CRC ELECTS NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The CRC membership has elected its 2025-2026 board of directors. Led by Michelle Bouchard, executive director of Caltrain, the board consists of five executive committee members and six members-at-large who will chart the next phase of the Coalition’s priorities.

Five executive committee members took office July 1:

• Chair: Michelle Bouchard, Executive Director, Caltrain

• Vice Chair: Dave Dech, Executive Director, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA)

• Secretary: Darren Kettle, CEO, Metrolink

• Treasurer: Gabriel Lopez-Bernal, President, Icomera North America

• Affiliate Member Representative: Otis Tolbert, Managing Director, Aon

The six members-at-large are:

• Kathryn Holmes, Attorney, Holmes & Associates

• Phil Eng, General Manager and CEO, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)

• Rob Free, President, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)

• Dee Leggett, Executive Vice President/Chief Development Officer, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)

• Jon McDonald, Global Director of Rail Systems and Assurance, Hatch

• Rich Andreski, President & CEO, Trinity Metro

“I’m excited by the dynamic that this group of industry veterans will bring to the governance of the CRC. With many returning board members taking on new leadership roles, I look forward to engaging their expertise and diverse perspectives as the CRC continues to grow in breadth and influence.” - KellyAnne Gallagher, CRC CEO

Learn more about the new CRC board here.

• Politico: California air regulators repealed a state rule that would have mandated rail operators phase out the diesel locomotives that traverse the state. The repeal comes as California faces the threat of sanctions for failing to meet federal air quality standards that could put billions in federal highway funding at risk.

  Congress revoked the state’s permission to enforce its electric vehicle targets, putting air quality compliance at risk. EPA threatened sanctions against the state in 2019, just days after it revoked an earlier version of its electric vehicle rules.

• Politico: Secretary Duffy has critiqued how Los Angeles handled transportation during recent protests. “Closing stations, [canceling] bus routes, and redirecting rail lines is a direct result of your inability or unwillingness to control” the situation, he wrote to Mayor Karen Bass. Duffy requested information by July 26, including details on how police are collaborating with transit and federal law enforcement to “restore order” after Angelenos reacted to a series of aggressive immigration raids.

• Politico: DOT is updating TIFIA to speed completion of construction and curtail recipients’ need for federal grants. Historically, only certain kinds of projects could finance up to 49 percent of eligible costs under TIFIA, with most loans being capped at up to 33 percent. DOT is now expanding the option to finance up to 49 percent, offering it to “all types” of infrastructure projects in the sector.

• Nominees to lead the FRA and FTA - David Armstrong Fink and former Rep. Marc Molinaro - are working as advisers to Secretary Duffy while they wait to be confirmed by the Senate.

• The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases involving NJ Transit, which is being sued in Pennsylvania and New York for accidents in those states. The two otherwise routine personal injury claims will come before the Supreme Court because one state can’t be sued in another state’s courts without the first state’s consent. The cases will test the sovereign immunity of state entities.

• Politico: Secretary Duffy has communicated to grant recipients that Biden-era conditions in grant agreements related to climate change, diversity, equity and inclusion goals and “environmental justice” to be “null and void and of no effect.” Awardees are “released of their obligations to comply with these policies and requirements, effective immediately.”

• The Supreme Court this week cleared the way for the Trump Administration to resume its initiative to reduce the size of the federal workforce. At DOT, Secretary Duffy had previously committed to protecting safety sensitive roles across all modes.

CHAMPIONS OF COMMUTER RAIL: NOMINATION DEADLINE IS JULY 15

Here is your FINAL REMINDER that CRC is seeking nominations for the 2025 Champions of Commuter Rail through July 15.

The Champions of Commuter Rail Awards recognize individuals who have impacted the industry through their innovative thinking and inspirational leadership, and include The Doty Award, which is presented to someone who has demonstrated the value of building teams of diverse individuals and nurturing the next generation of railroad leaders.

Nominations are welcome via email. A panel of past-winners will select this year’s awardees.

The 2025 Champions of Commuter Rail Awards Dinner will take place Tuesday, November 4, in the majestic Great Hall of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Cost for Repairs to U.S. Transit Assets Estimated at $140.2 Billion (Pew.org)

• MA: Healey signs $1.3B plan to 'stabilize' MBTA (Mass Transit)

• CapMetro Celebrates 40 Years of Public Transit in Central Texas (Railway Supply)

• STB Denies Metra’s Request for Temporary Injunction (Railway Age)

• Business group opposes state funding cuts for commuter train project (South Florida Business Journal)

• New Florida budget cuts funds for Miami-Aventura commuter rail: news report (Trains)

• Maryland Unveils Ambitious Rail Plan to Transform MARC Service (Railway Supply)

• How Do SEPTA’s Money Woes Compare to Other Transit Agencies? (DV Journal)

• Clean Slate on Switch Rule. Now What? (Railway Age)

• Locomotive 4207, on the Rails for 60 Years and Still Hauling Commuters (NY Times)

• Caltrain’s Bouchard named chair of Commuter Rail Coalition (Trains)

• People News: CRC, CN (Railway Age)

There will be no Bulletin next Friday.
Look for the next edition on July 25, 2025.