Class I Prospective – BNSF’s Crosstie and Fastening System Design and Performance Experience and Future Trends 
Erik Frohberg (BNSF Railway)

Tie Demand Forecasting & Marketplace Scenarios 
Jim Gauntt (Railway Tie Association (RTA))

FRA Crosstie and Fastener Research: Overview and Value Assessment
Cameron Stuart (Federal Railroad Administration (FRA))

Speculating on Rail Transit Specifications – A Special View
Bill Moorhead (TRAMMCO, LLC)

Overview of MetroLink’s Light Rail Operations and Current Infrastructure Research
Chuck Clemins (St. Louis MetroLink) & Marcus Dersch (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Overview of Direct Fixation Fasteners in Major US Transit Systems
Korhan Ciloglu (LBFoster)

Use of Direct Fixation Rail Transit Fastening Systems at WMATA and Current Research
Ravi Amin (WMATA) & Riley Edwards (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Overview of Commuter Rail Operations and Challenges in the Los Angeles Region
Tim Harris (The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink)

Introduction to Chicago’s Metra Commuter Rail System and Types of Infrastructure
Bruce Marcheschi (Metra)

Opportunities to Balance Concrete Tie Capacity with Track Support Requirements
Theodore Sussmann (U.S. DOT/Volpe Center)

Impact of Tendon Anchoring Method on Reliability and Durability of Pre-stressed Concrete Railway Crossties
Andrzej Cholewa (Track Tec S.A.)

Innovative Materials and Installation Methods for Fastening Systems
Brandon Van Dyk (Vossloh Fastening Systems North America)

Review of Measurement Data for Different Classes of Railway with Reference to Laboratory Test Standards
Scott Tripple (Pandrol)

Broken Spikes in Timber Crosstie Premium Fastening Systems – Survey Results and Preliminary Findings
Tom Roadcap (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Evaluation of Different Rail Pad Materials with an Accelerated Mechanical/ Wear Test
Patrick Macedo (VLI)

Wednesday 16 May

AAR and FRA Research Supporting Polymer Composite Tie Design and Testing Recommendations
Yin Gao (TTCI) & Mike McHenry (Amtrak)

Recent Developments in Testing of Composite Ties
David Hoffmann (Technical University of Munich)

Effective Modeling of the Sustainable Composite Crosstie in Revenue Service
Brian Arkwood (IntegriCo)

The Impact from Variations of Recycled Polymer and Fiber Properties on Composite Railroad Crosstie Performance Using Constitutive Modelling within Finite Elements
Daniel Pulipati (Baylor University) 

Performance and Analysis of Failures in Steel Sleepers in a Brazilian Railway
Renato Lataliza Vasconcelos (Vale SA)

Structural Performance of Plain Concrete and Fiber-reinforced Concrete Railway Ties Prestressed with Basalt-Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) Bars
Mohsen Issa (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Restoration of Timber Railroad Ties Using Inorganic Polymers
Ghassan Al-Chaar (U.S. Army Engineering Research & Development Center (ERDC) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL))

Best Practices for Sustainable Railroad Tie Recovery
Curtis Schopp (National Salvage & Service Corporation)

Sustainable Disposal Method for Timber Crossties
James Gaspard (Biochar Now LLC)

Biobased Technologies for Timber Crosstie Applications 
Lou A. Honary (Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing, Inc.)

Sustainable Ties – the Next 100 Years
Jeff Lloyd (Nisus Corporation)

Internal Density Signature of Wooden Crossties to Refine Predictive Life Expectancy Modeling
Michael Brick (BNSF Railway) & Tony Mauricio (GREX)

Thursday 17 May

Demonstration of Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) Change Detection on Railway Images
Cameron Stuart (FRA) & Eric Sherrock (ENSCO)

Investigation of the Correlation between Track Geometry Defect Occurrence and Wood Crosstie Condition 
Allan Zarembski (University of Delaware)

Versatility and Value of Automated Track Inspection Data on Norfolk Southern
J. Shane Rice (Norfolk Southern) & Tony Mauricio (GREX) 

The Application of Deep Learning for Railroad Inspection
Richard Fox-Ivey (Railmetrics)

Critical Crosstie and Other Infrastructure Evaluations Utilizing UAS Technologies
Nick Dryer (BNSF Railway)

Tie Life Condition Assessment and Tracking: More Information = Better Management
Todd Euston (Georgetown Rail Equipment Company)

Improvement of Crosstie-Ballast Contact Using Under Tie Pads in Heavy Haul Lines
Antonio Merheb (University of Sao Paulo) 

Influence of Tie Support Condition on Ballast Behavior under Static and Dynamic Loading
Wenting Hou & Erol Tutumluer (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Monitoring of Track Infrastructure and Long Time Performance of UTP
Rudolf Schilder (ARTS)

Benefits of Under Tie Pads on Ballast Stress State – A Laboratory Study 
Arthur Lima & Jake Branson (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Improved Track Quality using of Elasto-plastic Under Tie Pads
Harald Steger (Getzner USA, Inc.) 

Performance Specification for Concrete Materials Used In Crossties
Kyle Riding (University of Florida) & David Lange (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) 

Developing Qualification Tests to Ensure Proper Selection and Interaction of Pretensioned Concrete Crosstie Materials
Robert Peterman (Kansas State University)

Impact of Water on Cyclic Behavior of Concrete Crossties
Josue Bastos (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)