WASHINGTON — The House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials will hold a hearing on freight rail safety on Tuesday, June 14.
The hearing, announced by Rep. Peter Defazio (D-Ore.), chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.), chair of the subcommittee, is set for 10 a.m. EDT. It is “for members to learn about the current state of freight rail safety, in addition to hearing testimony on how to keep rail workers and our rail system safe,” according to a brief press release.
Scheduled to appear are FRA Administrator Amit Bose; National Transportation Safety Board member Thomaas B. Chapman; Roy L. Morrision, director of safety for the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes; Don Grissom, assistant general president, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen; Grady C. Cothen Jr., a transportation policy consultant; Nathan Bachman, vice president of sales and business development, Loram Technologies; Cindy Sanbord, chief operating officer, Norfolk Southern; and Jeremy Ferguson, president, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD).
More information, including a live video stream of the hearing, is or will be available here.
So when will these committees hold hearings on Amtrak? With record gasoline prices, Amtrak is turning away business because of equipment being stored and long distance trains running with short consists. Unless some action is taken, I fear that Amtrak is running on borrowed time. Please prove me wrong.