Amtrak is pursuing a proceeding before the Surface Transportation Board regarding substandard on-time performance on its Sunset Limited route between New Orleans and Los Angeles, and the legal arguments they are making have substantial implications for every railroad that shares right of way with Amtrak.

CRC responded this week in a filing that pushes back against some of Amtrak’s more expansive contentions and recommendations, and asks the STB to clarify their applicability so as not to unintentionally bind or otherwise adversely affect the interests and operations of commuter railroads.

To access the filings in this case, search STB docket number NOR 42175, or reach out for a copy of CRC’s filing.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CRC’S SPRING BOARD MEETING IN SALT LAKE CITY

Join us in Salt Lake City March 13 & 14 as Jay Fox and the Utah Transit Authority host the Spring meeting of the CRC Board of Directors. All members in good standing are welcome to attend the March 14 Board Meeting, but RSVPs are required.

Expect an agenda heavy on legislative and regulatory insights, with Capitol Hill and DOT staff joining the meeting via Zoom.

Immediately following the Board Meeting on Friday afternoon, UTA will be offering three alternating technical tours of their Commuter Rail Control Room, Commuter Rail Maintenance Room, and the Salt Lake Bus Depot District Maintenance.

If travel plans permit, you are also invited to tour Stadler’s Salt Lake City facility at 2PM Thursday afternoon, March 13, followed by a welcome reception hosted by Martin Ritter and the Stadler US team.

RSVP here, and make your hotel reservations here.

NEXT GEN ATTENDS 2024 SUMMIT

Among the next generation of transportation professionals in attendance at the 2024 Commuter Rail Summit in Boston were two recent college graduates interning at the MBTA.

Mallory Bedford and Anel Tarakbay received scholarships – made possible through funds raised by the CRC’s annual Golf Outing - to attend the Summit and make professional connections with industry leaders.

Mallory Bedford was born and raised in Washington, DC, where she relied on Metro to whisk her across the city. After getting her undergraduate degree at Pepperdine in California, she returned east, earning her Master’s in Public Policy at Brown and interning in the commuter rail operations group at MBTA. In an interview with CRC’s Angie Johnson, Mallory recounted that when MBTA Commuter Rail Executive Director Mike Muller offered to meet to discuss her position it led to a much longer discussion about their mutual appreciation of policy work. And when Muller was interrupted by an important phone call, he invited her to listen in so that she might learn more.

During her time at MBTA Mallory also took on optional projects in ferry operations while working at South Station.

At the Commuter Rail Summit, her favorite memory was sitting with former MBTA leaders and now-WSP consultants Rob DiAdamo and Jeff Gonneville as they regaled her with stories about the industry’s challenges and successes.

Mallory had received a job offer immediately before attending the Summit and said that in addition to absorbing the information shared at sessions, the Summit experience allowed her to get to know her new boss, MBTA COO Ryan Coholon, and the rest of the team in preparation for starting that position. The discussions on fare policy were particularly helpful, and she plans to deploy many of the insights that Champions of Commuter Rail recipient Jody Ray shared in his acceptance speech.

In the future, Mallory hopes to emphasize the joy in the experience of transportation as she works with customers and coworkers in her new role as project coordinator. And she wants to continue involvement with the MBTA internship program, helping to select the new cohort and mentor those coming along behind her.

Anel Tarakbay, now working in Kazakhstan, will be the subject of a profile in a future edition of the CRC Bulletin.

The CRC Golf Outing is organized each year by Amsted’s Gary Wagner and Railhead’s Tom Austin to support student participation in the Commuter Rail Summit.

HOUSE T&I RESHUFFLES – AGAIN

Musical chairs continue at the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Congressman Rick Crawford (R, AR) was named last week as Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, foregoing his role as subcommittee chairman on T&I.

Congressman Pete Rouzer (R-NC), who had been named to take Railroads following Troy Nehls' move to the Aviation Subcommittee, will now lead Highways and Transit in Crawford’s place.

Congressman Daniel Webster (R-FL), whose 11th district is northwest of Tri-Rail's service territory, will take the Railroads subcommittee from Rouzer. Webster had been chair of the Coast Guard Subcommittee.

Railway Age’s 2025 “Fast Trackers” honorees were selected from freight and passenger railroads; government entities; and the supplier, contractor and consultant communities. Nominees were required to be under 40 as of Jan. 1, 2025.

“Our tenth-annual awards program honorees not only represent the strength and growth of our industry, but also the ‘best of the best.’ Railway Age will feature their accomplishments in the February 2025 issue.”
~ Railway Age Publisher Jonathan Chalon

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Metra Considers RRIF Loan Option to Fund Bridge Replacements (Progressive Railroading)

• Fort Worth's TEXRail Receives $25 Million Grant for Line Extension (The Texan)

• Tri-Rail and Trump: More People in Palm Beach County Means More Ridership (Palm Beach Post)

• Silver Line Train Testing Begins in Western Corridor Between DFW Airport and Carrollton (Irving Weekly)

• Metro-North Railroad achieves record on-time performance (Progressive Railroading)

• MBTA Plans To Replace Farimount Commuter Rail Line With New Electric Trains (WBZ News Radio)

• Caltrain’s electric fleet more efficient than expected (Mass Transit)