Organizing a Rail Office: Keys to Success Tammy Nicholson Iowa Department of Transportation Office of Rail Transportation

Iowa’s Railroads  19 railroad companies, including 5 Class 1’s  3,947 track miles (over 50,000 acres of land)  4348 public at-grade crossings; 718 grade separations  325 million tons of rail freight from, to or through Iowa  Railroads normally spend over $400 million annually on maintenance and improvements.  Pay $276 million in wages & benefits to Iowans; benefits to 8900 retirees and their families  Pay income, sales and property taxes Organizing a Rail Office : Keys to Success

Iowa DOT’s Office of Rail Transportation Programs administered include Policy, Legislation, Advocacy & Communications Railroad Revolving Loan and Grant Program Highway/Railroad Agreements Crossing safety Surface repair Passenger Rail Rail and Freight Policy Track inspection Small but mighty staff of 15 Organizing a Rail Office : Keys to Success

Keys to Success Establish a partnership with Railroads – Regular programs provide a foundation Crossing Safety Surface Repair Track Inspection – Rail Advisory Committee Meet twice a year with management and government affairs Policy, legislation, funding programs, railroad activities and concerns – Winter Meetings Meet once a year with public works staff Upcoming safety/surface/highway projects (DOT) and capital investment projects (Railroads) Presentation Title:Organizing a Rail Office : Keys to Success

Keys to Success Establish a partnership with Railroads (Continued) – Field Presence DOT has 3 field assigned inspectors Serve as “eyes on the ground” for other staff Provide field experience and knowledge to office staff Interact daily with railroad staff on projects and inspections Partnership Results – Allows both DOT and Railroads to be prepared for opportunities such as TIGER, HSIPR, MAP 21 – Facilitates problem resolution Presentation Title:Organizing a Rail Office : Keys to Success

Integrate functions with all of Iowa DOT – Serve as a rail resource for other parts of the DOT and local jurisdictions Highway project interaction with railroads Provide rail data Assist Districts in response to public concerns – Contribute rail expertise to help resolve issues Facilitate communication between DOT, local jurisdictions and railroads Provide technical knowledge – Responsive to citizen questions or complaints Organizing a Rail Office : Keys to Success Keys to Success

Gain knowledge and understanding of rail industry – Recognize that railroads are privately held companies and do not operate in the same way as government – Investments made from business decisions – Beholden to owner/shareholder rather than public Organizing a Rail Office : Keys to Success Keys to Success

Interact with planning, funding and legislative functions at your State DOT – Iowa DOT’s Rail Office is part of Planning, Programming and Modal Division – Meet regularly with Policy and Legislative staff on issues and state/national developments – Gain knowledge of transportation funding – Be an active part of DOT planning functions Organizing a Rail Office : Keys to Success Keys to Success

Staff Development – Allow staff to operate at their full potential – Management Philosophy Each person has a primary responsibility Part of their time is to work collaboratively on teams – Value your employees and reward teamwork – Promote access/interaction with staff from other states Active in SCORT, TRB, research programs, MWRRI Organizing a Rail Office : Keys to Success Keys to Success