WASHINGTON — A subcommittee of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee s has announced plans for a hearing next week on challenges facing the commuter rail industry.
The Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee has scheduled the hearing for Wednesday, April 17, at 10 a.m. ET, chairman Troy Nehls (R-Texas) announced. The hearing will be held in Room 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building; a live webcast will be available.
Witnesses scheduled to appear are Kevin Corbett, NJ Transit CEO, on behalf of the Northeast Corridor Comission; David W. Dech, executive director, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, governing body of Tri-Rail; Debra Johnson, CEO of Colorado’s Regional Transportation District; Darren Kettle, CEO of Los Angeles’ Metrolink; and Mike Noland, president of the Northern Indiana Commter Transportation District.
More information, including statements from the witnesses and a link to the live webcast, will be available on the committee website.
The challenge is that costs increase while revenue is flat. And no one can see that changing. That’s on the operating side. On the capital side, desperately needed improvements are measured in multiples of a billion dollars. That’s a whole lot of challenges.
Which makes commuter rail a microcosm of the overall economy. Like for example, rebuilding every freeway for many times the cost of the original construction. So, don’t pick on public transportation. It’s everything.
What challenges? Not enough subsidies?
The challenge will be who can whine the most about not getting enough subsidies….