News

Rail Car Training Consortium Holds In-Person Meeting in Portland, OR

Posted September 2023

ITLC’s National Rail Car Consortium held its annual in-person meeting in Portland, Oregon, on August 8-11. The meeting was hosted by TriMet and ATU 757 and staffed by ITLC team members Kristen Ribaudo, Arnett Powell, Grant Young, and Maurice Beard. General Manager of TriMEt, Sam Desue, provided welcome remarks to the group on Tuesday morning along with Shirley Block, ATU 757 President, and Dan Blair, Executive Director of Maintenance Operations at TriMet. With representation from twelve of fifteen rail car member agencies, there were 23 labor and management subject matter experts (SMEs) in attendance, comprised of rail car maintenance trainers and frontline workers from Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT), San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SD MTS), TriMet, Santa Clara Valley Transportation (VTA), Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and Sound Transit. SMEs had the opportunity to network and share the common challenges and issues they face with peers in similar situations. SMEs developed six hands-on learning wiring schematics scenarios, reviewed and edited an eLearning refresher module on Propulsion, and voted on the priority of work for 2024, including a wire maintenance course and a new foundational skills program. They also mapped out essential skills and competencies for basic mechanical, electrical, technical writing, and computer skills courses. 

 

For information on how to join the Rail Car Consortium, please contact Kristen Ribaudo.