Held in conjunction with the AREMA Committee 30 (Ties) spring meeting on June 11 and in partnership with the Railway Tie Association (RTA), the symposium aims to advance the transfer of technology and knowledge while fostering domestic and international collaboration on the design, performance, and durability of crossties and fastening systems. 

RTA will be represented by Noah Babik, senior research and development scientist at Koppers Inc. Babik will moderate the wood tie session and present “Evaluating Crosstie Preservative Systems: Traditional and Emerging Approaches.” 

Additional speakers in the wood tie session include others who regularly engage with RTA, including Ryan Richard, product manager - ties at Loram Maintenance of Way Inc., who will discuss Aurora technology; Dr. Ross Poland and Dr. Alexis Crawford of Heritage Research Group, who will present on accelerated weathering methods and the impact of coating technologies on service life; Dr. Fatemeh Rezaei of Mississippi State University, who will cover nondestructive evaluation of hardwood railroad tie quality; and Dr. Kenza Soufiane of Loram Maintenance of Way Inc., who will examine the effect of shoulder ballast cleaning on extending crosstie service life. 

For more information, visit crosstie.railtec.illinois.edu.