Capitol Hill Roundup: the Week in Rail News

Rail Passengers Association joins with coalition asking Congress for extension of guaranteed funding for rail: A group of leading transportation organizations, including Rail Passengers, sent a letter to Congressional leadership earlier this week asking for the inclusion of dedicated funding for rail in any surface transportation reauthorization.

The letter identified two specific requests:

1) Ensure any extension of the IIJA or continuing resolution maintains funding for all Division J programs; and

2) Provide long-term, guaranteed funding for Division J programs, including safety, highway, bridge, rail, transit, port, intermodal and other critical infrastructure in the next surface transportation authorization.

"The economic benefits of these investments extend far beyond the communities where projects are built," the coalition explained. "Freight rail infrastructure, supported by the Division J program CRISI, strengthens supply chains that connect farmers, manufacturers, businesses, and consumers in every state. Businesses that rely on short line rail service, for example, support nearly 479,000 jobs across the country, demonstrating how strategic infrastructure investments generate economic activity nationwide. Congress’ commitment to Amtrak and strengthening intercity passenger rail via Division J has supported large-scale rolling stock procurement, the opening of a critical rail bridge, and infrastructure improvement investments to expand new routes, bolstering the careers of 20,000 Amtrak employees and the countless others working at construction sites and manufacturing facilities rebuilding infrastructure and the intercity passenger rail fleet."

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Trump Administration urges inclusion of policy riders in transportation extender: The White House is pressing Congress to incorporate its policy priorities into any short-term surface transportation extension if lawmakers fail to complete a long-term reauthorization by the Sept. 30 deadline.

In a July 22 letter to key Senate committee leadership, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy argued that an extender should serve as a foundation for the next multiyear bill rather than a simple stopgap. Among the administration’s requests are language requiring two-person train crews, a provision opposed by the Class I freight railroads but included in a House draft reauthorization package. The bill has stalled after being passed out of committee.

Duffy also called for $1 billion for improvements at New York’s Penn Station and asked Congress to direct Amtrak to rename the facility. President Trump is reported to have asked Senator Chuck Schumer to rename the station in honor of himself in exchange for releasing previously approved grant funds for the Gateway Tunnel Project (a federal court found that the move was “flagrantly illegal” after ordering the USDOT to release the funds).

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Rail Labor Scores Transparency Win: the Surface Transportation Board ordered Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to publicly release detailed employment-impact data tied to their proposed merger activities, rejecting the railroads’ claim that the information was “highly confidential” and not subject public disclosure requirements.

The STB’s decision marks a win for rail labor unions, which have sought greater transparency around potential workforce effects of the proposed merger. Union Pacific has until July 27th to comply.

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Amtrak IG Flags Procurement Lessons: Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General is urging the railroad to apply lessons from prior oversight reviews as it manages the three largest rolling-stock acquisitions in its history.

A new report identifies 10 areas where stronger planning, coordination and oversight could help control costs, maintain schedules and improve performance on the NextGen Acela, Airo and new long-distance fleet programs. One of the areas targeted by the report is the importance of Amtrak engaging with all relevant stakeholders, both internal and external, with the IG pointing to Amtrak's failure to adequately consider input from business end-users responsible for maintaining and operating specific aspects of the Airo fleet.

You can find the full report at the OIG website.

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Senate Panel Advances Transportation Nominees: the Senate Commerce Committee approved four transportation nominations, moving them closer to full Senate consideration. The panel advanced David Cummins to serve as Transportation Security Administration administrator, Karen Hedlund for another term on the Surface Transportation Board, Thomas Chapman for an additional term on the National Transportation Safety Board and Edward Eppler to become the Department of Transportation’s chief financial officer.