Amtrak board full with Gleason confirmation: Analysis

WASHINGTON — The federal government may be headed for a shutdown if 60 U.S. Senators can’t agree on a path forward by the end of the month, but late last week the upper chamber’s lawmakers did vote to confirm Pennsylvania Republican Robert Gleason to a 5-year term on Amtrak’s board of directors [“Senate confirms Robert Gleason … ” Sept. 22, 2025 ].

Gleason, who hails from the Johnstown, Pa., area, fills the last vacancy and a state-supported route slot, though at his Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing last May he stressed Amtrak’s importance to “bringing better passenger rail service to small towns across America” [“Amtrak board nominee Gleason voices strong support … ” May 13, 2025].

Following appointments by Presidents Biden and Trump after nearly a decade when existing members continued to serve years after their terms expired, Amtrak’s board of directors now reflects diverse geographic and political representation of the three business segments, as legally mandated in the company’s latest reauthorization.

Its current members (with the state they currently reside in) are:

• Anthony Coscia (New Jersey) Chairman — Northeast Corridor (D)
• Joel Szabat (Maryland) Vice chairman — Northeast Corridor (R)
• David Capozzi (Delaware) — Northeast Corridor* (D)
• Ron Batory (New Mexico) — Long-distance (R)
• Elaine Clegg (Idaho) — Long-distance (D)
• Lanhee Chin (California) — State-supported (R)
• Chris Koos (Illinois) — State-supported+Long distance (D)
• Robert Gleason (Pennsylvania) — State-supported (R)
• U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy or his designee (R)
  * — Capozzi also was nominated to represent interests of the disabled community

Obstacles ahead

Amtrak’s leadership and governance currently faces many challenges. These include:

• Continuing equipment shortages exacerbated by maintenance failures.
• A stalled long-distance passenger car procurement that threatens national network viability as 45 year-old Superliners soldier on.
• Highway-friendly Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives who insist on passenger rail “profitability” when Amtrak annual appropriations are debated, while roads and air traffic control systems receive billions in guaranteed funding from the federal government.
• A looming surface transportation reauthorization in which there are efforts to reconstitute Amtrak’s host railroad access and liability insurance cap advantages over other potential operators.

The existing financial arrangement allows the company to determine, allocate, and pass along administrative, maintenance, and operating costs for regional services to the states or operating authorities that support them. Similar criteria are used in measuring the financial performance of inter-regional trains, also funded through Congress’ annual appropriation.

This has been an increasing source of friction between the sponsoring entities and Amtrak, which lawmakers are being pressed to address. The public’s recent acceptance of the Chicago-St. Paul, Minn., Borealis and New Orleans-Mobile, Ala., Mardi Gras stand out as successes, and the national operator has devoted substantial resources to support their launch. However, it is possible that provisions of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act’s Section 209, which essentially protects Amtrak from the risks of starting and maintaining state-supported services, may be revisited.

Fink confirmation delayed

Meanwhile, the Senate has still not voted to confirm David Fink as Federal Railroad Administrator. The former president of PanAm Railways was grilled at the same May 13, 2025, confirmation hearing as Gleason.

Since Biden appointee Amit Bose resigned in January, the FRA has been without a confirmed administrator. During that time, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy eliminated the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) with the justification, among other reasons, to “refocus advisory committees on what matters” [see “FRA disbands Railroad Safety Advisory Committee,” Trains.com Aug 13, 2025]. FRA disbands Railroad Safety Advisory Committee – Trains

Duffy lumped RSAC among advisory groups that “had been overrun with individuals whose sole focus is their radical DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and climate agenda.” It isn’t clear why Fink has yet to be confirmed.