NRC Chairman Joe Daloisio advocated for rail industry contractors and suppliers on Capitol Hill in a hearing before the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on January 23, 2025.
The hearing, entitled "America Builds: Examining America’s Freight and Passenger Rail Network." featured testimony from the following four industry stakeholders who detailed their priorities and suggestions for any potential surface transportation legislative proposals in the current Congress::
A news release issued by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee characterized the testimony during the hearing as supporting streamlining infrastructure grant programs and project approvals and project approvals, performance-based safety, and competition. "Witnesses commonly highlighted support for programs that help build and improve the U.S. rail infrastructure network, such as federal programs to eliminate rail grade crossings and the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program," noted the release.
In his testimony, Chairman Daloisio concurred with the need to improve the efficiency of CRISI and other grant programs. “The speed at which grant agreements have been executed has been way too slow. By the time the construction phase begins, a number of variables, most notably the increase in costs, jeopardizes the successful execution of these important projects. We encourage Congress and the new Administration to deliver grant funding in a responsible but more expedient manner.”
The release noted that panelists highlighted the need to maintain railroads’ ability to utilize technological advancements to improve safety, as well as the need for any safety regulations to be based on science and data.
"It is imperative to allow railroads and rail contractors and suppliers to innovate and deploy safety technologies," testified Chairman Daloisio."We urge Congress to use data-driven solutions that would effectively increase the safety of the rail network and avoid policy changes that would place unnecessary or excessive mandates on the rail industry that would not enhance rail safety.”
Chairman Daloisio also stressed the importance of a competitive bidding process in rail construction and maintenance contracts in order to get the best return on these investments.
“The NRC strongly supports increased opportunities for contracting out and competition within these programs to stretch federal funds further. Increased flexibility for railroads and commuter rail agencies to contract out work will benefit the industry. This is not an attempt to take work from in-house labor forces, rather it is intended to help the industry as a whole perform more work more efficiently," he said. "Often times our members are able to find the most innovative ideas and methods to deliver projects for less cost without compromising safety. Our member companies are both specialized in and incentivized to accomplish this on a daily basis. Therefore, we would like to strongly urge that all rail construction and maintenance work performed with federal assistance be competitively bid out to the independent railroad construction industry, to the fullest extent possible, to ensure the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars.”
Check here for more information on the hearing and to watch the full proceedings.
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