BEGIN:VCALENDAR
PRODID:-//planitpurple.northwestern.edu//iCalendar Event//EN
VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
CLASS:PUBLIC
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Chicago
TZURL:http://tzurl.org/zoneinfo-outlook/America/Chicago
X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Chicago
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:19700308T020000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:19701101T020000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
SEQUENCE:0
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260527T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260527T133000
DTSTAMP:20260505T205452Z
SUMMARY:Sandhouse Rail Group Meeting: "The Chicago Region and Beyond 2026 Commuter Railroad Update" - James M. “Jim” Derwinski  and Dave Dech
UID:641958@northwestern.edu
TZID:America/Chicago
DESCRIPTION:Northwestern University Transportation Center Hagestad Sandhouse Rail Group presents:   The Chicago Region and Beyond 2026 Commuter Railroad Update   JAMES (JIM) DERWINSKI  Chief Executive Officer  METRA  DAVE DECH  President/General Manager  South Shore Line    When: Wednesday\, May 27\, 2026 @ 12:00pm / Noon CT   Where: Metra Board Room\, Metra Headquarters - 13th Floor 547 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago\, IL 60661 (SW corner of Clinton & Jackson)   The presentation will be held in the Metra Board of Director’s Room\, 13th Floor\, 547 W. Jackson Boulevard in Chicago. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Presentations begin at Noon. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.  Wrap-up is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.  Please bring your own lunch. Water and soft drinks will be provided.    FOR SECURITY AND ADMITTANCE PURPOSES PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS EVENT Advance Registration Required - A government issued ID required to gain access to Metra Headquarters   LINK Remote attendance also available (please register at the link above)   Speaker Bios:   James M. “Jim” Derwinski was named CEO/Executive Director of Metra in August 2017. In that role\, he provides overall leadership and direction to all areas of Metra operations and administration to ensure that Metra achieves its vision\, mission\, goals\, and objectives. Financial responsibility includes oversight of Metra’s budget\, which totals more than $1 billion for operations and capital.   Mr. Derwinski had a long career in Metra’s Mechanical Department\, culminating with his appointment as Chief Mechanical Officer\, responsible for the repair\, inspection\, cleaning\, and maintenance of nearly 1\,200 railcars and locomotives. He was also in charge of Metra’s in-house railcar and locomotive rehabilitation programs\, a contract for locomotive remanufacturing and the installation of Positive Train Control on cab cars and engines.   After a six-year stint in the U.S. Navy as an electrician on nuclear submarines\, Mr. Derwinski began his railroad career as a locomotive electrician with the Chicago & North Western Railroad in 1993. He joined Metra as an electrician in 1997 and steadily rose through the ranks serving as a foreman\, general foreman\, shop superintendent\, director of systems maintenance\, locomotive superintendent\, Rock Island division director and Milwaukee division director and then senior director of mechanical operations. He was named Chief Mechanical Officer in September 2013.   Dave Dech is the President of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD)\, bringing more than 30 years of experience in passenger and freight rail leadership. He previously served as Executive Director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority\, where he oversaw Tri Rail operations\, delivered record ridership\, and launched the Miami Link service into downtown Miami.   Before SFRTA\, Dech was Vice President of Rail Operations for Capital Metro in Austin\, leading major infrastructure projects\, doubling freight throughput\, and achieving 97% on time performance. His earlier career at CSX Transportation spanned more than two decades\, progressing from locomotive engineer to senior executive roles overseeing passenger operations\, major public private partnerships\, and some of the railroad’s largest operating divisions.   Known for his collaborative leadership style and operational expertise\, Dech has held national roles including Vice Chair of the Commuter Rail Coalition. He is a graduate of the Harvard Executive Leadership Program and has dedicated his career to advancing safe\, reliable\, and customer focused rail service. He and his wife of 30 years are the proud parents of four sons.\n\nMore Info: https://transportation.northwestern.edu/news-events/sandhouse-rail-group/\n\nRegister: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-chicago-region-and-beyond-2026-commuter-railroad-update-tickets-1988181851438
LOCATION:Metra Headquarters (13th Floor)\, 547 West Jackson Boulevard\, Chicago\, Il 60661
TRANSP:OPAQUE
URL:https://transportation.northwestern.edu/news-events/sandhouse-rail-group/
CREATED:20260424T050000Z
STATUS:CONFIRMED
LAST-MODIFIED:20260424T173750Z
PRIORITY:0
BEGIN:VALARM
TRIGGER:-PT10M
ACTION:DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION:Reminder
END:VALARM
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR