Among the list of reasons to attend the much-anticipated 2025 Light Rail Conference is “Reconfiguring Riverside Yard for Type 10 ‘Supercars’ on the MBTA Green Line” by Rachel J. Burckardt, P.E., Senior Vice President / Senior Project Manager, Northeast Lead, Freight Rail National Business Line, WSP USA. This year, Railway Age and RT&S are pleased to venture to Pittsburgh on Oct. 1-2 with a packed lineup of LRT professionals who are significantly influencing today’s rail transit industry.
Burckhardt, an expert on Boston’s rail transit system and among the most accomplished women in rail transit, will present on the MBTA’s (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) planning for its new Type 10 LRV, dubbed the “Super Car” because of its length. Changes to stations, track curvature and shop facilities are needed to accommodate it. Burckhardt will focus on reconfiguration of Riverside Yard, the Green Line’s main maintenance facility and largest storage yard.
The 100%-low-floor Type 10, manufactured by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) for the MBTA Green Line, is a whopping 54% longer than the existing rolling stock, and will be equipped with new safety and accessibility features. The MBTA ordered 102 Type 10 cars in late 2022, at a cost of $810 million. The cars are expected to enter service in 2027 and will replace the Kinki Sharyo Type 7 and AnsaldoBreda Type 8 cars.
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. Plus, don’t miss a special tour of the Pittsburgh Regional Transit PRT light rail system. The 26.2-mile network 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.”
Meet Rachel J. Burckardt, P.E.
A long-time presenter at our Light Rail conference, Rachel J. Burckardt, P.E. has nearly 40 years of experience at WSP USA and predecessor Parsons Brinckerhoff in a variety of civil engineering projects focusing mostly on transportation, including railroads, transit, roadways, bicycle facilities and paths. She has worked with railroads, transit agencies and DOTs on a variety of projects including East-West Passenger Rail, South Coast Rail, and the Green Line Extension in Massachusetts, as well as grade crossings throughout New England, and station, yard, shops, and facilities projects. Burckardt is also an accomplished musician. Her musical experience includes more than 45 years as a church musician. She is also a composer of many works, with eight self-produced albums of sacred and liturgical music, choral music, orchestral music, jazz, improvisational music and electronic music. Burckardt is Founder of the Tutti Music Collective and President of Wood Harbor Music, which produces recordings on the Wood Harbor Music label, publishes sheet music and organizes concerts for local performers.
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.
In addition to Rachel J. Burckardt, 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 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 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.
