WASHINGTON — Officials from Brightline, Anacostia Rail Holdings, and the Association of American Railroads are scheduled to testify Wednesday (June 18) at a Senate subcommittee hearing on railroading.
The Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Surface Transportation will hold the hearing, “On the Right Track: Modernizing America’s Rail Network,” at 10 a.m. in Russell Office Building room 253. It will be live streamed on the committee’s website and YouTube. The subcommittee says the session will “examine the state of the U.S. freight and passenger rail network” and “explore avenues for meaningful regulatory and policy reforms in the context of the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization.”
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), the subcommittee chairman, said in a press release, “To stay competitive in the 21st century economy, we must allow for innovation, streamline costly regulations, and ensure rural America isn’t left behind. This hearing is a chance to focus on practical solutions that create a reliable and safe American rail network, enabling the efficient movement of people and goods.”
Witnesses will include Husein Cumber, senior advisor for Brightline Holdings, responsible for guiding the company’s capital projects in Florida and at Brightline West; Peter Gilbertson, CEO of Anacostia, representing the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association; AAR CEO Ian Jefferies; and Clarence Anthony, CEO of the National League of Cities.
