CONFERENCE AGENDA
MAY 13 - 15 | WASHINGTON, DC
Join the high speed rail industry’s premier event.
HSR 2025 explored ways to deliver the future by scaling up high speed rail across the nation, speeding up project delivery, and putting key projects on a path to success. The 3-day conference explored cutting-edge strategies for planning, designing, and building high-speed rail systems.
tuesday may 13, 2025
8:30 - 9:00am
Morning Refreshments & Check-In
9:00 - 9:15am
1) High Speed Rail Advancing Across America
- Secretary Ray LaHood, USHSR Co-Chair
- Rod Diridon, USHSR Co-Chair
- Andy Kunz, USHSR
- Peter Gertler, HNTB
TOPICS: Accelerating high speed rail across America; Streamlining project delivery processes; Moving the nation full speed into the 21st century; Pushing the paradigm shift in transportation thinking and funding while unlocking more private-sector investment into high speed rail; Scaling up jobs and U.S. manufacturing; Connecting to miles of affordable communities while lowering the cost of living; Stimulating Transit Oriented Development and walkable communities.
9:15 - 10:15am
2) High Speed Rail: The International Perspective
- Keith Sibley, Bechtel
- Isabel Pardo de Vera Posada, Adif (Spain)
- Jean-Marc Kuntz, Colas Rail (France)
- Andrea Giuricin, TRA Consulting
TOPICS: Global best practices for delivering high speed rail projects; Lessons from nations that have built new systems quickly; Planning, strategy, funding, delivery options for high speed mega-projects.
10:15 - 10:45am
Morning Networking Break
10:45 - 11:30am
3) The Business Case for High Speed Rail
- Andrea Giuricin, TRA Consulting (Moderator)
- Gianbattista La Rocca, NTV Italo
- John Morton, Global Infrastructure Partners
- Sia Kusha, Plenary Americas
TOPICS: High speed rail as a profitable business; Global examples of successful operations; Competition and industry growth; Ridership, profitability, expansion, business model comparisons.
11:30 - 12:00pm
4) Manufacturing High Speed Rail in America
- Matt Delaney, Railway Supply Institute (Moderator)
- Eddie Russnow, MAC Products
- Marc Raymond, Schwihag
- Michaela Barnes, Semperit
TOPICS: Scaling up American manufacturing of high speed rail system components; Standardizing systems to enable lower cost mass production; Lowering project costs while speeding up project delivery; Strengthening domestic supply chains; Launching a revival of U.S. manufacturing jobs.
12:00 - 12:45pm
5) Streamlining Projects with Permitting Reform
- Ezra Silk, USHSR (Moderator)
- Alex Beckmann, Teamsters Rail Conference
- Terry Hynes, Sidley LLP
- Michelle Boehm, Jacobs
- Serge Stanich, HNTB
TOPICS: Speeding up project delivery by shortening timelines; Speeding up environmental reviews to deliver projects more efficiently; Processing applications more quickly.
12:45 - 2:00pm
Networking Lunch
- Morteza Farajian, Build America Bureau
2:00 - 2:45pm
6) Innovative Procurement Strategies
- Kat Sadeghi, HNTB (Moderator)
- Sia Kusha, Plenary Americas
- Anna Hermelin, Ashurst LLP
- Tony Ryan, Bechtel
TOPICS: Discussion of procurement strategies and arrangements to speed up project delivery and lower costs; Best practices and lessons from around the world and across modes.
2:45 - 3:30pm
7) Managing Megaproject Risks
- Ronnie Hakim, HNTB (Moderator)
- Arthur Sohikian, High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency
- Tom Wilne, Jacobs
- Harshal Desai, Atlas
- Bob Masys, Accenture
TOPICS: De-risking major projects, standardizing systems, simplifying processes; Proven policies and procedures, and lessons learned from around the world.
3:30 - 4:00pm
Afternoon Networking Break
4:00 - 4:30pm
8) Integrating High Speed Train Systems
- Ibro Muftic, Parsons (Moderator)
- Francois Piednoir, Egis
- Roberto Rodriguez, SENER
- Armin Kick, Siemens
TOPICS: Successfully bringing together the many advanced systems in high speed rail networks; Smooth delivery of complex projects with layers of suppliers and complex technologies.
4:30 - 5:30pm
9) Building Brightline West
- Jeniece Pettitt, CNBC (Moderator)
- Keith Tarkalson, Stacy Witbeck
- Scott Norman, Herzog
- Cory Burdick, Vossloh
TOPICS: Update on the progress bringing HSR to the Southwest U.S.; Innovative construction methods to build a mile of track each day; Multiple contractors, multiple construction sites, and years of careful planning; The project is an all-electric, 200mph high speed rail line spanning 218 miles connecting Las Vegas and Southern California in just 2 hours and 10 minutes.
5:30 - 7:30pm
Evening Networking Reception
Enjoy an evening of food, drinks, and the best HSR networking in town!
wednesday may 14
8:00 - 8:30am
Morning Refreshments & Check-In
8:30 - 9:00am
10) Building Local Support for High Speed Rail
- Carol Dahmen, California High Speed Rail Authority (Moderator)
- Congressman Sam Liccardo, U.S. House of Representatives
- Mayor Keith Wilson, Portland, OR
- Robert Yaro, North Atlantic Rail
- Rick Harnish, High Speed Rail Alliance
TOPICS: Building business, political, and public support at the local level for new high speed rail projects; Information sharing, community involvement, and tangible benefits made clear to locals as part of project delivery; Delivering early benefits the public can see and appreciate early; Building on successes before, during, and after project construction.
9:00 - 10:00am
11) High Speed Train Stations
- James McGrath, Perkins & Will Architects (Moderator)
- Peter Sokoloff, Foster + Partners Architects
- Thorsten Krenz, DB (Germany)
- Fiona Purcell, Arup
- David Sacha, Perkins & Will Architects
TOPICS: Getting stations right; Location and station design to enable integration into walkable downtowns; Connecting neighborhoods with direct access into the stations; Inclusion of layers of local and regional rail and transit systems, with easy transfers between them; Stations as catalyst for economic development and revitalization of entire neighborhoods; Mixed use, retail, entertainment, office, housing and other uses in and around the stations in the form of TOD (Transit Oriented Development); Station fronting central public plaza.
10:00 - 10:30am
Morning Networking Break
10:30 - 11:00am
12) Megaproject Planning Best Practices
- James VanWormer, HNTB (Moderator)
- Karen Hedlund, STB
- Mark Gander, Parsons
- Roberto Rodriguez, SENER
TOPICS: Megaprojects as extremely unique, complex deliveries; Discussion of best practices from around the world; Lessons learned from complex HSR projects successfully delivered; Planning slowly, building quickly.
11:00 - 11:45am
13) Emerging High Speed Rail Projects
- James Bickerton, Newsweek (Moderator)
- Jim Derwinski, Illinois High Speed Rail Commission
- Arthur Sohikian, High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency
- Michelle Schnob, ALTO High Speed Rail, Canada
- Brendon Wheeler, NCTCOG, Texas
TOPICS: Update on the next round of projects taking shape across America; Next steps, procurement schedule, funding news.
11:45 - 12:15pm
14) High Speed Rail: Turbocharging American Job Growth
- Alex Beckmann, Teamsters Rail Conference (Moderator)
- Dean Devita, National Conference of Firemen & Oilers
- Jeff Joines, BMWED/Teamsters Rail Conference
- Brian Shanahan, IAM Machinists
TOPICS: Creating millions of jobs building and operating the new national high speed rail network; Jobs in system design & construction, component manufacturing, maintenance and rail operations; More jobs in station operations, and constructing and operating the new mixed-use communities built around stations.
12:15 - 1:30pm
Networking Lunch
- Congressman Seth Moulton, U.S. House of Representatives
- Mayor Keith Wilson, City of Portland, OR
1:30 - 2:30pm
15) California High Speed Rail Update
- Karen Philbrick, Mineta Transportation Institute (Moderator)
- Ian Choudri, California High Speed Rail Authority
TOPICS: Update on the construction progress of America's first and largest high speed rail project; Upcoming procurements, new funding strategies, and plans to expedite the project will be discussed. The project is an all-electric, 220mph high speed rail system spanning over 800 miles set to connect Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento, and a number of smaller cities in between.
2:30 - 3:15pm
16) Industrializing High Speed Rail Construction
- Ryan Snow, Stacy and Witbeck (Moderator)
- John Barker, AECOM
- Matt Shipman, PGH Wong
- Elias Sahyoun, Bechtel
TOPICS: New methods of construction will be presented and discussed by global experts; Best practices and most innovative methods for track laying, bridge building, tunneling, and installing catenary power systems; Prefabrication speeding up project delivery while lowering construction costs.
3:15 - 3:45pm
Afternoon Networking Break
3:45 - 4:15pm
17) Developing Standards for Interoperability & Supply Chain Efficiency
- Ezra Silk, USHSR (Moderator)
- Phil Gilmour, US Rail Systems
- Andrea Giuricin, TRA Consulting
- Henry Russnow, MAC Products
- Tim Koerting, Lone Star Railroad Contractors
TOPICS: Standardizing high speed rail in America; Developing common standards for interoperability of trains across regional networks; Standardizing systems and technologies to create U.S. supply chains of common parts; Building up component and system inventories to speed up project delivery, and lower costs.
4:15 - 5:00pm
18) Transit-Oriented Development & Building Communities
- Andy Kunz, USHSR (Moderator)
- Brian O'Looney, Ode Architects
- James McGrath, Perkins & Will Architects
- Aaron Gallavan, Bechtel
TOPICS: Maximizing rail investments with TOD planning around station; High quality urban design creating vibrant, compact, walkable, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use communities tightly surrounding rail stations; Integrating stations into the urban fabric enabling many passengers to arrive and depart the station on foot;
5:00 - 5:15pm
19) Concluding Remarks
- Secretary Ray LaHood, USHSR Co-Chair
- Other speakers to be announced
TOPICS: Conference closing, summary, and next steps; Accelerating high speed rail across America by streamlining project delivery, and moving the nation into 21st century transportation.
5:30 - 7:30pm
After-Party at Teamsters' Penthouse on Capitol Hill
All conference attendees are invited
thursday may 15
8:30 - 10:00am
Special Lobby Day Breakfast
- Special Guests to be announced
TOPICS: Enjoy a breakfast together in preparation for the Lobby Day
10:30 - 5:00pm
Lobby Day on Capitol Hill
TOPICS: Walking the halls of Congress, HSR 2025 attendees will carry our message supporting high speed rail to Congressional leaders.