NEW MEMBER PROFILE:
UK DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS & TRADE

The UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the government department responsible for supporting business growth, promoting international trade, and attracting foreign investment to the UK. In North America, DBT’s mission is to facilitate U.S. business expansion and success in the UK and support UK exports to the U.S. across sectors.

DBT operates through a robust network of sector specialists in the UK, and trade officers based in the British Embassy in Washington DC, and the British Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco.

Our infrastructure team, located in New York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles provides expert guidance and business support to UK companies in the U.S. across the rail and aviation sectors. The team also works with U.S. firms seeking to invest in the UK in Construction and Logistics transformational scale projects.

SAVE THE DATE: NEXT CRC BOARD MEETING IS JULY 1

CRC members in good standing are invited to attend the next meeting of the association’s board of directors the afternoon of Tuesday, July 1. The meeting will be held at the Bay Area Metro Center (MTC), 375 Beale Street, San Francisco. Additional details will be provided in the coming weeks.

CRC SUBMITS PRIORITIES FOR REAUTHORIZATION TO HOUSE T&I

The Commuter Rail Coalition this week submitted a letter to Congressmen Sam Graves, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rick Larsen, Ranking Member, urging them to prioritize key requests in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization. Representing its member organizations, the CRC outlined critical industry issues and emphasized their significance to the future of commuter rail across the country.

Below is a summary of the issues address. To read it in full, please visit the CRC website.

1. Federal Liability Cap Adjustment. Request for up to 365 days to acquire insurance up to the new cap in order to mitigate stress on an already constrained insurance market, and allow railroads to negotiate with insurers for capacity needs.

2. Commuter Rail Eligibility under the CRISI Program. Request to make commuter rail projects eligible under CRISI.

3. STB Authority Over Amtrak Agreements with Commuter Rail. Request for the Surface Transportation Board be granted authority to adjudicate disputes between commuter railroads and Amtrak

4. Federally Supported Study of Excess Liability Insurance. Request a study on steps to avoid potential insurance market failure, and review of the viability of an industry pool.

5. Railway Safety. Request consideration of the differences between commuter and freight railroad safety improvements.

6. Temporary Insurance. Request DOT be granted emergency authority in the event excess liability coverage cannot be acquired.

7. TSA Rulemaking – Vetting of Certain Surface Transportation Employees. Request to reconsider timing mandates for current and future employee background checks.

Two bills were filed during Texas’ 89th legislative session, SB 1557 and HB 3187, that would redirect 25% of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) funding to other local mobility projects and severely impact the agency’s ability to continue to plan, build, operate and maintain the system that voters and 13 cities have supported over the last 40+ years.

The CRC has written to the chairman of the Texas House Transportation Committee, Rep. Tom Craddick, to argue for the protection of DART funding.

Investment in transit is a force multiplier: research from DART’s neighbor, Fort Worth’s Trinity Metro, shows that every $1 invested yields $3.05 in economic returns to Tarrant County – highlighting the broader economic value of transit investments.

“ . . . a 25% cut to sales tax revenues as outlined in this legislation would significantly impact riders, residents, and businesses in the DART service area. Reductions in the quantity and quality of service would impact access to jobs and businesses, with severe consequences for road congestion.” ~ KellyAnne Gallagher, CRC CEO

Following a public hearing last month, the Texas House bill is currently pending in the Transportation committee, and the Senate bill has been referred to the Transportation committee.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• The Last Thing US Transit Agencies Should Do Now (Bloomberg UK)

• Amtrak cuts NYC service for construction – and everyone from the governor to commuters is bracing for years of chaos: ‘Enough is enough’ (New York Post)

• Without SEPTA, Philly businesses worry about lack of parking, traffic gridlock (WHYY PBS)

• Public feedback sought on Northstar (Elk River Star News)

• Fort Worth warns of ‘catastrophic’ incident if Supreme Court allows nuclear waste transit, storage (Fort Worth Report)

• DART Silver Line Schedule: Testing and Service Updates (Railway Supply)

• Bills targeting Dallas transit could have ‘unintended consequences’ for Fort Worth, leader says (Fort Worth Report)

• The Future of VRE: What 2050 Could Look Like (Potomac Local News)

• NTSB report on NS rear-end collision urges FRA to finish research on patching hole in PTC (Trains)

• NY Gov. Hochul Calls for Amtrak to Reevaluate its East River Tunnel Construction Plans (RT&S)

• A $6 Billion Shortfall Has US Mass Transit Facing a Death Spiral (Bloomberg UK)