WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has named the inaugural members of its Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, which will help the board address issues affecting passenger rail service.
More than 90 people had been nominated or nominated themselves to serve under a range of categories [see “STB passenger advisory committee has no shortage of nominees,” Trains News Wire, March 9, 2024].
“I am pleased that the Board received so many nominations of distinguished and knowledgeable candidates to serve on the Passenger Rail Advisory Committee,” STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman said in a press release. “The members of this inaugural PRAC have a diverse range of experience and we look forward to them providing insightful perspectives as the Board considers pressing passenger rail issues. The Board has greatly valued the contributions of its other advisory committees over the years and I am confident that this new committee will prove to be equally valuable in advising the Board in the area of passenger rail.“
Notably, while the original call for nominations had indicated there would be three at-large members and 18 voting members overall, the committee as announced today (March 28) includes 21 members, having expanded to include six at-large members. A board spokesman said Oberman, with board concurrence, “saw an opportunity to increase the diversity of voices and expanded the at-large members from three to six because of the number of distinguished and qualified applicants received.“
Board members, their categories of membership, and terms of service are:
Amtrak: Christopher Perry, associate general counsel, three years; James Blair, assistant vice president, host railroads, two years.
Commuter rail: Jim Derwinski, CEO/executive director, Metra (Chicago), three years; Lori Winfree, general counsel, North County Transit District (San Diego), two years.
Intercity passenger rail (non-Amtrak): Husein Cumber, chief strategy officer, Florida East Coast Industries, three years; Gregg Baxter, director of government relations and strategic partnerships, Herzog Enterprises, two years.
State that funds intercity passenger rail: Roger Millar, secretary of transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation, three years.
State that hosts only long-distance service: Shoshana Lew, executive director, Colorado Department of Transportation, two years.
Class I railroad: Michael McClellan, senior vice president and chief strategy officer, Norfolk Southern, three years; Andy Daly, senior director of passenger operations, CSX Transportation, two years.
Class II or III railroad: Henry Posner III, chairman, Iowa Interstate Railroad, two years.
Rail Labor: Greg Regan, president, AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, three years.
Rail passenger advocacy organization: Jim Mathews, president and CEO, Rail Passengers Association, three years; John Robert Smith, chairman, Transportation for America, two years.
Rail shipper or shipper organization: Jonathan Lamb, president, Lake Superior Warehousing Co., Inc., two years.
At-Large: Joseph Black, senior vice president, rail operations and service Planning, WSP, two years; Aaron Edelman, attorney, Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy & Welch, three years; Patricia Long, president, Railway Supply Institute, two years; Robert Padgette, managing director, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, three years; Liliana Pereira, director, Steer, two years; Carl Warren, president and CEO, North Carolina Railroad Co., three years.
Paul Nissenbaum, associate administrator for railroad development at the Federal Railroad Adminsitration, will be the Department of Transportation representative as an ex officio member.
“I am honored to join the Passenger Rail Advisory Committee as a representative of the North Carolina Railroad Co.,” Warren said in a statement. “This opportunity aligns perfectly with NCRR’s commitment to enhance transportation infrastructure and foster community connectivity. I’m grateful to Chairman Oberman for the appointment, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
TTD’s Regan, in a statement, thanked Oberman “for the opportunity to give a voice to thousands of workers as we strive to improve the quality and efficiency of passenger and commuter rail across the country. It is crucial that workers have a voice in the development and expansion of the nation’s transportation systems. I look forward to working with fellow members of the Committee to improve upon existing passenger rail networks, as well as deliver service that works for communities, for workers, and the industry at large.”
Committee meetings, which will be public, will address such topics as improving efficiency on passenger rail routes; reducing disputes between passenger rail carriers and freight rail hosts; and improving regulatory processes related to intercity passenger service.
— Updated at 3:25 p.m. CDT with statement from TTD President Greg Regan; updated at 6 p.m. with comment on expanded board membership.
Interesting that the 2 Class 1 freight reps are both from the east.
Yes, I thought that interesting as well since most of the Long Distance trains are on UP or BNSF. We just keep on maintaining that eastern bias at the expense of rest if the traveling country. They should have divided the states into 25 regions and at least it would have been balanced across the country but I guess that would have made too much sense, lol.
As noted in the article on nominees, just four Class I railroads nominated representatives. BNSF and UP were not among them.