Tag: Community

Staff Training & Development – NNEPRA Remains Active

Training and professional development is essential for delivering the highest quality passenger rail service. Recently, the NNEPRA team participated in a variety of valuable training sessions offered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the National Transit Institute (NTI). Here’s a recap!

Financial Management Oversight Training, FTA Volpe Center, Boston, MA

Emily Bedard, Senior Accountant; Olivia Richmond, Finance Associate; Natalie Bogart, Deputy Director; and Patricia Quinn, Executive Director, participated in the FTA’s Financial Management Oversight Training in August 2024. This training is crucial for ensuring that NNEPRA adheres to federal guidelines and best practices in financial management.

Procurement Training, NTI Roux Institute, Portland, ME & FTA Volpe Center, Boston, MA

Catherine Davidson, Grant and Compliance Manager and Belle Askinasi, Office Administrator attended both the National Transit Institute (NTI) Procurement Class and the FTA Procurement System Review in August. These invaluable trainings strengthen NNEPRA’s understanding of the procurement processes and provide valuable insights into effective procurement strategies.

Rail Program Delivery Workshop, FRA Washington, D.C.

Catherine Davidson, Grant and Compliance Manager had the exciting opportunity to attend the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Rail Program Delivery Workshop in Washington, D.C. This workshop was a fantastic platform for learning, collaboration, and sharing best practices in rail program delivery.

– Natalie Bogart, Deputy Director, NNEPRA

WTS Maine Chapter Annual Meeting

Deputy Director, Natalie Bogart, and Grant and Compliance Manager, Catherine Davidson, represented NNEPRA at this year’s WTS Maine Chapter Annual Meeting. It was an inspiring event featuring keynote speaker Nuria Fernandez, who shared her insights on leadership and empowering women in the transportation sector.

Thank you to WTS Maine for hosting, and to Nuria Fernandez for her motivating words! Events like these highlight the importance of collaboration and mentorship.

Nuria Fernandez
Nuria Fernandez
Group Meeting

ABOUT: WTS International was founded in 1977 by a group of pioneering women in transportation who realized that women’s careers would benefit from professional development, encouragement and recognition to support their advancement in transportation professions. After more than 40 years of growth and development, WTS is an international organization with more than 6500 members (including women and men) and 79 chapters. WTS is connected to a network of 40,000 transportation professionals.  Join today.

Click to Join

– Taylor Belanger, Marketing Director, NNEPRA

Rail Safety Week | #SeeTracksThinkTrain

September 23-29, 2024 marks the official week of train and track safety awareness promoted by Operation Lifesaver. NNEPRA is proud to work with Operation Lifesaver to continuously promote train safety messaging internally, and on our owned channels.

Together we can stop track tragedies.

We encourage our community to take the pledge (13 and up) and spread the word about train and track safety.

Click here for the Kids Safety Pledge.

Click here for the Pre-K Safety Pledge.

NNEPRA will welcome the Operation Lifesaver staff to the office in October to conduct our regular staff training and certifications.

Additional resources and educational materials can be found on their website.

– Taylor Auclair, Marketing Director at NNEPRA

Advancing Rail Safety with Positive Train Control

On June 26th, Amtrak and the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) gathered with state, local, and federal officials at Freeport Station to discuss the installation and impact of Positive Train Control (PTC) between Haverhill, MA and Brunswick, ME on over 100 miles of track.

What is Positive Train Control?

Positive Train Control (PTC) is an advanced system designed to automatically stop or slow down a train before certain types of accidents occur and is intended to prevent:

  • Train-to-train collisions
  • Derailments caused by excessive speed
  • Unauthorized train movements on tracks undergoing maintenance
  • Movement of trains through misaligned track switches

Timeline

Scheduled to be completed in Spring 2026,  Positive Train Control (PTC) also creates opportunities for potential increases in Downeaster frequencies.

For additional details and updates, please follow NNEPRA on LinkedIn and the Downeaster on social channels and subscribe to our newsletter.

Group Photo

– Natalie Bogart, Deputy Director at NNEPRA

In Our Station Communities – NNEPRA Remains Active

Spring brings new opportunities for our station communities to engage with residents and visitors. NNEPRA remains committed to supporting and sustaining efforts put forth by small businesses, chamber groups, tourism partners, and rail advocacy members through sponsorships, tabling, and participating in local events. View our recent list of major engagements below.

Governor’s Conference on Tourism

April 24th & 25th – Holiday Inn By The Bay – Portland, Maine

At this year’s conference, NNEPRA was proud to watch Wayne Davis, of TrainRiders Northeast, receive the 2024 WelcomeME Award. His dedication to bringing passenger rail to Maine was the catalyst for the development of the Amtrak Downeaster.

TrainRiders Northeast 35th Annual Meeting

April 30th – Harraseeket Inn – Freeport, Maine

Supporting the TrainRiders Northeast Annual Meeting as Platinum Sponsors, the NNEPRA team, along with partners at Amtrak and MaineDOT, gathered to celebrate the growth of passenger rail in Maine and along the Northeast Corridor.

Flying Colors – Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine Art Auction Benefit

May 10th – Portland, Maine

NNEPRA partnered with Downeaster Travel Packages to donate a curated travel package to the CMTM’s Art Auction Benefit event. The CMTM continues to bring inclusive opportunities for all children and families to experience, learn, test, and grow within their expertly designed exhibits and hands-on experiential workshops, classes, and performances.

Downtown Worker Appreciation Day

May 25th – Portland, Maine

NNEPRA, alongside transportation partners serving the greater Portland region, b2b solutions, and b2c businesses, gathered to give back to Portland’s Downtown Workforce. With a two-hour lunch window and the location set in Monument Square, hundreds of staff, residents, and visitors poured into the city center to shake off the winter blues and get ready for a busy season in Portland, Maine.

Photo: Egide Foxworth and Portland Downtown
Photo: Egide Foxworth and Portland Downtown
Photo: Egide Foxworth and Portland Downtown

– Taylor Belanger, Marketing Director, NNEPRA