RailTrends 2020 opens conference registration

RailTrends^® has opened registration for this year's conference, which will be held virtually Nov. 19-20.

Now in it's 16th year, RailTrends — presented by Progressive Railroading and Tony Hatch, senior transportation analyst at ABH Consulting — features the perspectives of senior executives from Class Is, regionals and short lines during two days of sessions.

This year's event is being held virtually instead of in New York City due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conference attendees will hear about key trends from Class I chief executive officers and other high-ranking industry representatives.

In August, RailTrends and Progressive Railroading announced CSX President and Chief Executive Officer James Foote will be the 2020 recipient of the Railroad Innovator Award, which recognizes an individual's outstanding achievement in the rail industry.

A longtime railroader, Foote joined CSX in October 2017 as the railroad's executive vice president and chief operating officer. As COO, he aligned the Class I's operations and sales and marketing departments to advance the precision scheduled railroading (PSR) model introduced at CSX by the late E. Hunter Harrison.

Since taking the railroad's reins in late December 2017, Foote has focused on safety and service, transitioning CSX into the next PSR phase.

In addition to Foote, other Class I president/CEOs also are scheduled to speak at RailTrends, including CN's Jean-Jacques Ruest and Canadian Pacific's Keith Creel.

Also representing Class Is will be Beth Whited, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Union Pacific Railroad; and Alan Shaw, EVP and chief marketing officer at Norfolk Southern Corp.

For more information about RailTrends 2020, click here to view the website. To register, click here. The conference registration fee will increase after Oct. 23.