New national association to focus on commuter rail advocacy in D.C.
A group of current and former commuter rail executives has launched a new association, the Commuter Rail Coalition (CRC), which will represent the interests, needs and benefits of the commuter railroads in the U.S.
“Commuter railroads need the focus in Washington that brings our issues forward," Jim Derwinski, CEO and executive director of Metra and chair of the CRC executive committee. " By coming together as a single group, the Commuter Rail Coalition allows us to leverage our collective voices on the issues that matter.”
According to the group's website, the coalition will have two main purposes of education and advocacy. More specifically, the coalition will advocate for commuter railroads in the U.S. by calling attention to the benefits of commuter rail transportation and identifying the resources needed to continue those many beneficial impacts into the future.
Membership in the coalition is open to commuter rail agencies, operators and other interested parties, acting together to engage and educate stakeholders and communities on the value of commuter railroads. As of April 1, the coalition lists Connecticut DOT , FTI Consulting, Metra, New Jersey Transit, North County Transit District, Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District, SFRTA/Tri-Rail and WES/TriMet as members.
The coalition says it will give a stronger voice in Washington to "the safest mode of surface transportation." Citing 2017 statistics from the National Safety Council, railway passengers have the lowest odds of dying (1 in 243,765) as the result of an accident compared to airplane passengers (1 in 188,364), bicyclists (1 in 4,047), motorcyclists (1 in 858), pedestrians (1 in 556) and motor vehicles (1 in 103).
In addition to its robust safety record, the coalition notes that commuter rail transportation delivers 490 million passenger trips annually, reduces congestion, decreases commuters’ carbon footprints and increases property values, as well as a region’s tax base.
The Commuter Rail Coalition is governed by an executive committee, which, in addition to Metra's Derwinski, is made up of Doug Kelsey, general manager, TriMet (Portland, Ore.) and Steven Abrams, executive director of SFRTA/Tri-Rail (South Florida).
In addition, founders and founding members also include Tom Prendergast, former chairman and CEO of the NY MTA; Joe Giulietti, commissioner, Connecticut DOT; Matthew O. Tucker, executive director, North County Transit District (Oceanside, CA); Kevin Corbett, executive director, New Jersey Transit; Pat Warren, former executive director of the Federal Railroad Administration; Mike Noland, president, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District; and John Cline, senior managing director, FTI Consulting.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
