This year, Railway Age and RT&S are pleased to venture to Pittsburgh on Oct. 1-2 for the much-anticipated 2025 Light Rail Conference, featuring a packed lineup of LRT (light rail transit) professionals who are significantly influencing today’s rail transit industry. Among the reasons to attend is “New Rolling Stock for Cleveland,” presented by Brian Moore, Manager, Railcar Replacement Program; and Casey Blaze, Rail Equipment Manager, Greater Cleveland RTA. This detailed-filled presentation will showcase how rolling stock was developed for two modes—LRT and rapid transit (also known as “heavy rail” or “metro”).
This edition of our annual in-person Light Rail Conference will be filled with dynamic panels and the chance to network with a wide-reaching group of like-minded professionals. It offer a comprehensive review of the specialized technical, operational, environmental, and socio-economic issues associated with LRT in an urban environment. All this will take place at the Fairmont Pittsburgh.
Session Background
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has one of the oldest railcar fleets in the U.S. The current rapid transit Red Line and light rail Blue, Green and Waterfront line fleets are 41 and 43 years old, respectively. In May 2023 the agency received a $130 million grant to buy 60 new rail vehicles that can operate on all three of its lines, eliminating the need to run two separate fleets over the 33-mile rail network. The grant was from the Federal Transit Administration’s new Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, which was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In July 2023, GCRTA selected Siemens Mobility to supply 24 S200 LRVs to replace its Red Line fleet, which runs from East Cleveland, Ohio, to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The contract included an option for up to 36 more vehicles to replace the Blue, Green and Waterfront line fleets. The new LRVs will feature two door heights for high- and low-level platform accessibility, which will allow for operation on any of the lines. Additionally, each will include 52 seats, standing room, four wheelchair areas for accessibility, two bicycle racks, and an advanced infotainment system. GCRTA collaborated on the final design before building began at the manufacturer’s Sacramento, Calif., facility. Delivery is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
Program Highlights
Presented Oct. 1-2 at the Fairmont Pittsburgh, the 2025 Railway Age and RT&S Light Rail Conference is a must-attend premier conference on LRT for transportation professionals in planning, operations, civil engineering, signaling and train control, and vehicle engineering. Students at the undergraduate and graduate levels are also welcome.
Key sessions will focus on:
- Strategic insights into major new-builds and expansion projects.
- Engineering sessions illustrating how to best support long-term efficiency and safety.
- Capital program oversight, risk mitigation, and performance tracking.
- Resilience planning, sharing adaptive strategies for extreme weather events.
- Improvements to customer-facing technologies such as fare collection, communications and security.
- The viability and scalability of alternative propulsion technologies.
- Confronting funding challenges.
In addition to Bryan K. Moore and Casey Blaze of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, transit leaders on the program include Andy Lukaszewicz and Justin Selepack of Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), Henry Posner and Ida Posner of Railroad Development Corporation (RDC), Harry Skoblenick of Alstom, Barbara M. Schroeder of Benesch, Rachel J. Burckardt of WSP USA, and many more.
Supporting Organizations
Industry support for the Railway Age / RT&S 2025 Light Rail Conference is strong, including sponsorships from 4AI Systems, Piper Networks, Benesch, and RDC. To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jonathan Chalon at jchalon@sbpub.com or (212) 620-7224.
