NEW ORLEANS — Southern California’s Pacific Harbor Line was recipient of two awards Monday — the inaugural Environmental Award and the Veterans Engagement Award — at the American Short Line and Regional Rail Association’s Annual Conference and Exhibition.
Also, the ASLRRA posthumously awarded its Schlosser Distinguished Service Award to Jack Parliament, retired from the D&I Railroad.
Pacific Harbor Line, an Anacostia Rail Holdings short line, operates 96 track miles serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
“PHL has been a leader in the short line industry in the exploration and implementation of sustainability practices on their railroad, including Tier 3 and Tier 4 locomotives, in encouraging ASLRRA to become more involved in ESG issues, and through participation in the EPA’s SmartWay program,” ASLRRA President Chuck Baker said in a press release. “PHL has also been a strong and consistent supporter of hiring and supporting veterans. Veterans bring a commitment to safety and mission and valuable experience to the railroad industry. PHL’s efforts in this area have yielded a company-record 55% of this year’s hiring class being veterans or actively serving members of the U.S. armed forces.”
The Environmental award recognizes a Class II or III railroad with an innovative and successful environmental initiative in the small railroad industry.
“Improving the sustainability of rail operations has been and will be an ongoing focus at Anacostia and is manifested through people, safety, technology, and growing rail business,” said Anacostia CEO Peter Gilbertson. “Hiring vets helps everybody. We thank ASLRRA for the recognition.”
Parliament honored for lifetime service
Parliament, who died in October, was former president of the D&I Railroad, the 138-mile line serving South Dakota and Iowa that is a subsidiary of aggregate producer L.G. Everist. He was active in the ASLRRA for more than two decades. The award, named for former ASLRRA Chairman Thomas L. Schlosser, is the association’s highest individual honor, bestowed for significant long-term service to the association and the short line industry.
“Jack Parliament was a man on a mission, and it was never about himself,” said Baker. “His drive to ensure that the smallest of our Class III members were well represented, well understood, and well supported was notable, and his passion and quick laughter were legendary. He made ASLRRA a welcoming place for all size railroads, and established other shortline groups such as the Outback Railroad Association as conduits to share best practices. His impact on our industry, particularly for small railroads, is immense and undeniable.”
Parliament represented small railroads on the ASLRRA board of directors and executive committee, and established the Small Railroad Committee, serving as its chairman until his retirement in 2019. He helped establish the associations live webinars and its on-demand webinar resource library, as well as a member discount program to leverage the buying power of the entire industry, securing discounts for all short lines, especially the smallest railroad with limited resources. His support of the Short Line Education Fund helped lead to creation of scholarship for employees of small railroads to attend industry training events, a program that now awards more than $10,000 annually.
