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(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on November 3.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the first time ever, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) will hold a joint safety conference from November 16 to November 19 in St. Louis.

The event combines what previously were separate meetings of the AAR’s Annual Safety Conference and the ASLRRA’s Operating and Maintenance Session. The new meeting is called the Rail Industry Safety Conference.

“By combining the two, we were able to develop a more comprehensive program than otherwise would have been possible. It features a wide variety of safety topics that will be useful to representatives both of Class I railroads and short line and regional railroads,” said Rich Timmons, president of the ASLRRA.

“Railroads have made tremendous strides in safety over the past 25 years,” said AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. “To keep that momentum going, we need to continually look at ways we can operate more safely and new technology. The Rail Industry Safety Conference will help everyone in the industry do that.”

Railroads are the safest form of ground transportation, with a train accident rate that has declined by 65 percent since 1980. The industry has also made extraordinary gains in worker safety; its employees have injury rates less than that of people employed in retail, manufacturing or any other transportation mode.

Conference speakers will include Jo Strang, the Federal Railroad Administration’s deputy associate administrator for research and development; Henry Posner III, chairman of the Railroad Development Corp.; and Gerri Hall, president of Operation Lifesaver, Inc.

There will be presentations on training, highway-rail grade crossing safety, security, remote control locomotives, fire safety, and roadway worker protection.

There will also be an exhibit area featuring displays from companies offering a variety of products including communications & signals; computer software; engineering and design; insurance; remote control technology; safety products; and vegetation control.

The Rail Industry Safety Conference is being held at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis. For information about the program or to register, visit either the AAR web site, www.aar.org, or the ASLRRA web site, www.aslrra.org.