New programs that will focus on current Passenger Rail service and the development of future Passenger Rail service. New amtrak grants that would Keep Services in good working condition. The Rail Service Improvement program, which would provide competitive grants to drive development of high performing Passenger Rail networks. This program also includes funding for ptc implementation for commuter railroads and support for states and localities to mitt grait the adverse impacts of rail operations in their communities through grade crossing improvements and rail line relocation efforts. Simply put, grow america is our blueprint for beginning to close rails infrastructure gap and to setting the table for theing next generation of safety. These are forwardthinking largescale improvements that come with some extremely important byproducts. The creation of goodpaying jobs and the strengthening of our national economy. And bridging our nations infrastructure gap gets more important with every passing day of inaction. Its no secret that our aging infrastructure and the gaps that exist in our Transportation System must be dealt with and soon. Congress is aware of these needs, but only congress can act on them by passing grow america. I believe congress will ultimately take action but its up to 5u8 all of you to make sure that Congress Gets it right. We must build on the proposal built for the house to see a comprehensive rail authorization bill enacted that would address rail safety benefit our freight partners and other modes of transportation, continue to support the successes of our inner city Passenger Rail networks and provide the resources for predictable dedicated funding to both address our backlog and make the improvements required to meet the passenger and freight mobility needs of our growing population. We will all benefit from a comprehensive bill. Rehabilitating our aging infrastructure cannot wait any longer. Thank you. And i look forward to working with all of you and taking your questions. [ applause ] well, thank you, miss fineberg, for your remarks. Certainly both of you gave us very inspirational and insightful speeches. But certainly clearly communicated that its up to all of us to make the future successful. So were going to take some questions from the floor. But before we do that id like to start out just talking about funding and financing. Obviously, demands increasing and funding and financing is becoming more and more challenging. So one strategy to address potential longterm financing involves publicprivate partnerships. And im just curious what you see as some of the Great Success stories and what advice you might have for those seeking publicprivate partnerships. Sure. Im happy to go. Am i yeah. Youre on. So i think youre exactly right. Publicprivate partnerships are were seeing increasing numbers of them all the time. I think what secretary fox and the president have both said which i think is really important is that it is part of the answer but it is not the answer. So i do not want to take public and private partnerships as the reason why congress does not have to pass a big comprehensive bill. But thats fine for them to supplement a bill. Its certainly one path forward. But i hesitate to put too many egds in that basket. We still need a big bill. I think the other thing to think about, too, is certainly we want to broaden our sense about what effective private sector participation is in the transit industry. So for example, a lot has been turned to transitoriented development, but capturing the value of that development for transit i think say very important and very rich area to build a Good Relationship with the private sector because not only in the more common way where you may get contributions toward the construction of the project, what about capturing that ongoing value for Ongoing Operations and maintenance . Weve been working closely with a number of our agencies. Theres a lot of Creative Work thats going on in the industry right now. We want to bundle that up and see if theres a more aggressive way that we can encourage that type of partnerships in bringing the private sector forward. The federal Railroad Administration has been work on a number of improvements to the Railroad Administration and improvement financing program. We needed a lot of improvements. Were happy to see them advancing. Can you share with us some of the improvements you that see . Yes. So we are very focused on this. First i give secretary fox a lot of credit. He has said that one of his priorities is that by the time he walks out the door on january whatever, 20th, 2017, that he would like that account to be at zero. Which means we have about 35 billion to loan out. Which if anybody knows how loan programs work is going to be difficult 37 but its a very good challenge to have. So were doing a couple things. One, we are trying to think more creatively about potentiality applicants. I think we may have been a little narrow in our view of the right applicants for this program previously. Whether its the mayor of new haven who wants to come in and talk about what Union Station in new haven needs or whether its rahm emanuel wanting to talk about chicago Union Station or even the potential for some ability to stabilize crude before it gets placed into transport in the bocken, i think we would be open to all of that. So were much more creative in think about who the right applicants would be. And were also just trying to move faster. This administration has to walk a fine line between trying very hard to assist those who are going to make Infrastructure Improvements and build new Infrastructure Projects but also obviously being incredibly careful with taxpayer dollars and make sure all of that moneys going to get paid back at some point. So while the loan terms are excellent its important that money be able to come back. So i think its taken a long time for us to get over some of those bars. So were also working to be really more efficient about how we help people get through the loan process and get those loans out the door. So as youre looking at evaluating projects to see a program or railroad investment program, how has the current climate affected how you look at and evaluate projects and what advice do you have to people to make their projects competitive and attractive for federal investment . Well i think certainly for new starts and small starts, weve put you know, we actually have, you know, statutory criteria we have to examine. So by its own design, theres a number of different factors that we evaluate. I think, though given the incredible competitiveness of the program those agencies that are able to leverage the federal dollar well, you know, will be able to play in that pool. And theres another aspect to that thats very important as well. Once you get the project built, you have to run it. And thats not a small a small issue. I think one of the things weve seen, and in my conversation just today with a number of different agencies, addressing the point as i did in my remarks with secretary foxx has said over and over, you know, we have to expand for the growth that we see in the country. We have to be nimble about the types of investments we can pursue. Its not just about heavy rail or light rail but it is brt and these other modes. But at the same time you have to be in a stable enough environment that once that project is done and that full Funding Grant agreement is concluded youre able to operate and maintain that system. And we invest in the system over time. So its really i think, to be competitive you need to, i think, demonstrate that you have a handle on that holistic view. And you that can convince us as the federal government, as a partner, that youre able to be in there for the long haul. Great advice and insight. Would you like to add anything . I would just say that we are invested in trying to make these programs work. And so, being in touch with us on the front end, talking through a project, talking through a loan application, talking through the financial audit, all of that, we want to be able to loan this money out. And so we are not going to suggest you that figure it all out on your own and then turn in a big package to us and well mark it up and say no thank you and send it back. You get in touch with us on the front end, and we can work with you and make sure the application is in great shape so we can move things along faster. Great. Thank you for that. So safety, obviously, is at the forefront of all of our minds every day. Im sure you have advice and insights to share with the audience as different safety programs are starting to come online in advance of new safety regulations. What would you advise people to think about and get prepared for . Well, with federal transit, and its interesting because, you know, sarah and the fra have had a federal safety portfolio a long time. And as all of you no a great challenge for the federal Transportation Association is that nat gave us significant regulatory authority. So weve been working very closely, afta has been a great partner in getting the message out. As were starting anew really with this new authority, a couple of things are critical. First of all, throughout the d. O. T. D. O. T. , safety is a priority. There cant be enough attention to this. But then transit, our challenge is also that approaching safety is our number one priority. Priority. There cant be enough attention to this. But for our transit, our challenge is also recognizing approaching safety, one size wont fit all in terms of a regulatory framework. That simply just wont happen. And so, weve been spending a lot of time, you know, explaining and building on whats going to be the centerpiece of our work which is a Safety Management system approach, an sms approach. Used extensively in the aviation industry. Faa has deployed it for some time. Being xlords by a number of our sister agencies. And the thought is you approach this not as a checklist of all the things you have to get right but as a Risk Management approach where you look at the unique circumstances of your operating environment, of your capital environment, of your worker Safety Environment and you build a program around your Risk Management portfolio. So, you know, thats not a concept thats very easy to put on paper and to have. By any stretch. And were working very hard to get all of the various elements through the rule making process, to respond to the gnat 21 requirements. And it continued to be a top priority for the fta. So my advice is, i touched on in my remarks a little bit, we are when faced with old problems trying to bring new thinking and a fresh perspective to old problems, so grade crossings is a good example of a very old problem, where weve made a ton of progress, and i think you know, theres some inclination to just say oh its mostly driver error, what are you going to do about someone trying to beat a train, what are you going to do if someones ultimately a little dison theoriented at a grade crossing . So i think were trying to bring new thinking to that problem. And comprehensive thinking. The crude by rail issue is a brand new problem. Its a problem were having because were becoming an energyindependent country which is wonderful. I dont think everyone is thinking about the challenges that come along with energy independence. Those are problems that weve been tackling a long time, particularly in terms of the quantity of a volatile product thats moving throughout the country. So were trying to think very comprehensively. How do you incentivize industry to make the product safer before it gets put into transport . How do you incentivize 9 railroads . How do you put any expectations in place such as a zero tolerance policy for anything that happens on a crude route . Comprehensive thinking for new problems and new thinking for old problems. And that takes all of us at the table to do that in partnership. And actually sarah brings up a point id like to reiterate, too. You know, weve tried very hard under this administration and secretary foxx has made it a key point in the beyond traffic framework that was put out there. We have to stop thinking about ourselves in just our little modal boxes and as a Transportation System. And safety is one area where that really does come to bear. Secretary foxx has done an enormous amount of work emphasizing bicycle and Pedestrian Safety. In transit mode thats very critical for us because a lot of people get to our system walking or biking or will leave our system walking and biking. Similarly, in sarahs world we can take about a grade crossing. This is the interface between our particular mode of transit and highway modes krarz or pedestrians in the case of trespassing and the challenges associated there. So you know, this whole notion again of an sms construct is very helpful in getting around this not only the safety your mode but the safety of the system and how it interfaces with other modes as well. So its exciting time to be thinking about safety in these different dimensions. This particularly with the new technologies and the ability to do better analytics to really address the most pressing needs. So im sure we have some questions in our audience. Id like to offer the opportunity for members of the audience to ask their questions. Please let us know who you are and where youre from. Peter varga from grand rapids, michigan. Thank you, therese, thank you for the thought about the postcards. I really like that idea. And trying to imagine how that works. You mentioned something really good i thought about the whole thing about taking photographs and sending them. And tweeting them on instagram and the whole thing and using that social media. What hashtag should we use . Should we use hashtag stuck in traffic that we used in that conversation . Or which one . So that everybody starts being in the same conversation on that. Wow. Thats a creative question. Maybe we should have a contest. Get all your good ideas. Growamerica. Stuck in traffic is a good one, too. Theres so many elements. Dosomething. Right. Id like to bring up something that you know, peter stressed so much in your tenure as chair of afta. How about its about people . I think a large part about this, if its not an abstract concept, this is about moving the American Public and the things that they need to do. And i think in all of our conversations, it is so easy to lose that piece of it. So an improvement to reflect something that is a critical part i think of all of our conversations. I do like that idea of having a contest. We should take that back to d. O. T. And have a contest. It reminds me of an internal contest, naming grow america. At that point, people have been up all night for months and weeks, were exhausted. At some point on our way out the door, well have to bring out the list of suggests named. It was a race to the bottom but it was nice. Send it back to me and ill make sure everybody gets it. Terrific. Thank you. Yeah, hi, im jeff wharton with impulse out of north carolina. My question pertains more towards the workforce and the jobs part to acting administrator mcmillan. We know just last week an initiative, a Pilot Project came out on geographic hiring preferences. And the question i am is if we can get some definition on the local hire as it pertains to Rolling Stock procurement. As manufacturers we employ a variety of subsuppliers all throughout the u. S. And were just having a little difficulty understanding what the intent is when the geographic hiring pertaining to Rolling Stock procurement. And is it the intent that were going to be looking at moving factories to in order to accommodate the local preference . The local Hire Initiative has a couple of elements to it. One is, as you mentioned is the Pilot Program. Its very important. It is a Pilot Program for communities and entities that want to explore well, and particularly for fhwa and fta because we have statutory requirements now for, you know, competitive procurement, is to say, to lift what has been interpreted as a prohibition on geographic hiring. This is for folks who want to explore what this is about. This is not mandated that you have to do it. But we want to more systematically explore whether geographic practice does in fact impose constraints on the Competitive Bidding environment. This is a way of getting experience on the ground with entities that want to pursue these and see how it applies. Given that it is a broad pilot test, we wanted to look not only at construction but also as procurement. So we dont go in with a specific the whole point about a Pilot Program is youre to bring your ideas to us. For communities to bring ideas to the department of transportation as to how they would want to implement a geographic hiring preference, and under what circumstances. And importantly, in the pilot, you are supposed to be able to demonstrate, you know, what your what your objectives are, how those were met. How the preferences actually did impact bidding environment that you saw. So were going to be gathering data based on these pilots that will be very important. So were not coming in with a preconceived notion about it. Were actually setting up the pilot to get ideas from local communities. Thank you. Sir . Youre both absolutely correct. The mantra is safety, reliability, i want to add two more, serviceability and maintainability. Question, for those of Us Small Companies who are in the business of r d, for example in the Railroad Route crossing issue, is there a way for us to get our thoughts over to f. R. A. So we can try to develop some of those ideas and make