Washington, D.C. — After a long career in the association management profession, the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) Board of Directors announces the retirement of RSI President Patty Long, effective March 31, 2025. Long joined RSI as the president in 2021 shortly after the association entered into a new management model as a client of Smithbucklin, based in Washington, DC. […]
The Future of High-Speed Rail in America—and How Freight Can Benefit
By RSI Staff As demand for high-speed rail (HSR) continues to grow, the U.S. rail industry stands at the precipice of a transformative era. While many are familiar with HSR’s potential to revolutionize travel, fewer may appreciate the far-reaching benefits it can bring to the freight rail industry and broader rail ecosystem. According to Andy […]
Greetings From Berlin: An Optimistic Outlook on Rail at InnoTrans 2024
By RSI President Patty Long I recently had the privilege of attending InnoTrans in Berlin, the world’s largest trade fair for transport technology, for a second time. As a leading voice of the North American rail supply industry with a growing presence in the passenger space, RSI’s participation at this global event was more important […]
Assessing the Health of U.S. Passenger Rail Supply: 3 Takeaways
By RSI Staff In 1982, the Buy America Act was passed as a provision of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, requiring mass-transit projects—be it rail, highway, or rapid transit—to purchase certain materials for infrastructure in the U.S. But domestic preference assumes a healthy domestic supplier base. So what does the health of rail supply in […]
Don’t Eliminate Per-Diem Leasing, Level the Playing Field
This Letter to the Editor was in the August 2024 edition of Progressive Railroading, p. 5. By RSI President Patty Long Dick Kloster’s recent article in Progressive Railroading magazine (“If I Were King of the Rail-car Fleet,” July 2024, p.14) raised a number of key issues confronting the industry. Dick is correct that if the […]
Overheard at Innovation in Rail
By RSI Staff This summer, RSI hosted Innovation in Rail, a one-day event on Capitol Hill focused on rail technology, the regulatory environment, and the economic contributions made by the rail supply industry. With so many great minds in one room, we had to ask: What excites you about the future of our industry? What […]