Description
Plan, direct, and coordinate construction and major maintenance of railroad infrastructure through subordinate managers. Lead conceptual development, right-of-way and access planning, scheduling, budgeting, safety, and regulatory compliance for track, structures, stations, signaling, communications, and electrification from design through commissioning.
- • Confer with railroad operators, engineers, contractors, and agencies to resolve procedures, access, or construction issues.
- • Plan, organize, and direct track, civil, signal, communications, and electrification work.
- • Determine labor, equipment, and flagging requirements for work windows and track outages.
- • Inspect projects for compliance with FRA, OSHA, and local codes, and with railroad and AREMA standards.
- • Study plans and specifications to select rail construction methods, staging, and possession strategies.
- • Requisition rail, ties, ballast, turnouts, signal gear, cables, and catenary/third-rail materials.
- • Prepare and submit budgets, cash flows, progress reports, and cost forecasts.
- • Develop and enforce QA/QC programs for track, welding, signaling, and OCS installations.
- • Direct right-of-way acquisition, easements, and access agreements as needed.
- • Apply sustainable practices, such as recycled materials, idle-reduction, and low-emission equipment.
- • Build life-cycle budgets comparing conventional and low-carbon rail asset alternatives.
- • Develop and implement environmental protections for noise, vibration, water, and habitat.
- • Implement training on Roadway Worker Protection, flagging, and rail-safe construction.
- • Monitor compliance with environmental permits and stormwater pollution prevention plans.
- • Oversee preconstruction assessments, including conceptual estimating, constructability, logistics, utilities, and outage planning.
- • Secure required approvals from host railroads, FRA, and independent safety assessors for startup.
- • Plan, schedule, and coordinate activities to meet milestones within granted possessions and service windows.
- • Investigate incidents, near misses, damage, or delays to ensure procedures are followed and hazards mitigated.
- • Prepare contracts and negotiate revisions with vendors, design firms, host railroads, suppliers, and subcontractors.
- • Implement recovery and contingency plans for delays, severe weather, or operations emergencies.
- • Interpret and explain rail plans, interlocking and PTC schematics, and contract terms to stakeholders.
- • Obtain permits and licenses, including right-of-entry, grade crossing, utility, and environmental permits.
- • Evaluate and model construction methods (e.g., panelized track, slab track, mechanized surfacing) for cost and schedule impacts.
- • Oversee specialty rail crafts and subcontracted work for track, signal, communications, bridges, and OCS.
- • Direct and supervise field teams and coordinate with dispatchers and flagging to protect train operations.
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Last reviewed: Jan 2026
