Texas Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (TSLRRA)

What Texas Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (TSLRRA) does

Texas Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (TSLRRA) is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in 2003 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The organization represents more than 40 short line and regional railroads and industry-related businesses operating across the state, with geographic reach spanning from Houston to Dumas and Dallas to Brownsville. TSLRRA's core mission is legislative and regulatory advocacy at the Texas state capitol in Austin, regulatory liaison with TXDOT, safety programming, federal infrastructure grant facilitation (CRISI, RAISE, INFRA), and collective advocacy against competitive pressures such as increased truck weights. The organization does not develop or sell technology products; its deliverables are membership services, events, and policy representation.

TSLRRA's product surface consists of three membership tiers (Single Railroad, Railroad Holding Company, and Associate for industry suppliers), four tiers of corporate sponsorship priced from $500 (Bronze) to $2,000 (Platinum) annually, a biennial Annual Meeting rotating between Austin during odd-year legislative sessions and the DFW area co-located with the Southwestern Rail Conference, five standing committees (Safety, Legislative, Events, Membership, Marketing), a regular newsletter, and a grassroots legislative field visit program. Go-to-market is sales-led, with member acquisition through direct outreach, networking events, industry word-of-mouth, and committee engagement. Distribution is via the tslrra.org website, the MemberClicks membership platform, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, email newsletter, and in-person events across Texas.

TSLRRA's revenue model is recurring and subscription-style: annual membership dues (pricing not publicly disclosed) and annual corporate sponsorship fees. As a 501(c)-style nonprofit, TSLRRA has no parent company, no private equity or venture capital ownership, and is governed by elected officers and committee chairpersons drawn from member organizations. The organization maintains formal mutual partnerships with ASLRRA, AAR, TXDOT Rail Division, Short Line Safety Institute, Texas Rail Advocates, and the Southwestern Rail Conference. Recent leadership transitions include Paul Treangen (TNW Corporation, 2016–2023), Ailsa von Dobeneck (Watco, 2023–2025), and Joey Evans (TNW Corporation, 2025–present) as President.

Name

Texas Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (TSLRRA)

Legal name

Texas Short Line and Regional Railroad Association

Website

https://tslrra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Texas Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (TSLRRA) is a Dallas-based nonprofit membership association founded in 2003 that represents more than 40 short line railroads and industry suppliers in Texas through legislative advocacy, regulatory liaison, networking events, safety programming, and federal grant support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from railroad companies (Single Railroad, Railroad Holding Company) and associate members (industry suppliers and ancillary organizations). Membership provides access to legislative advocacy, networking events, committee participation, and member directory listing.
2. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsorship tiers (Platinum $2,000, Gold $1,500, Silver $1,000, Bronze $500) providing brand visibility, event recognition, and website logo placement to sponsors within the Texas rail industry community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

TSLRRA is a Texas nonprofit trade association that provides annual membership services to short line and regional railroads and their industry suppliers. Core services include legislative and regulatory advocacy at the Texas state capitol, a member directory, committee participation, networking events including a biennial Annual Meeting, and access to safety and best-practice resources. Revenue is generated primarily through tiered annual membership dues and tiered event sponsorships.

Product overview

TSLRRA is a nonprofit professional organization offering membership-based services to Texas short line and regional railroads. The core offering is annual membership tiers (Single Railroad, Railroad Holding Company, Associate) providing access to legislative advocacy, industry networking through committees and events, professional development, and a collective voice for the Texas rail industry. Additional services include sponsorship opportunities, an annual meeting rotating between Austin and DFW, and regular newsletter communications. The organization does not offer a technology product but rather membership services focused on advocacy, safety, and industry collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TSLRRA Membership Annual membership program for Texas short line and regional railroads and their industry suppliers, offering tiered access to legislative advocacy, networking, committee participation, and a member directory.
• Legislative Advocacy Services Representation of short line railroad interests at the Texas state capitol, including regulatory liaison with TXDOT, advocacy on truck size and weight and 45G Short Line Tax Credit issues, and facilitation of legislative field visits where members host state legislators at their facilities.
• Annual Meeting Premier biennial gathering for TSLRRA members and industry partners, rotated between Austin during odd-year Texas legislative sessions (coinciding with Texas Railroad Day at the Capitol) and the Dallas/Fort Worth area during even years in conjunction with the Southwestern Rail Conference.
• Sponsorship Program Tiered annual corporate sponsorship program offering brands visibility, event recognition, and website logo placement: Platinum ($2,000), Gold ($1,500), Silver ($1,000), and Bronze ($500), with benefits scaling with each tier.
• Committee Programs Five standing committees (Safety, Legislative, Events, Membership, Marketing) providing members with structured engagement, leadership pathways, and specialized work streams for TSLRRA initiatives.

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association partnership providing resources on railroad 101, 45G Short Line Tax Credit advocacy, truck size and weight issues, and over-burdensome regulations. TSLRRA references ASLRRA resources on their legislative resources page.
• Association of American Railroads (AAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association providing Railroad 101 educational resources and policy topic information. TSLRRA links to AAR resources for industry education.
• Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) Rail DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government partnership for rail infrastructure coordination. TSLRRA works with TXDOT to push partnership for federal grant programs and coordinates on state-level funding opportunities.
• Southwestern Rail ConferenceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEven-year partnership where TSLRRA Annual Meeting is held in DFW area in conjunction with the Southwestern Rail Conference, allowing members to engage with broader regional audience on passenger and freight rail topics.
• Texas Rail AdvocatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Texas Railroad Day at the Capitol event, which TSLRRA coordinates with during odd-year legislative sessions in Austin.
• Short Line Safety InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational institute providing safety culture promotion and hazardous materials training resources for short line railroads that may lack access to such training independently.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA): National-level trade association for short line and regional railroads, providing the federal advocacy, 45G tax credit work, and Railroad 101 resources that TSLRRA leverages. Directly comparable business model (membership dues, events, advocacy) at national scope; TSLRRA is effectively the Texas state chapter equivalent.
• Association of American Railroads (AAR): National Class I railroad trade association providing industry data, policy advocacy, and Railroad 101 educational resources that TSLRRA links to from its legislative resources page. Comparable trade-association business model at much larger scale, representing the big railroads rather than short lines.

Emerging players

• GoRail: National grassroots rail advocacy organization promoting freight rail's economic and environmental benefits. Comparable mission orientation (advocacy and education for freight rail), though focused on public-facing communications rather than direct member services to railroads.

Direct peers

• Short Line Safety Institute: National nonprofit providing safety culture assessments and hazardous-materials training to short line railroads. Directly comparable in serving the same short line customer base and offering programming TSLRRA promotes to its members; operates at national rather than state level.
• Railway Association of North Carolina: North Carolina state-level short line and regional railroad association. Closest direct structural peer — same single-state trade-association model for short line advocacy, providing a like-for-like benchmark on member economics, staff sizing, and programming at the state level.
• Texas Rail Advocates: Texas-based rail advocacy organization that partners with TSLRRA on Texas Railroad Day at the Capitol. Directly comparable in Texas geographic focus and legislative advocacy mission, though Texas Rail Advocates leans more toward passenger and commuter rail while TSLRRA focuses on short line freight.
• California Short Line Railroad Association: California state-level short line railroad association. Direct structural peer to TSLRRA in another large state economy — same membership-based advocacy model focused on Sacramento legislative engagement for short line freight interests.
• Southwestern Rail Conference: Regional rail industry conference in the DFW area that TSLRRA co-hosts its even-year Annual Meeting with. Comparable in serving Texas/south-central short line and freight rail stakeholders, with overlap in audience and content (freight and passenger rail topics).

Others

• Texas Department of Transportation — Rail Division: State government division responsible for rail planning, safety, and federal grant administration in Texas. TSLRRA's primary state-level counterpart and partner; the relationship is cooperative rather than competitive, but TXDOT's priorities directly shape TSLRRA's advocacy agenda.

Regional players

• Texas Transportation Association: Texas-focused transportation industry association covering multiple modes. Comparable state-level trade-association structure and Austin advocacy footprint, but with broader modal scope (highways, ports, aviation) that competes for member attention in the same Texas transportation policy space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/txslrra
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tslrra

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Texas Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (TSLRRA)