BRC President Pat O’Brien was the opening speaker at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Railroad Superintendents, held in Chicago in September.
Founded in 1881, AARS serves the networking, educational and developmental needs of the leaders of Class 1, passenger, regional and short line railroads, as well as representatives of government and regulatory agencies.
O’Brien spoke about the BRC’s history, as well as its integral role as a classification facility in the Chicago Rail Terminal and impact on the entire North American rail network. He also discussed the increasing demand on all railroads and the need to address these challenges and opportunities through investment in locomotives, infrastructure, people, process improvements and technology.
O’Brien also reviewed the status of the projects funded through CREATE (Chicago Regional Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program), and its positive effect on improving rail traffic flow though Chicagoland.