Mike Franke Awards 2010 AREMA Hay Award

On Aug. 30, 2010 the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) presented the annual William W. Hay Award – which recognizes excellence in rail engineering – to Norfolk Southern Railway for the $190 million Heartland Corridor clearance improvement project. Michael Franke, an Amtrak assistant vice president and AREMA’s treasurer, awarded the 12th annual award which was presented during the association’s annual conference in Orlando, Fla.

University of Illinois Rail Transportation and Engineering Center students and faculty gathered at the annual AREMA Conference in Orlando, Florida in August 2010. A number of students in the RAILTEC program attended the conference and had the opportunity to meet some of their predecessors who are now working in engineering positions in the railroad industry.