SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman today announced that, with the approval of the Board, he has appointed members to the newly formed Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC).  The new members of the PRAC will advise the Board on issues impacting passenger rail service during their terms.

“I am pleased that the Board received so many nominations of distinguished and knowledgeable candidates to serve on the Passenger Rail Advisory Committee,” said Chairman Martin J. Oberman.  “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 21 members of the PRAC and their appointed term lengths are as follows.

Amtrak

Christopher Perry, Associate General Counsel

• 3-year term

James Blair, Assistant Vice President, Host Railroads

• 2-year term

Commuter Rail

James Derwinski, CEO and Executive Director, Metra (Chicago)

• 3-year term

Lori Winfree, General Counsel, North County Transit District (San Diego)

• 2-year term

Intercity Passenger Rail (non-Amtrak)

Husein Cumber, Chief Strategy Officer, Florida East Coast Industries

• 3-year term

Gregg Baxter, Director of Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships, Herzog Enterprises

• 2-year term

State that Funds Intercity Passenger Rail

Roger Millar, Secretary of Transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation

• 3-year term

State that hosts only long-distance service

Shoshana Lew, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Transportation

• 2-year term

Class I Railroad

Michael McClellan, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Norfolk Southern

• 3-year term

Andy Daly, Senior Director of Passenger Operations, CSX Transportation

• 2-year term

Class II or III Railroad

Henry Posner III, Chairman, Iowa Interstate Railroad

• 2-year term

Rail Labor

Greg Regan, President, AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department

• 3-year term

Rail Passenger Advocacy Organization

Jim Mathews, President and CEO, Rail Passengers Association

• 3-year term

John Robert Smith, Chairman, Transportation for America

• 2-year term

Rail Shipper or Shipper Organization

Jonathan Lamb, President, Lake Superior Warehousing Co., Inc.

• 2-year term

At-Large

Joseph Black, Senior Vice President, Rail Operations and Service Planning, WSP

• 2-year term

Aaron Edelman, Attorney, Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy & Welch

• 3-year term

Patricia Long, President, Railway Supply Institute

• 2-year term

Robert Padgette, Managing Director, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority

• 3-year term

Liliana Pereira, Director, Steer

• 2-year term

Carl Warren, President and CEO, North Carolina Railroad Company

• 3-year term

Paul Nissenbaum, Associate Administrator for Railroad Development at the Federal Railroad Administration, will participate as an ex officio member of the committee as the Department of Transportation representative.

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; and 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.

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