Statement Before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Rail's Critical Role in the U.S. Transportation System

Statement of Anne Canby

President of the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STPP)

Founding Member of the OneRail Coalition

on the Federal Role in National Rail Policy

U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

Sept. 15, 2010

The OneRail Coalition appreciates the opportunity to provide the Committee with its views on the importance of rail as a critical part of our nation’s surface transportation system.

Rail offers significant benefits to travelers, shippers, the general public, and provides an important link in an integrated intermodal system.

The OneRail Coalition supports expanding the role of rail by providing for additional public and private investment in the nation's rail infrastructure to create American jobs,
de-congest chokepoints, put more freight and passengers on fuel-efficient trains, and reduce our nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

The Coalition urges that the nation’s transportation policies be rebalanced to put rail on
an equal footing with highways and other transportation modes, and notes that the
development of a National Rail Plan presents an historic opportunity to align the future of our transportation system with critical national priorities. We look forward to the Plan
laying out a comprehensive long-term view for rail transportation in America.

OneRail believes the Plan should establish a national framework for transportation
investment in the context of an overall multimodal transportation network and specific
national goals and performance outcomes. Further, OneRail emphasizes maintaining a
strong focus on safety and security. Relying on common sense and performance-based

regulations, including a flexible approach to new rail safety technologies, would produce a balanced approach to ensuring a safe and secure rail network.

The Coalition believes that the federal government must recognize the complexities of
passenger and freight rail partnerships, and recognize that delivering successful new
high-speed and intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) corridor services will require significant
capital investment, as well as a new level of analysis and consistent communication
among and between freight railroads, Amtrak, other passenger operators, and the
traveling public.

OneRail supports continued dedicated funding for commuter rail, and underscores the
need to establish new dedicated funding sources for HSIPR including Amtrak. Further,
passenger and freight rail infrastructure projects should be treated as eligible expenditures

to the degree that new revenues are provided from sources above the existing Highway
Trust Fund user payments utilized to fund the current federal surface transportation
program. OneRail believes the Plan should support policies that provide matching funds
and incentives for rail expansion.

The National Rail Plan should foster economic growth and U.S. job creation by
supporting economic regulatory policies that promote continued robust private
investment in rail to enable railroads to attract and serve the broadest range of freight
customers, as well as intercity and commuter passengers.

In order to avoid “boom or bust” procurement cycles, support for development of a
renewed U.S. passenger rail equipment manufacturing industry would provide for
sustained equipment purchases and the creation of a strong domestic supplier base for
equipment.

OneRail urges that greater effort be placed on providing rail workforce development and planning leadership to support the growth of freight, regional, intercity passenger and high-speed rail corridors, and foster the qualified rail workforce of tomorrow.

Finally, the OneRail Coalition urges the National Rail Plan to include five-, 10- and 20-
year milestones to measure metrics such as the percent of population with access to
intercity passenger rail service, growth in market share for rail freight and intercity
passenger rail and to capture critical public benefits generated from rail investment
including increased mobility and transportation choice, decreased greenhouse gas
emissions, improved energy efficiency and less dependence on oil, increased safety, job creation and enhanced U.S. competitiveness in the global economy.

We appreciate the opportunity to share our thoughts on the importance of rail and the role rail can play in the nation’s transportation system.

The OneRail Coalition includes the American Public Transportation Association,
American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, Amtrak, Association of
American Railroads, Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, National Association of
Railroad Passengers, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Railway Supply Institute, States for Passenger Rail Coalition, Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, Transportation Communications International Union/IAM, and United Transportation Union. Alstom and Parsons Brinckerhoff are Associate Supporters.

For more information please visit www.onerail.org or contact Anne Canby at 202-466-
2641 or by email.