The Rail Users’ Network (RUN) is a not-for-profit rider advocacy organization that calls for more rail transit of all modes, an improved Amtrak, and better connectivity between the two. One of RUN’s core activities is holding semiannual conferences in the spring and fall. The next conference will look at the future of rail transit in the United States, including the impending fiscal cliff that most transit providers face (the bad news) and some new starts, three which are scheduled to open for service soon and one that is already running (the good news).
The theme of the conference will be Mixed Bag: New Transit Starts and Fiscal Cliff Service Cuts – What to Expect in 2025. The event will take place on Friday afternoon, May 16, from 1:00 until 5:00 Eastern time, on Zoom.
RUN Chair Richard Rudolph, a New Englander who is active as an advocate in Massachusetts and Maine, will introduce and moderate the conference, including a report on what RUN is doing.
The program will continue with two speakers who have national reputations in the transit field. The first will be Philip Eng, General Manager and CEO at the MBTA in Boston. He came from the Long Island Rail Road and has been head of the “T” for the past two years. During that time, he has brought much of the system into a state of good repair and moved the agency’s “commuter rail” system toward providing more-frequent service at times other than peak-commuting hours. He will talk about what he has been able to accomplish at the agency.
The other is Arthur S. Guzzetti, Vice-President of Policy and Mobility at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). He is familiar with transit everywhere in the nation, and he will give us his thoughts regarding what we can expect for rail transit under the new Administration.
One of the events that will have a strong and challenging impact on transit this year will be the fiscal cliff caused by the limited nature of the federal relief for transit, especially for the operating side, that was authorized by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic, when ridership and revenue were low, but essential workers and others still needed transit to get to their jobs and other places. That money is now running out, although ridership on many transit systems has not recovered to pre-COVID levels. I examined the fiscal cliff thoroughly last summer in a twelve-part series here in Railway Age and found that most of the major transit agencies are in trouble or will be within a few years.
The conference will feature a panel on the fiscal cliff and how transit systems are dealing with it. RUN Vice Chair Andrew Albert, who is also head of the NYC Transit Riders’ Council and a rider-representative to the MTA Board will moderate the panel. Three eastern providers will be represented.
Juliet Michaelson, Deputy Chief of Policy and External Relations at New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will speak about the Congestion Pricing program, now under attack by the U.S. Department of Transportation. She will address the challenges that the tolling plan is facing, and how the money it raises will support the MTA’s $68 billion capital program.
Erik Johanson, Senior Director of Budgets and Transformation at SEPTA in Philadelphia, will talk about how his agency is dealing with the crisis.
New Jersey Transit (NJT) is located between the other two agencies and connects with both. Paul L. Wyckoff, NJT’s Chief of Government and External Affairs, will talk about how his agency is dealing with the crisis.
The other presenter on the panel will be Sam Sargent, Director of Strategy & Policy at Caltrans, California’s Department of Transportation. He will discuss how his statewide agency is dealing with the fiscal challenge, which will affect several major providers in his state.
While the fiscal cliff is bringing bad news to transit riders and agencies alike, there is some good news, too. There are several new rail transit starts under construction, and one new start is already in service. The conference will feature four speakers who will describe these new starts and how they are doing.
Jean Fox, Director of Outreach for the MBTA’s South Coast Rail Project will talk about the return of passenger trains to the historic towns of Fall River and New Bedford. These lines were restored to service on March 24, after having been discontinued back in 1958. We will hear about this service restoration and how the lines are doing, now that trains are back.
Ray Biggs II, Senior Project Director at the Maryland Department of Transportation, will talk about the Purple Line Project, which will provide light rail service in the Washington, DC suburbs on the Maryland side, from Bathesda to New Carrollton. The line is slated to connect with Metrorail, Amtrak, MARC trains, and several bus providers.
Dee Leggett, Executive Vice-President and Chief Development Officer at DART in Dallas will talk about the agency’s Silver Line Regional Rail Project, while will run service on a line that was once part of the Cotton Belt railroad. It will run for 26 miles in the Dallas area, serving Dallas, Coppell, Carrolton, Addison, Richardson, Plano, DFW Airport, and Grapevine, which is currently served by TEXRail, which originates in Fort Worth.
Brian Nadolny, Project Manager at the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will talk about the Red Line, a 25-mile regional rail line extending north from Charlotte on a branch that was historically part of the Southern Railway, now Norfolk Southern. The line will run from Uptown Charlotte to Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson, with the potential to go further to Mooresville.
I will present the closing remarks.
The RUN website, www.railusers.net, has directions for registering for the conference. RUN members are entitled to attend the conference at no additional cost, but registration is required. For non-members, the fee is $25.00, which is the “introductory rate” for a new member’s first year. So non-members who attend the conference will be enrolled as RUN members for the rest of 2025.
As the website says: “The conference is designed not only for passenger rail / transit advocates, but also for civic and business leaders, environmentalists, planners, real estate developers, and members of the general public who are interested in knowing more about passenger rail and rail transit in the United States.” While this conference will focus on rail transit in the United States, RUN is concerned with trains and rail transit in Canada, too.
So RUN urges you to “Save the Date” on Friday, May 16, to learn more about the challenges facing rail transit in the United States, as well as about some new lines that are open for service or will be opening soon. In effect, RUN provides “continuing education” for rail managers, planners, advocates, and anyone else who wants to know more about our trains and our transit. RUN looks forward to having you join us for this important conference.
