REGISTER NOW: Secure your seat for the Future of Rail Symposium
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – FreightWaves and TrainsPRO have announced the Future of Rail Symposium: The Decade Ahead, an exclusive one-day summit for rail industry executives, stakeholders, and regulators. The event will take place on July 28, 2026, at The Signal at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
As the North American rail industry reaches a critical inflection point driven by reshoring trends and rapid technological advancement, the symposium serves as a high-level forum to discuss the strategy, policy, and execution required for rail networks to compete and win over the next decade.
Keynote and Featured Sessions
The program will be headlined by Surface Transportation Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs, who will deliver the opening keynote on the federal regulatory outlook for rail.
The agenda features deep-dive sessions tailored for industry professionals, including:
- Merger Insights: A look at how the proposed Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern transcontinental merger aims to break structural barriers to growth.
- Manufacturing Renaissance: CSX will discuss the railroad’s industrial development pipeline and the impact of reshoring in the Southeast and elsewhere on its system.
- Regulatory Friction: A panel featuring Ian Jefferies (AAR) and Karl Alexy (FRA) on how modern technology—from autonomous vehicles to track inspection—clashes with legacy regulations.
- The Operating Ratio Debate: Trains Magazine Editor Bill Stephens and analyst Rick Paterson will explore how Wall Street’s focus on the operating ratio limits Class I railroad service. Cando Rail & Terminals will explain how its first- and last-mile business model is one way to solve the carload growth problem.
Why Attend?
Designed specifically for C-suite leadership, government officials, and rail shippers, the symposium offers a unique “working forum” environment. Attendees will gain access to SONAR market intelligence regarding intermodal trends and witness rapid-fire demos of the latest rail technologies.
Event Logistics
Registration includes the full one-day symposium program, access to all keynote sessions, and a concluding Networking Happy Hour with speakers, sponsors, and rail executives.
Click here for more information and to view the full agenda.
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