Rail industry engineers to meet at Joint Rail Conference

Benedict Bahner
ASME NEWS

If you work in the rail industry — or you're just interested in learning more about it — be sure to join other mechanical and electrical engineers in April at the world's premier rail technical meeting: the 2002 ASME/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Joint Rail Conference.

The event, sponsored by ASME's Rail Transportation Division and IEEE's Land Transportation Division, will be held from April 23-25 at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C.

There will be two luncheon receptions during the Joint Rail Conference. An ASME-sponsored reception, featuring Allan Rutter, the administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration, will take place at noon on April 24. William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, will speak at the IEEE reception, which will be held at noon on April 25.

The technical program on April 24 will include sessions on "The Crashworthiness Design Challenge — Passenger Car and Light Rail Vehicles," "Rail and Vehicle Monitoring and Tracking for Safety and Reliability," "Mechanical Component Performance Improvements to Improve Reliability and Safety," and "Transit Tunnels — Safety, Reliability and New Technology."

The next day's program will feature technical sessions addressing the topics of "Real Time Monitoring of Component Performance," "Traction Power System Design and Reliability," "Wheel/ Rail Contact Technology," and "Rail Vehicle Technology."

A technical tour of a high-speed train set and Amtrak's Acela maintenance facility at Ivy City will take place on the afternoon of April 23. Conference attendees are encouraged to sign up early for the tour because space is limited.

Full registration for the ASME/ IEEE Joint Rail Conference is $275 for ASME/IEEE members, session chairs and authors, $385 for nonmembers. One-day registration is $160 for members, session chairs and authors, $250 for nonmembers. Students and retirees may register for $55 for the full conference, $30 for a single day of the conference. There will be a $35 charge for on-site registration and registration after April 15.

To find out more about the ASME/IEEE Joint Rail Conference, visit ASME.ORG, www. asme.org/divisions/rtd/events; or contact Elio Manes, ASME Engineering Programs, (212) 591-7797, e-mail: manese@asme.org.

back to meetings & courses