APTA lines up keynote speakers for HSR seminars

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo and FRA Deputy Administrator Karen Rae will serve as keynote speakers next month at a series of regional high-speed rail seminars organized by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and International Union of Railways (UIC).

The seminars, titled “International Practicum on Implementing High-Speed Rail in the United States,” will be held Feb. 8-9 in Washington, D.C.; Feb. 9-11 in Chicago; and February 11-13 in Los Angeles.

Featuring experts from high-speed rail systems in Spain, Germany, Japan, Korea, Italy and France, the seminars will focus on best practices and lessons learned in Europe and Asia. The seminars are aimed at local decision makers and practitioners, including executive and senior transportation managers, strategy experts, chief engineers, economists and stakeholder organizations.

The seminars are the first to be developed under a new partnership between APTA and the UIC. The two groups now will be able to “engage in extensive information sharing” that can cover the various technical, finance and management aspects of planning and building high-speed rail systems, according to APTA.

HSRupdates.com serves as a media sponsor for the seminars.