Representatives from 63 NRC member companies traveled to Washington,D.C., March 4, 2020, to share their stories about the benefits of a strong railroad industry with Members of Congress and their staffs as part of the industry’s “Railroad Day on the Hill.”

They were included among 450 railroad industry employees representing all aspects of freight railroading – Class Is, short lines, labor unions,shippers, manufacturers as well as contractors and suppliers – who together visited 330 House and Senate offices on Capitol Hill.

NRC Policy & Legislative Chairman Curtis Bilow, vice president of business development with Ames Construction Co., notes Railroad Day is our opportunity to advocate for issues important to the industry.

"Personally, I look forward to this event each year because I truly believe it is essential for our perspective to be heard. I am continually amazed by the turnout, especially by our member companies. It is an honor to spend the day in Washington representing our industry, the railroads, Ames Construction, and the NRC.

In meetings throughout the day, industry representatives advocated for action focusing on three primary issues in support of a strong railroad industry:

1. ‍To include a permanent extension of the Section 45G short-line railroad tax credit - First enacted in 2005, the tax helped short lines invest more than $4 billion in infrastructure rehabilitation projects. In late 2019, Congress included a five-year extension of the tax credit in a major appropriations bill that President Donald Trump signed into law. Railroad Day participants asked Members of Congress to permanent extension of 45G in the surface transportation reauthorization that's is being drafted in Congress this spring.‍
2. ‍To reject any proposals to increase in truck size and .
3. To maintain a balanced economic regulatory environment for freight railroads.

A hearty thank you to the following NRC member companies for sending representatives to participate in 2020’s “Railroad Day on the Hill.”

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AECOM

ALSTOM Transport

American Rail Engineers, Inc.

Ames Construction, Inc.

Aon Risk Solutions

Appalachian Timber Services

Associated Rail Products, LLC

Bartlett & West, Inc.

CDL Electric Company

CR Construction Company

Custom Truck One Source

Danella Rental Systems, Inc.

Edna A. Rice, Executive Recruiter Inc.

EVRAZ North America

Granite Construction Inc.

Hamilton Construction Company

Harsco Rail

HDR Engineering

HDR, Inc.

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

Herzog Services, Inc.

Herzog Technologies, Inc.

Hitachi Rail STS

Hogan Lovells

Holland LP

Koppers Railroad Products, Inc.

L.B. Foster Company

Lewis Bolt & Nut Company

Lincoln Transportation Insurance Brokers, Inc.

Northern Plains Railroad, Inc.

Omaha Track, Inc.

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

McRAIL, a Borden Perlman Co.

Modern Track Machinery, Inc.

Pandrol

Plasser American Corporation

Progress Rail, A Caterpillar Company

Progressive Railroading

R.J. Corman Railroad Company, LLC

R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC

Ragnar Benson Construction, LLC

RAILCET

RailPros Field Services, Inc.

Railroad Construction Company, Inc.

Railroad Controls, a Wabtec Company

Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Assn.

Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc.

RailWorks Corporation

RailWorks Track Services, Inc.

RCC Fabricators, Inc.

Siemens Industry, Inc.

Stahl Recruiting

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

Stella-Jones Corporation

Succession Planning for Railroads Investing in the Next Generation  (SPRING)

Tensar International Corporation

The Reinforced Earth Company

TranSystems Corporation

Vancer

Wabtec Corporation

Willamette Valley Company

Wilson & Company, Inc., Engineers & Architects

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