STB appoints inaugural members of Passenger Rail Advisory Committee
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has appointed members to its newly formed Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC). The new members, appointed by STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman, will advise the board on issues impacting passenger rail service during their terms.
“I am pleased the board received so many nominations of distinguished and knowledgeable candidates to serve on the Passenger Rail Advisory Committee,” Oberman said. “The members of this inaugural PRAC have a diverse range of experience and we look forward to them providing insightful perspectives as the board considers pressing passenger rail issues. The board has greatly valued the contributions of its other advisory committees over the years and I am confident that this new committee will prove to be equally valuable in advising the board in the area of passenger rail.”
The PRAC has been established in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Chapter 10, to help the board better fulfill its statutory responsibilities in overseeing certain aspects of passenger rail service. The PRAC’s activities include providing information, advice and recommendations to the board on issues impacting the development and operation of passenger rail services, including:
- Improving efficiency on passenger rail routes.
- Reducing disputes between passenger rail carriers and freight rail hosts regarding the use of freight-owned facilities and infrastructure for passenger service, including passenger on-time performance issues.
- Improving regulatory processes related to intercity passenger rail to the benefit of the public, the communities served by passenger rail and the environment.
The PRAC meetings will be open to the public. A complete list of the 21 members of the PRAC and their appointed term lengths can be found below and at STB's website.
The 21 members of the PRAC:
- Amtrak
- Christopher Perry, Associate General Counsel ( three-year term)
- James Blair, Assistant Vice President, Host Railroads (two-year term)
- Commuter Rail
- James Derwinski, CEO and Executive Director, Metra (Chicago) (three-year term)
- Lori Winfree, General Counsel, North County Transit District (San Diego) (two-year term)
- Intercity Passenger Rail (non-Amtrak)
- Husein Cumber, Chief Strategy Officer, Florida East Coast Industries (three-year term)
- Gregg Baxter, Director of Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships, Herzog Enterprises (two-year term)
- State that Funds Intercity Passenger Rail
- Roger Millar, Secretary of Transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation (three-year term)
- State that hosts only long-distance service
- Shoshana Lew, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Transportation (two-year term)
- Class 1 railroad
- Michael McClellan, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Norfolk Southern (three-year term)
- Andy Daly, Senior Director of Passenger Operations, CSX Transportation (two-year term)
- Class 2 and 3 railroad
- Henry Posner III, Chairman, Iowa Interstate Railroad (two-year term)
- Rail Labor
- Greg Regan, President, AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (three-year term)
- Rail Passenger Advocacy Organization
- Jim Mathews, President and CEO, Rail Passengers Association (three-year term)
- John Robert Smith, Chairman, Transportation for America (two-year term)
- Rail Shipper or Shipper Organization
- Jonathan Lamb, President, Lake Superior Warehousing Co., Inc. (two-year term)
- At-Large
- Joseph Black, Senior Vice President, Rail Operations and Service Planning, WSP (two-year term)
- Aaron Edelman, Attorney, Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy & Welch (three-year term)
- Patricia Long, President, Railway Supply Institute (two-year term)
- Robert Padgette, Managing Director, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (three-year term)
- Liliana Pereira, Director, Steer (two-year term)
- Carl Warren, President and CEO, North Carolina Railroad Company (three-year term)
