, CEO, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART)

Location: Salon K-L, Level 5

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Global Picture from Europe and Asia

Europe and Asia have mature High Speed Rail systems, increasingly popular and very efficient. What advice do you have for America as we begin our journey to build high-speed rail?

Moderator:  Juan I. Lema, P.E., Senior Engineering Project Manager, SENER

Panelists:

• Álvaro Mascaraque, Deputy Director for International Organizations, ADIF, Spain
• Giles Thomas, Engineering Director, HSR2, UK
• Naohisa Kitada, General Manager, Japan Central Railway Company

Location: Salon K-L, Level 5

A Business Model for National High-Speed Rail

Several international models exist for the sustainable development of High Speed Rail exist around the world. In this session, we will explore, with our expert panel, what key features are needed by business, finance and government to overcome the challenges that we’ve faced here in the US to large scale development of high speed rail – financially, legislatively, and commercially.

Moderator:  Richard Mudge, Ph.D., Principal and Chief Economist, Compass Transportation and Technology Inc.

Opening Remarks:  Patrick Fuchs, Board Member, Surface Transportation Board

Panelists:

• Amy Scarton, Deputy Secretary, Washington State DOT
• Ayelet Hirschkorn, Partner, Kaplan, Kirsch, & Rockwell
• Mike Reininger, CEO, Brightline
• Carlos Aguilar, CEO, Texas Central Railway
• Harout Chitilian, VP Corp Affairs, Strategy & Development, Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec (CDPQ) Infra
• Dave Joynt, MD Transport Investments, Brookfield Infrastructure

Sponsored by Urban Engineers

Location: Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

New Amtrak Acela Railcar Prototypes to be on Display

Join us for this one of a kind reception at the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station. To get there proceed to Jefferson Station at 12th & Market or 12th & Filbert.  Take any Regional Rail train on tracks 3 or 4 to 30th Street Station. Independence Transit Passes Courtesy of SEPTA.

Sponsored by ALSTOM

America has the greatest freight rail network in the world. What about passenger rail? We can do both and do it better than we have before. We can continue to have a strong freight rail system while providing the passenger rail service necessary to meet the urgent challenge of climate change and meet the needs of people, communities, and shippers. And we don’t have time to wait decades to make it happen. Let’s talk about the way states, freight railroads, and Amtrak can work together to deliver the future we need.

Moderator:  Jim Mathews, President and CEO, Rail Passengers Association

Panelists:

• Michelle Teel Kratzer, Director of Multimodal, Missouri Department of Transportation (IAC)
• Katherine Youngbluth, AICP, Director Planning, Virginia Passenger Rail Authority
• Tamara Noel, Assistant Director, Passenger Train Operations and Amtrak Officer, BNSF
• Bruno Maestri, VP Government Affairs and Corporate Communications, Amtrak

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

New intercity and high-speed rail projects cost billions of dollars.   Federal money can cover part of the costs, and state and local government may contribute, but funding gaps will likely remain.  Is there the potential for P3 partnerships?  What are the attractions and impediments for private financing?   This roundtable session explores public-private financing options with perspectives from the Surface Transportation Board, the Build America Bureau, an Owner/Agency, and a Financial Advisor.

Moderator:   Sharon Greene, Managing Principal, InfraStrategies

Panelists:

• Karen Hedlund, Board Member, Surface Transportation Board
• Duane Callender, Director, Build America Bureau, U.S. Department of Transportation
• Frank Sacr, Executive Director, Gateway Program Development Corporation
• Nicole Doheny, Senior Managing Director, Ernst & Young Infrastructure Advisors

Sponsored by ASTM North America and Halmar

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Invite the next generation of riders (middle and high school students from Philadelphia) to come up with ideas for the future of high-speed rail and intercity connections.  The students will be asked to develop concepts addressing one or more of the following needs: Sustainability (make it greener), Economics (reduce cost to build and operate) and Societal (get people to take the train rather than fly or drive).

Moderator: Chitra Radin, President, Radin Consulting

Panelists:

• Philadelphia Student Delegation
• Lonnie Coplen, President/CEO, ARC Alternative and Renewable Construction
• Norman A. Forde, Vice President, WSP
• Craig Covil, Principal, C2 Consulting LLC

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

• Joseph Giulietti, APTA HS&IPR Committee Chair; Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington, CT
• Amy Scarton, APTA HS&IPR Legislative Subcommittee Chair; Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, WA
• Jeffrey Wharton, Connecting America’s Cities Conference Chair; Director of Contracts and Technical Services, SYSTRA USA
• Kevin Holzendorf, Vice-Chair, APTA; Immediate Past-Chair of the Board, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL

Location:  Liberty Ballroom, Level 3, Headhouse Tower

Visit the 3.5 mile restoration of SEPTA’s Media/Elwyn Regional Rail Line to Middletown Township at Wawa in SEPTA’s Wire Train.  Tour group will meet in the Marriott Lobby and walk to Jefferson Station and board the 12:48pm train to Elwyn.  Participants will proceed on the wire train from Elwyn to tour the new station and parking garage, as well as see the rehabilitated substation at Lenni.  Participants will return to Jefferson Station by 4pm.

Please note that the tour will be going to an active construction site.  Hard hats, vests and eye protection will be provided, please wear appropriate footwear.

Tour will be led by Dave Montvydas, Chief Engineer of Maintenance of Way

Tour group is limited to 20 person capacity

Meet in Marriott Lobby