RAIL CONSULTANT SERVICES
Railroaders serving railroaders
FMW Solutions comprises railroad professionals specializing in railroad strategic planning, passenger rail matters, market analysis, engineering, risk management, expert witness, marketing, and railroad public relations. Our team of experts daily assists freight railroads, short lines, passenger agencies, and non-profit organizations across the United States to optimize their railroads, plans, and operations.
Rail Consultants for the Real World
Railroading is as immensely challenging as it is gratifying Our agile firm of rail professionals has worked in nearly every capacity – engineering, mechanical, transportation, finance, customer service, and beyond. Our industry veterans can serve as your steel-toed “boots on the ground” and your boardroom confidants.
Million of Dollars Raised
Over $30 million dollars in state, federal, public, and private grant money has been awarded through our efforts. Including CRISI, RAISE, RRIF Loans, or non-profit and foundational grant requests, National Rail Consulting Group is your rail industry conduit for grant writing and federal loan support.
Million of Dollars Raised
Our consultants have led the operations, finance, accounting, engineering, and mechanical departments of dozens of Class I and short line railroad companies, bringing centuries of expertise to bear on behalf of every client.
CLIENTS IN THE RAIL INDUSTRY
From Class I railroads, commuter operations, municipalities, and heritage railroads, our expertise covers every corner of the rail industry.
Organized in 2018 to provide specialized rail consulting services to short line, industrial, finance, public sector, and institutional clients, National Rail Consulting Group provides management consulting and professional services to the rail sector.
RAIL OPERATIONS & SAFETY PLANNING
Whether you are planning to build a new rail terminal from scratch or are seeking to improve existing operations and your railroad, terminal, or industry, our team’s experience with railroad conceptual design, rail operations planning, and safety planning services will ensure safety and success before the next wheel turns.
PASSENGER RAIL PLANNING
Intercity and commuter rail planning is growing in the United States, and each project carries with it unique safety, compliance, equipment, and construction challenges we can help address. Learn why some of the country’s oldest and newest commuter rail agencies have depended on our team.
RAIL FINANCE & DUE DILIGENCE SERVICES
We know every stage of railroad finance, from start up rail construction to public sector grant work. Before you invest, build, or acquire, let National Rail advise your investment wisely.
RAILROAD STRATEGIC PLANNING
STATE AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR RAILROAD PROJECTS
LEGAL AND REGULATORY SUPPORT FOR RAILROADS
We’ve served as advisors and expert witnesses before the Surface Transportation Board and U.S. Federal Circuit Court and have testified on railroad grade crossing incidents and disputes; rail equipment, rail infrastructure and engineering; root-cause analysis, and traditional rail operating practices and atypical agreements.
RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE, INSPECTION, CONSTRUCTION
From assessing track conditions, cost-to-cure, maintenance, capital planning, inspections, and strategic planning, National Rail can spearhead diligence for your rail project. From design work for rail infrastructure, passenger cars, locomotives, bridges, maintenance-of-way, and alternative fuel technology, to specialty component fabrication, National Rail has the ability to not only consult, but design, render, engineer, and build solutions for your rail engineering needs.
Grantwriting expertise for your rail infrastructure project
Grants offer railroads the opportunity to stay competitive, invest in themselves and their communities, and maximize a return on investment, but the path to funding can be daunting and time-consuming. Whether it’s federal funding, foundation support, or non-profit capital campaigns, our clients have been awarded millions of dollars.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding
New funding opportunities for freight and passenger rail infrastructure projects are available from the US Department of Transportation but for Class II and Class III railroads, state and local governments, and other public organizations, exploring and applying for federal funding can be a formidable task. Planning and lead time for grant writing and funding is key and you can set up time to review the programs and opportunities for the rehabilitation and construction of your rail infrastructure.
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Grant Program – CRISI GRANTS
One of the better-known funding programs, the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program (“CRISI”) is also incredibly versatile. Uses include railroad maintenance and upgrades such as tie and ballast renewal, surfacing, and rail replacement, as well as expansion and enhancement of services like constructing a spur to an online industry or building a transload facility.
Rebuilding American Infrastructure Sustainably and Equitably – RAISE GRANTS
RAISE Grants focus on projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, address climate change impacts and environmental justice, and target at least 40 percent of resources and benefits towards low-income communities, disadvantaged communities, communities underserved by affordable transportation, or overburdened communities.
Rail Infrastructure Grant Requirements
Grant requests will often require Net Economic Benefits and an Environmental Impact Study, which means your grant request may need additional time to research, prepare, and analyze. Here you can walk through the grants and their requirements and get in touch with us when you’re ready to highball.
Defining Benefit-Cost Analysis for Rail Projects
Improving railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability; mitigating congestion, enhancing multi-modal connections, addressing climate change and environmental justice, investing in low-income and underserved communities, and promoting racial equity are important parts of defining benefits for grants from the Department of Transportation.
Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects; National Infrastructure Project Assistance; Rural Surface Transportation
Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects (“INFRA”), National Infrastructure Project Assistance (“Mega”), Rural Surface Transportation (“Rural”) grant programs were appropriated $6 billion collectively for railroad grade crossings and multimodal freight projects.
Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program
The Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (“RRIF”) loan program has up to $35 billion available for loans to support a broad range of rail investments: rail infrastructure improvements; locomotive, freight car, and equipment purchases; funding acquisitions; and repaying outstanding debt.
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act – TIFIA GRANTS
The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (“TIFIA”), administered by the Bureau, was appropriated $1.25 billion over 4 years. TIFIA financing is available to state and local governments, transit agencies, railroad companies, special authorities, special districts, and private entities. Eligible rail projects include intercity passenger rail, freight rail, intermodal projects, and transit-oriented development (“TOD”). TIFIA is geared toward large-value projects and is designed to fill gaps in funding. The program offers loans, loan guarantees, and standby lines of credit with minimum financing of $50 million, limited to 33% of expected project costs. The application process is similar to the RRIF loan process described earlier.
Rail Equipment Valuation and Appraisal
Since our founding, we’ve appraised more than $1 billion worth of railroad equipment, including all types of freight cars, passenger cars, diesel-electric locomotives, and steam locomotives. Our railroad equipment valuation team is experienced in all commonly used appraisal methodologies, including Fair Market Value (FMV), Orderly Liquidation Value (OLV), income approach, replacement cost new less depreciation (RCNLD), and the appraiser's opinion of value (OOV). We specialize in performing both desktop and on-site appraisals, depending on the individual needs of our clients.
LOCOMOTIVE APPRAISAL
Our staff has appraised hundreds of locomotives over the past decade, spanning nearly every make and model on the market. We are well versed in the second-hand locomotive market, including the value of locomotives typically found in industrial, short line, regional, and class I railroads. We are also experienced in the appraisal of more specialty locomotives, including have performed inspections and appraisals of modern passenger diesel-electric locomotives and antique steam locomotives.
FREIGHT CAR RAIL
From the standard 50-foot boxcar to specialty, 16-axle flatcars, the experts at FMW have appraised nearly every type of freight railcar on the market. Our appraisals have been undertaken on behalf of lending companies, during litigation disputes, or merely for financing purposes.
PASSENGER CAR APPRAISAL
The market for used intercity and commuter passenger rail equipment is unlike nearly any other used rail equipment market in the U.S. The majority of the buyers are either government agencies or non-profit rail organizations, and the range of comparable values for equipment often skews from nearly free to millions of dollars, depending on the item. Hiring an appraisal firm that understands intimately the nuances of the passenger rail equipment market is crucial in getting a realistic and accurate valuation.
HERITAGE RAIL EQUIPMENT Appraisal
Much like the passenger rail equipment market, appraising historic artifacts, such as vintage passenger cars or historic locomotives, is a specialized skill. The leaders of FMW have not only appraised dozens of heritage locomotives and hundreds of passenger cars in the past decade, but they possess the technical expertise to appropriately inspect and value these unique artifacts.
Strategic planning for freight and passenger rail
National Rail offers a variety of strategic planning services to short line, regional, and tourist railroads as it pertains to motive power and general strategic planning services.
MARKET ANALYSIS & EXPANSION STRATEGIES
The rail industry is a high barrier to entry business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t offer new products, invest in your services, or expand your car loads and customers. National Rail can complete market analyses, competitive analyses, strategies to approach rail industry partners; and customer development.
Locomotive Fleet Planning
Developing a locomotive fleet strategy is a way to optimize the operations, reliability, and economics of your motive power fleet. National Rail can explore your options for lease vs. owned power, standardization of power, develop an integrated and comprehensive maintenance plan that balances scheduled maintenance with the needs of your railroad, and analyze operations to determine if the power on hand is meeting the needs and, conversely, determining if upgrading or modifying your motive power will make economic sense. Our team includes qualified mechanical and diesel locomotive repair personnel.
NON-PROFIT RAIL STRATEGIC PLANNING
Running a non-profit or port authority railroad requires the melding of mechanical, marketing, and customer service skill sets. Our associates offer strategic planning services, ranging from the conceptual design of equipment and track layouts to developing marketing and digital media strategies. For more on our services for non-profits, port authorities, or municipal organizations, click here.
Public relations and marketing for the rail industry
Running a railroad is more than a full-time job, but innovative marketing and public relations are key to ensuring that customers and community stakeholders have confidence in your operation. National Rail Consulting Group offers public relations support services that include all manner of work, including film and video production, graphic design, branding, social media support, and other related communications work.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
From press releases to developing marketing, branding, and public relations strategies, National Rail Consulting Group is prepared to assist you in all manner of PR-related items. From developing special events and media sessions to assisting you in crafting an overall media and PR approach, we are happy to lend a hand. In particular, we help translate the complexities of our industry in a way that is understandable to media outlets and the general public, thus helping you win allies in your community.
BRANDING & GRAPHIC DESIGN
From developing logos, remaking brands, and creating marketing and graphic standards that carry across media, National Rail Consulting Group is prepared to assist railroads and non-profits rail organizations with a whole host of PR-related design needs.
FILM & VIDEO PRODUCTION
From producing award-winning documentaries, commercials, and campaigns to coordinating productions and providing safety oversight for movie trains, our production experts can guide your creative production.
SOCIAL MEDIA & WEB DEVELOPMENT
The world of social media is often perplexing, though having a presence in the medium can assist railroads in maintaining a local presence, increasing awareness of your role in a given community, and serve as a way to answer the general public's questions. FMW offers total social media development and management to rail industry clients.
Grantwriting and consultant services for non-profits and rail heritage organizations
Non-profits in the rail preservation industry face unique challenges when it comes to conducting feasibility studies, capital campaigns, grant writing, and strategic planning. National Rail Consulting Group has helped raise over $35 million dollars for tourist railroads, locomotive overhauls, passenger car restorations, and facility needs.
CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS
From new facility construction to restoration projects, and studies, or strategic plans, NRCG can guide you through every step of a successful capital campaign. Before you launch your next campaign, let us consult on your budget, goals, and milestones,
GRANT WRITING FOR RAILROAD NON PROFITS
We’ve helped raise over $3 million for a locomotive restoration in Nashville and $14 million for a tourist railroad expanding into freight service in Pennslyvania. If you’re looking for local, state, federal, or foundation support, we can work with your staff to create accurate and compelling grant requests with real-world numbers, actual expertise, and genuine results.
NON-PROFIT STRATEGIC PLANNING
Many organizations plan from within, but an outside perspective can be a valuable contribution to long-term plans. While many agencies offer broad strategic plan consultation, our firm’s vested interest in the success of rail preservation organizations and our proficiency in the industry makes us a unique partner for setting your organization up for success.
RAILROAD SAFETY, TRAINING, AND AUDITING
Safety, training, and compliance are critical components of your culture, and National Rail can help evaluate operations, practices, and programs for employees and volunteers. Our consultants include former FRA and DOT advisors, and we’re qualified to offer guidance and training for 49 CFR part 243, 49 CFR part 217, 49 CFR part 218, 49 CFR part 219, 49 CFR part 240, 49 CFR part 242, 49 CFR part 228, and 49 CFR part 225.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
The Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (“RRIF”) loan program has up to $35 billion available for loans to support a broad range of rail investments: rail infrastructure improvements; locomotive, freight car, and equipment purchases; funding acquisitions; and repaying outstanding debt.
FREIGHT RAIL
Some rail tourism organizations enjoy doubling as common carrier freight railroads and transload facilities. This service can generate additional revenue, but come with special challenges.
RAILROAD ENGINEERING
Railroad stations, turntables, high-and-wide shipments, and new locomotive construction are just some of the projects we’ve engineered from SolidWorks to ground-breaking.