The importance of a specialized process for third-party environmental access agreements
In the October 2026 edition of Railway Track and Structures magazine, GHD’s Chelsea Macionus explores a streamlined approach to managing third-party access to railroad rights-of-ways (ROWs) for environmental investigations and remediation.
Railroad ROWs are critical to moving freight safely across North America. Industrial activities near rail corridors can affect soil and groundwater, creating environmental risks for workers, nearby communities and ecosystems.
With roughly 180,000 miles of track across North America, managing third-party access for environmental work can add safety and operational complexity. Establishing a specialized third-party access process uses digital tools and automated workflows to streamline requests, manage risk and support informed decision-making.
Railway Track and Structures
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GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 12,000+ professionals is connected across 165 offices located on five continents.