May 11, 2009
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APTA Rail Conference to Convene in Chicago
APTA’s 2009 Rail Conference will take place in Chicago June 14-17—offering an array of information and networking  opportunities as well as technical and city tours. This conference is a must for rail professionals who want to gain knowledge on cutting edge technology. It will also provide an invaluable opportunity to meet innovators in rail transit, to build contacts, and to network.
There will be major discussions on high-speed rail—the future and its technology, as well as systems engineering applied to the scaling of transit. Technical forum topics will include energy, environment, and transit—looking at storing energy to reduce use; intelligent transportation systems and the integration of cyber security; fare collection innovations in payment methods; and the interaction of wheel and rail dynamics.
Training sessions will focus on such topics as construction projects, rail safety, and sustainability.
Technical, City Tours at CTA, Metra Locations
In advance of its opening later this year, the MetraMarket—a multi-million-dollar joint venture of Metra and U.S. Equities Inc.—will be available for touring on June 15. This development beneath the Ogilvie Transportation Center will be anchored by a 15,000-square-foot French market.
On July 16, attendees can tour Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management & Communications to see how those employees work with Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) staff to conduct programs for disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. CTA, host system for the conference, will also provide tours of its two busiest rail lines—the Red and the Blue. In addition, Metra commuter rail will offer tours of its five maintenance repair and overhaul sites. Visitors to Metra Headquarters can participate in scheduled tours showcasing the agency’s half-cab FRA Type II Simulators, which replicate the control compartment and equipment of a locomotive or cab car
CTA’s Bruce Moffat, an urban planner, author, and transit historian, will lead a tour that evening of the Chicago Loop to showcase the city’s skyline.
Tours are arranged for Saturday, June 14, to Kenosha and Milwaukee, WI, to view streetcars and other equipment, rail facilities, and intermodal operations, and on Wednesday, June 17, to ride CTA, Metra, and Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District trains around the Chicago Loop.
Conference participants interested in tours can register onsite at the Hilton Chicago. For more information about the conference itself, click here.
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