On your marks, get set, RAIL!
As they relate to the public, railways are dependable means of going from home to work, jobs, and schools. They must stay on schedule and be affordable for the people. When I went to Stanford for a conference, I purposely did not rent a car and spent the time getting to know the airport transportation system and connecting to the rail to get to Palo Alto. I traveled on the weekend where schedules shift a bit, and it was pretty straightforward. There was no need for a personal vehicle on this trip. I also spent two years learning about the sustainability of rail systems through the UW Sustainable Transportation course and worked with the State Emergency Management Department for transportation recovery after a catastrophic event. Rail and its connectivity play a key role and one more so than what the average person may think.
When forming Red Barn, I knew that I wanted to work in the rail industry as my background is in heavy civil, stormwater compliance, and construction management. I had the firm structure set up, filed for our DOT certificate to get audited rates (or, in this case, to enter into Safe Harbor), and then was ready to start work on federal jobs. The Sound Transit Lynnwood Link project started up about that time, and we were fortunate to work with PGH Wong as our mentor and as the firm that believed in the Red Barn team.
We are excited to announce that Red Barn will be expanding our rail construction management services to the LA and Orlando areas in the coming months. We look forward to working with other great teams on this endeavor. Stay tuned for exciting updates on these projects!
~ Rebekah Weston Owner/Principal Civil Engineer