Washington media outlets Politico and the Hill report that the U.S. Senate confirmed Batory, the former Conrail Shared Assets head, along with two other nominees. U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., had held Batory’s nomination as a bargaining chip to try and regain support from President Donald Trump for new Hudson River tunnels connecting New York City and New Jersey along the Northeast Corridor.
In a statement late Tuesday, Ed Hamberger, the Association of American Railroads’ president said Batory was well qualified for the post.
“The freight railroad industry congratulates Ron Batory on his confirmation to become FRA Administrator. Ron Batory is supremely qualified to guide the FRA moving forward, equipped with years of real world experience that will surely assist him in his oversight duties,” he says. “We look forward to working with Administrator Batory in our collective mission to ensure maximum rail safety.”
Just make a deal, Gateway for The Wall…they cost about the same..
This guy should have had the job all along. Why did anyone think a former Facebook executive with no rail experience was a good choice? Oh wait, it’s the government. I answered my own question…
It’s about time!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, maybe the FRA will add a rule to their and CSX rule book that require restrictive speed against a facing point switch when the signal system is suppressed and the dispatcher no longer has electric lock control over those switches. Or rules that requires a distance switch position signal as is used in most of the Northeast for passenger train lines in Manual Block territory.
So a well qualified figure is now head of a captured regulatory agency. What will the monkey-army of trained Fraileyites fret about next?
Amen to Mr. Harris’ post. It finally must have dawned on Sen. Schumer and his three compatriots, who have been stonewalling Mr. Batory’s confirmation thinking that would make the administration cave and commit to funding 50% of Gateway/Portal Bridge, that they indeed had no “leverage”. If they had tried a carrot rather than a stick, given their minority status in the House and Senate we of the passenger rail persuasion may have gotten what we wanted. Maybe not in light of the last 24 hours but there would have been a better chance.
Batory is approved and Gateway funding is dead. Just as predicted.
Finally!!!!!