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 professionals who are significantly influencing today’s rail transit industry. Among the list of reasons to attend is a special tour of the Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) light rail system.
Light Rail Conference host agency PRT’s network, commonly known as “The T” or “The Trolley,” runs from the North Shore and Downtown Pittsburgh areas, through Pittsburgh’s southern neighborhoods and many South Hills suburbs. With 80 light rail vehicles in its fleet, PRT aims to be the “region’s transportation mode of choice by delivering an innovative network that is clean, sustainable, and equitable; a network that enables individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive.”
Sponsored by Benesch, the tour—a well-attended venue at this conference every year—takes place the afternoon of Oct. 2 and is available on a first-come, first served basis. Attendees will see PRT’s Rail Transportation and Rail Car Maintenance Center, the heart of its 26.2-mile system. Built in the 1980s, the maintenance facility was totally rehabbed in 2022. The project’s scope of work included replacing 4,000 lineal feet of rail, 2,100 lineal feet of elevated rail supports and three work pits; installing 70,000 square feet of epoxy flooring; repair patching of 6,000 square feet of concrete spall, crossover platform replacement; pit lighting upgrading; and complete replacement of the E-Stop safety system.
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. This event will offer a comprehensive review of the specialized technical, operational, environmental, and socio-economic issues associated with light rail transit (LRT) in an urban environment. All this will take place at the Fairmont Pittsburgh.
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 vehicle engineering. Students at the undergraduate and graduate levels are also welcome.
Transit leaders on the program include Andy Lukaszewicz and Justin Selepack of Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), Bryan K. Moore and Casey Blaze of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), 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.
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.
Supporting Organizations
Industry support for the Railway Age / RT&S 2025 Light Rail Conference is already strong, including sponsorship from 4AI Systems, Piper Networks, Benesch, and RDC.
Learn More
- View the confirmed speakers and agenda, and take advantage of the early bird rate for Railway Age / RT&S 2025 Light Rail.
- To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jonathan Chalon at jchalon@sbpub.com or (212) 620-7224.
