An Interchange recap

摘要

Railway Interchange 2017 is in the books. Held Sept. 17-20 in Indianapolis, the biennial mega-rail event showcased the latest technology, services and research by members of the Railway Supply Institute (RSI), Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association and Railway Systems Suppliers Inc. (RSSI). A Railway Interchange record 738 companies exhibited at this year's exhibition, and 8,100 attendees traversed the show floor, according to figures the RSI issued Sept. 28. Show-goers also had the opportunity to attend more than 60 technical presentations and panel discussions developed by the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) and the Coordinated Mechanical Associations. Visit progressiverailroading.com/pr to view a slideshow that highlights some of the event's key moments. From my perspective, a couple other themes also framed this year's Interchange: 1. The hurricanes (see page 4). Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, RSSI Executive Director Mike Drudy told attendees that this year's event would be "an unusual show" in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which caused severe damage to Florida and the Caribbean islands. Some companies' employees were still dealing with storm issues and were unable to make it to Indianapolis. Some who did come wondered if they'd have new issues to contend with after they returned home. I lost count of the people I talked with who routinely checked their hurricane tracker apps during Railway Interchange's run.