SRC Applauds Biden's Nomination of Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary

This week, President-elect Joe Biden announced his nomination of Pete Buttigieg to serve as U.S. transportation secretary. The Southern Rail Commission offers our sincere and enthusiastic congratulations to Buttigieg, and we look forward to working with him and the new administration to expand passenger rail service across our southern states.

As the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg’s focus was on creating quality jobs, spurring local investment and building resilient infrastructure. We anticipate a productive working relationship to expedite progress on our rail projects underway that will result in economic investment and expanded mobility options.

During the announcement Tuesday, the SRC was especially pleased to hear Buttigieg describe his own "personal love of transportation, ever since childhood."  

“More than once, as a college student, I would convince a friend to travel nearly a thousand miles back to Indiana on Amtrak, though I know that in this administration I will at best be the second biggest train enthusiast," Buttigieg said as he looked at Biden, who earned the nickname "Amtrak Joe" for taking thousands of round trips on Amtrak during his time as senator and vice president.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris praised Buttigieg's "sharp intellect and deep commitment to uniting people across party lines," while also speaking to plans for a passenger rail renaissance.

“We will transform our roads and bridges, transit systems, railways, ports and airports, while powering them with clean energy,” Harris said. “We will spark a renaissance in American passenger rail that will not only connect our country, but unlock job creation and growth across our manufacturing sector.” 

Southern Rail Commission Commends Montana’s Formation of New Rail Authority

Twelve Montana counties have executed a joint resolution to officially form The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, a new entity advocating for the return of passenger rail service along the former North Coast Hiawatha Route in southern Montana. The formation of the new authority marks the first step towards creating a multi-state rail commission that would be modeled after the congressionally authorized Southern Rail Commission.

SRC commissioners participated in the Big Sky Passenger Rail Summit held virtually in September in Missoula and offered their encouragement and support for Montana to join with other adjacent states North Dakota, Idaho and Oregon who have long sought to restore passenger rail service across the Pacific Northwest.

“We commend Montana for taking this initial step in forming The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, and we hope other states take notice and jump on board,” said SRC Chairman Wiley Blankenship. “The successes of the Southern Rail Commission are not only due to the combined bipartisan support from our governors, Congressional leaders and other local officials and governmental agencies across our three states, but they also stem from our unique authority enacted by Congress unlocking access to federal funding for passenger rail projects.”

According to a Missoula County media release, the Montana authority is chartered to investigate, analyze, seek funding for and develop long-distance, intercity rail service to support the health, safety, welfare and economic prosperity of communities throughout Montana.

Momentum is building as other regions across the country, such as Denver to Albuquerque, West Virginia and Ohio, and areas across upper New York State, have also expressed interest in creating multi-state rail authorities. Forming these new independent authorities could create a strong passenger rail caucus in Washington, D.C., with numerous states united on passenger rail priorities and with the ability to secure federal funds and create impactful legislation.

In a recent interview with Missoula Current, Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said Congress has an opportunity to create additional rail commissions as part of the reauthorization of the surface transportation bill.

“That could be a nice compliment to what we’re trying to do in state by way of the rail authority in terms of creating a cross-state collaboration that would really look at this as a regional collaboration,” Strohmaier said. “We think making our national system stronger is going to involve public investment at some point.”

SRC Advocacy on Capitol Hill

The Southern Rail Commission recently visited Washington, D.C., asking legislators to support the SRC’s application for Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Grants and help back new, improved, daily passenger rail service between Mobile, AL, and New Orleans, with daily stops at town centers across Mississippi. They also advocated for making passenger rail a priority in surface transportation reauthorization by improving and expanding expiring passenger rail grant programs, promoting regional collaboration, preserving and expanding the existing national network, and reforming the overall system to better integrate passenger rail.

Chairman Wiley Blankenship (AL), Secretary/Treasurer Knox Ross (MS), Vice-Chairman John Spain (LA), and Commissioner Stephen McNair, Ph.D. (AL) in D.C.

Highlights of the December 6, 2019 Commission meeting

Ms. Jennifer Green, Director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Jacksonville State University, prepared and provided a presentation to the Southern Rail Commission on the potential economic impact of expanded passenger rail service for the state of Alabama. The study examined feasibility studies for rail services connecting Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile while also evaluating the studies for high-speed rail from Atlanta, GA to Birmingham. The study accounts for potential economic impacts from tourism, construction, operations, and other investments that create benefit to the entire state. The report has been provided to the Commission for comments and further suggestions. Following the completion of the report, Ms. Green will work with CPEX for the development of an Executive Summary. The report in its entirety will be made available through the Commission’s website and Facebook page upon final approval and release. “As a follow up to the great work done by the University of Southern Mississippi’s Trent Lott Center on the economic impact related to the restart of passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast, it was professionally rewarding to conduct this assessment for the state of Alabama and to create an informative document,” says Green.

The Commission presented a Leadership Award to retired MDOT Commissioner and champion of passenger rail, Dick Hall. The Commission also recognized outgoing Chairman John Spain for his service.