National Grain Car Council to hold meeting in Kansas City next month

The National Grain Car Council (NCCC) has scheduled a meeting on Sept. 12 at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo. Open to the public, the meeting will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The meeting's purpose is to discuss railroads' preparedness to transport grain during the 2013 fall harvest, according to a Surface Transportation Board (STB) notice. The agenda includes remarks by STB members, including Chairman Daniel Elliott III; reports by railroads and shippers on grain-service-related issues; rail-car manufacturers' and lessors' take on the current and future availability of various grain cars; a Soy Transportation Coalition report on expanding rail infrastructure to accommodate agriculture industry growth; an Association of American Railroads presentation and discussion on its "Rail Time Indicators" traffic report; and an open forum for audience and council members to discuss topics of interest regarding the coming crop year.

Established by the former Interstate Commerce Commission in 1994, the NCCC serves as a working group to facilitate private-sector solutions and recommendations to the STB on matters affecting grain car availability and rail transportation.

Cargill AgHorizons Assistant Vice President Brad Hildebrand chairs the council, which includes representatives from the seven Class Is, Genesee & Wyoming Inc., Watco Cos. L.L.C., Rio Grande Pacific Corp., Iowa Northern Railway Co., Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd., Red River Valley & Western Railroad, and several rail-car builders, grain shippers and logistics service providers.