Wheel Rail Seminars to hold dedicated rail transit event in 2025
Following 29 years of events dedicated to the examination and discussion of the wheel-rail interface, Wheel Rail Seminars will hold two events in 2025 with one dedicated to heavy haul and one dedicated to rail transit.
The Wheel Rail Interaction (WRI) 2025 Rail Transit Conference will be held in Seattle, Wash., in the fall. The conference will feature a redesigned course on the Principles of Wheel/Rail Interaction that will focus on practical understanding of the science behind the fundamental aspects of wheel/rail interaction as they relate to rail transit systems.
According to analysis in the American Public Transportation Association 2023 Fact Book, there were 97 streetcar, heavy, commuter, hybrid or light-rail systems operating in the U.S., which is a significant increase from the approximately 53 rail transit systems in the U.S. that were operational when WRI held its first conference.
“The increasing interest in and attendance at the annual WRI conference by people in the rail transit segment of the industry convinced us that it was time to create a stand-alone rail transit conference with its own dedicated Principles Course and InfoZones,” said Wheel Rail Seminars Founder Gordon Bachinsky.
Sound Transit will serve as the local host for the WRI 2025 Rail Transit Conference and Mass Transit will continue to serve as the transit conference’s media partner.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
