Majority Statement

• Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

  Chairman

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

  Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

  Opening Statement of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV
  Staying on Track:  Next Steps in Passenger and Freight Rail Safety

  Our nation’s network of railroads consists of over 100,000 miles of tracks that run from one corner of the country to the other.  It’s not an overstatement to say that these tracks are truly the backbone of our economy.  Look around your home, in your cupboards, in your yard.  Without a doubt, practically everything you lay your eyes on traveled by rail at some point before it reached your home.  Rail also plays a pivotal role in the distribution side of our nation’s agriculture and energy sectors. Our railways are largely responsible for taking commodities from the heartland to our coastal ports for export, and vice-versa for the myriad of consumer goods our country imports each year.  All told, more tons of goods pass by rail than water, air, and pipelines combined.  

  But it doesn’t stop there.  In several parts of the country, rail serves as a primary means of transportation for much of the traveling public.  Rail prevents these corridors from having an unsustainable level of traffic and airway gridlock.  For example, every day passengers rely on Amtrak and commuter rail systems as an efficient way to get them to and from work, visit friends and family, and go about their daily lives—trips that they otherwise may have taken on highways or by flight.

  As many have heard me say before, consumer protection and safety are my biggest priorities as Chairman of this Committee.  We have held countless hearings and passed legislation to address safety gaps and increase oversight of a number of transportation industries – aviation, automobile, commercial truck, bus, pipelines, and more.

  The safety of any transportation industry must be our first concern. Freight and passenger trains generally operate throughout the country without incident.  And it’s true that safety levels have increased in recent years.  Safety advancements and efforts in the industry have shown real benefits; in fact, last year we got some promising news from the Federal Railroad Administration when it declared 2012 as the safest year on record for the rail industry.  

  While the number of railroad incidents is on the decline, it is all too clear that there is still work to be done to improve rail safety.  As we have seen with recent accidents in Connecticut and Missouri, serious events still occur.  And when they do, the results can be devastating. We are incredibly fortunate that no lives were lost in either of these collisions.  

  Several accidents that occurred around the country last year are still under investigation, but I’d like to think they all could have been avoided in one way or another.  We must learn from these and other incidents and make the necessary improvements, whether they are self-imposed improvements within a company based on thoughtful evaluation, or done on the federal level by regulatory or congressional action. 

  I’m pleased that Senator Blumenthal is holding today’s hearing.  Recently, he and Ranking Member Blunt have found themselves dealing with high-profile rail accidents in their states in the past few weeks.  They know that having a robust discussion about what may have led to these incidents will inform the steps we can take to reduce the risk of similar accidents occurring again.

  Every accident that occurs is one too many and one that could have potentially been avoided.  And so it’s most important that we continue to provide rigorous oversight of the industry to determine whether and where serious gaps exist in rail safety requirements, and the extent to which the Federal Railroad Administration and its partners are providing a sufficient level oversight.  

  The Committee is already working on the next passenger rail and rail safety reauthorization bills.  Today is a good place to consider what is working to make sure our rails are safe, and look for ways we can improve on existing efforts in these important reauthorizations. We will hear today from federal regulators and safety experts, commuter and freight rail advocates, and state transportation departments.  Passenger and freight rail will only become safer if this diverse group of stakeholders works closely together, and with Congress, to promote an industry culture that prioritizes safety.

Testimony

• The Honorable Joseph Szabo

  Administrator

  Federal Railroad Administration
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• The Honorable Deborah Hersman

  Chairman

  National Transportation Safety Board
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• Ms. Susan Fleming

  Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues

  United States Government Accountability Office
  Download Testimony (507.73 KB)

Witness Panel 2

• Mr. Ed Hamberger

  President and CEO

  Association of American Railroads
  Download Testimony (249.51 KB)

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• Ms. Kathryn Waters

  Executive Vice President for Member Services

  American Public Transportation Association
  Download Testimony (244.01 KB)

• Mr. James Stem

  National Legislative Director, Transportation Division

  International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail, and Transportation (SMART) Workers
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• Mr. James Redeker

  Commissioner

  Connecticut Department of Transportation
  Download Testimony (376.20 KB)

• Ms. Michelle Teel

  Multimodal Director

  Missouri Department of Transportation
  Download Testimony (298.44 KB)