“Commerce virtually grinds to a halt without public transit,” former ­Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. ­Rendell told the Opening General Session of the APTA Rail Conference in ­Philadelphia—and, he said, it is the responsibility of public transportation professionals to make sure their operations keep the U.S. moving forward. More than 1,400 people attended the conference.

“Our infrastructure used to be the beacon of the world, but now it’s facing tremendous challenges,” said ­Rendell, co-chair of the Building America’s Future Educational Fund with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “We have to stay in this battle for the long run.”

Other speakers at the session included DOT Deputy Secretary John D. Porcari; FTA Administrator Peter M. Rogoff; FRA Administrator Joseph C. Szabo; National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman; the Rt. Hon. Simon Burns, a member of Parliament and  the United Kingdom’s minister of state for transport; Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter; Joseph M. Casey, general manager, Southeastern ­Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, host ­system for the conference; APTA Chair Flora Castillo; and APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy.

Rendell cited historic investments in the nation’s infrastructure: canals developed during the ­Jefferson administration, Abraham Lincoln’s ­support for building a transcontinental railroad, and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s advocacy leading to the Interstate Highway System.

“We need to make our case,” he continued. “In the last 30 years, the number of vehicles on the road nationwide is up 104 percent, but the number of lane miles increased by only 4 percent. . . . Public transportation is not the problem, it’s the solution—the true answer to the problems we face.”

Rendell called for an investment of $200 billion per year for the next eight years in new construction and repair of U.S. infrastructure. “These are well-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced,” he added. “An investment of $1 billion has been shown to produce 20,000 jobs. Think what $200 billion would mean for the nation’s economy.”

Porcari spoke about the department’s $12 billion investment in high-speed and higher-performing intercity passenger rail. Fourteen construction projects in 11 states are now complete, he said, and 44 high-speed rail projects are currently under construction.

“Investments in rail aren’t just crucial to the health of the nation’s mobility, but also to the health of its economy,” he said. Porcari pointed to the St. Louis-Chicago-Detroit corridor, which operates trains at 110 mph, the fastest rail service outside of the Northeast Corridor, and the forthcoming California High-Speed Line, which will operate at 220 mph between San ­Francisco and Los Angeles.
“We can create a national rail network that’s the envy of the world—if we do it together,” Porcari added. “This train is not slowing down.”

Opening General Session speakers, from left: Joseph M. Casey, Elizabeth Rao of session sponsor HNTB Corporation, Joseph C. Szabo, Peter M. Rogoff, Flora Castillo, Deborah A.P. Hersman, John Porcari, Simon Burns, and Michael Melaniphy.

Rogoff said of departing DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, “We could have had no better ally to advance our concerns during the past four years,” and spoke enthusiastically about President Obama’s nominee to succeed Ray LaHood, Anthony Foxx.

On the other hand, he noted that problems with federal funding have led to across-the-board cuts in all Full Funding Grant Agreements for the first time in FTA’s history.

“FTA invested in roughly 300 miles of rail transit over the past three years in all parts of the country, but now we’re all facing considerable challenges,” Rogoff said. “This began with the failure of the congressional budget process, flatlined funding, then the sequester cut the funding even further.”

While expanding service is important, he said, the biggest challenge to public transit agencies is keeping up with state of good repair. If ridership declines on existing systems, new systems may not be able to offset the losses, he added.

Rogoff asked conference participants to share their comments on upcoming federal initiatives such as state of good repair, asset management, and safety vulnerabilities. “Our customers and your customers are the same population,” he said.

Szabo announced that the U.S. is seeing the safest decade for rail in its history. “Our job is to ensure that American passenger rail grows to meet rising demand safely, efficiently, and reliably,” he said.

Szabo added: “It’s time for rail to achieve parity with other modes of transportation. Rail’s renaissance is ours to shape.”

Hersman spoke of the NTSB’s role in investigating rail accidents.

Burns reported that the UK has underinvested in rail and neglected its infrastructure since the 1950s.

“Cars and aviation were seen as the future then. Even when money was plentiful, railways starved of funding,” he continued. “But we in the current coalition government are changing that. We believe that rail is exactly the right form of transit to meet our needs . . . it will create jobs and make us more competitive as a country.”

In her welcoming remarks, Castillo announced: “The future of public transportation has never been brighter. I’m excited about our future because I’m energized about our present—especially the important progress we’re making in workforce development.” She announced that the first class of the Early Career Program—one component of her workforce development efforts—was holding its initial meeting at the conference.

“Anything is possible on rail. That’s because of you—the people who build and run our systems—and your vision,” Melaniphy said.
He announced that almost 74 percent of respondents to a recently released Mineta Transportation Institute survey supported using their tax dollars to create, expand, and improve public transportation in their communities—in his words, a “landslide.”

Melaniphy stressed the technological advancements of modern railcars compared with those of past years. “Today’s railcars have more in common with jet aircraft than with their distant ancestors from the untamed west,” he said. “These are not your grandfather’s, or even your father’s, railcars.”

Regarding the future of U.S. high-speed rail, Melaniphy said to those in attendance: “If you’re an advocate for high-speed rail, tell [your member of Congress] this country needs to invest in a program to develop a national network of high-speed intercity passenger rail service.” He also called on conference attendees to contact their House members and Senators regarding full funding of public transit in the federal authorization bill that will succeed MAP-21 in 2014.

Casey also spoke during the program. “In looking at the 2012 APTA Annual Report, I came across this great headline: ‘Good organizations adapt to a changing world. Great organizations drive the change and lead.’ As a regional resource and business, we live by these ideas—keeping current with industry trends while always looking for ways to improve,” he said.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said: “Robust public transportation is an absolute necessity. We need a real long-term transportation bill investing in the United States of America. You can’t make long-term plans on short-term money.”

HNTB Corporation sponsored the session.