April 2014
| Business World Magazine | 41
T
he American Short Line and Re-
gional Railroad Association cel-
ebrated 100 years of existence last
year and has since begun its second century
in much the way it ended its first, by repre-
senting the interests of its 450 short line and
regional railroad members in legislative and
regulatory matters.
Short line and regional railroads are an
important and growing component of the
railroad industry, operating and maintaining
30 percent of the American railroad indus-
try’s route mileage, and accounting for 9 per-
cent of the rail industry’s freight revenue and
12 percent of railroad employment.
Membership has increased three-fold
since 1980, according to David Mears, the
organization’s assistant vice president. Mears
said the rise is numbers is attributable to
loosened economic oversight on the indus-
try, which has permitted some of the bigger
operators in the United States to spin off
from less-successful lines, which, as short
lines, then became profitable and sustaining
entities.
Business World spoke with Mears to dis-
cuss the organization’s main roles, its engage-
ment with membership and the future of the
short-line segment in the industry.
