Washington, DC – Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement on today’s successful passage of the Surface Transportation Investment Act out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:
“TTD appreciates the Commerce Committee’s bipartisan commitment to Amtrak. By working to improve service quality and acknowledging that current funding levels are deeply inadequate to address Amtrak’s needs today and in the future, this committee has taken an important step towards improving America’s passenger rail service.
“We also applaud the inclusion of several important safety measures, including further oversight of positive train control technology, studying the dangers of miles-long freight trains, and reforms to the Federal Railroad Administration’s processes, as well as the exclusion of harmful language on automated vehicles.
“We urge the remaining committees of jurisdiction in the Senate to follow suit by finalizing their portions of a long-term surface transportation reauthorization, and look forward to working with both the House and Senate to build on a number of key workforce and safety priorities that we have long fought for.”