The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently released two videos that offer an overview of its Council on Rail Transportation 2024 Legislative Meeting, held January 30 through February 2 in Washington, D.C.
[Above photo by AASHTO]
The first video highlights remarks made by Marc Williams – executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation and chair of AASHTO’s rail council – and Joung Lee, AASHTO’s deputy director-chief policy officer regarding the state of the rail industry the role of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA funding for rail projects, and preparations for the next five-year reauthorization of surface transportation funding.
The second video provides a synopsis of a panel discussion among Federal Railroad Administration officials, who detailed the successes and advancements in rail infrastructure funded by the IIJA while exploring strategies for efficient project delivery by state departments of transportation as well as environmental streamlining efforts and how to balance project speed in line with environmental and sustainability standards.
In his keynote speech at the meeting, FRA Administrator Amit Bose emphasized the importance of using IIJA funds to making “world-class railroad network” a reality.
“That’s what we’re trying to achieve. That’s what we need to prove to Congress that we can deliver on and all of you in this room are a part of making that happen,” he said. “We are striving at FRA every day to do as much as possible to progress things as much as possible. It also has the attention of a White House that’s deeply interested in passenger and freight rail projects across this country.”
Nation
Knowledge Session: Examining Role of AI in Transportation
April 26, 2024
Nation
