Remarks of Federal Railroad Administration

Acting Administrator/Deputy Administrator Heath Hall

Before the American Public Transportation Association

High-Speed Rail Policy Forum 

November 29, 2017

Washington, D.C.

• Good afternoon and thank you Al Engel, for that kind introduction.

• I’m grateful to APTA for inviting me to speak you today, and relish this opportunity to meet 

with rail stakeholders.

• I’m very pleased to join APTA Acting President & CEO Richard White, newly named 

President & CEO Paul Skoutelas, Executive Board Chair Nathanial Ford, members of the 

board, and other distinguished participants. We commend your dedication to preserve, 

expand and enhance commuter, intercity and high-speed passenger rail.

• On behalf of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, I want to acknowledge the important 

work of APTA as “the voice of public transportation,” and its members and diverse affiliates.

• The theme of this event is: Getting to a Tipping Point for High-Performance Intercity 

Passenger Rail.

• And the timing of this gathering is great, since tomorrow we are holding our 2017 Rail 

Program Delivery Meeting.

• That annual event helps grantees successfully plan and deliver projects, mitigate risks, and 

improve FRA's stewardship of taxpayer dollars. 

• Clearly there is some overlap between these two forums. Both are intended to advance a 

shared long-term vision for rail investment and network development.

• And both provide a venue for sharing knowledge, acquiring technical expertise, and 

discussing best practices. 

• Without question, there are many promising opportunities for collaboration to be realized.

Importance of Rail Transportation

• I’m so honored to have been appointed as Deputy Administrator by Secretary Chao, and I 

truly believe in the importance of rail to America and our economy.

• When I was a kid growing up in Southwest Mississippi, my friends and I would watch the 

trains daily as they ran on the track and delivered goods to our manufacturing plants.
• Trains meant jobs where I grew up. It was our lifeblood.

• However, one day the trains stopped coming. Manufacturing plants closed and thousands of 

people were without jobs.

• My small town, which had more millionaires per capita than anywhere in the country, 

became one of the poorest counties in America.

• That town, like many other rural towns across this great country, is still working on 

rebounding. 

• Obviously, both freight AND passenger rail are an important part of that restoration.

• You may not know this, but this isn’t my first time with FRA. A little more than two decades 

ago, I walked through the doors of FRA as a young intern, eager to change the world. 

• What I learned during that summer internship hasn’t changed more than 20 years later – FRA 

is committed to safety, innovation, and good sound policy.

• The Department of Transportation is committed to those principles and facilitating the 

investment needed to grow rail. Secretary Chao has been very clear about that since she was 

sworn in. 

Improving Effectiveness and Efficiency

• While the Trump Administration’s Infrastructure Plan is still under development, we’ve been 

implementing some important new regulatory and policy changes to help deliver 

infrastructure projects faster, and in a more responsible cost-effective manner.

• Secretary Chao appointed a Task Force within the Department to identify and implement 

needed changes in the permitting and approval process. 

• DOT has issued new guidance on categorical exclusions for multi-modal projects. We 

expect this change to expedite the environmental review process so infrastructure projects 

can be delivered more quickly and effectively.

• With respect to reforming the regulatory process, President Donald Trump signed several 

highly significant Executive Orders. They include:

o EO 13771 (1/30/17) on Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs

requires agencies to identify and issue two deregulatory actions for each significant 

regulatory action issued, and deregulatory actions must offset costs.

o EO 13777 (2/24/17) on Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda requires each 

agency to designate a Regulatory Reform Officer (RRO) and a regulatory reform task 
force (RRTF) to review existing regulations that could be eliminated. U.S. DOT Deputy 

Secretary Jeff Rosen is our designated RRO and leading those efforts.

o EO 13783 (3/28/17) on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth 

requires a review of all agency actions to determine if they burden the safe and efficient 

development of domestic energy resources.

o EO 13788 (4/17/17) titled Buy American and Hire American requires each agency to 

assess compliance with Buy America laws; assess use of waivers; and develop policies to 

maximize use of materials produced in the U.S.

• In sum, we are seeking to improve efficiency and advance innovative approaches to fund and 

deliver transportation improvements.

Innovation

• Encouraging and embracing innovation is central to what the Trump Administration is 

seeking to accomplish. 

• As we move forward toward a plan for revitalizing our infrastructure, it’s important to 

emphasize there is no one-size-fits-all revenue model for projects.

• Consider this. Back in June, the Department unveiled our Infrastructure for Rebuilding 

America or INFRA grants program, that will make $1.5 billion in discretionary funds

available.

• In contrast to the FAST LANE grants, INFRA will use updated evaluation criteria and 

encourage leveraging of more non-federal funding—AND it will set aside at least onequarter of its funding for rural projects.

• A key feature of this program is allowing the private sector to participate in financing public 

infrastructure. 

• While public-private partnerships are not the solution for every infrastructure challenge, they 

can be an important tool. 

• I should mention the latest TIGER grant program solicitation, announced on September 7, 

2017, will result in $500 million being awarded on a competitive basis, to projects that have 

significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area or region. 

• Among other project selection criteria, special consideration will be given to projects that 

improve access to transportation in rural communities, and facilitate economic growth and 

competitiveness. 
• Also, in the near future, FRA plans on issuing several notices of funding opportunity for 

competitive grant programs focused on rail improvements. Under the FAST ACT, these 

discretionary grants include 4 types:

o Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair

o Restoration and Enhancement

o Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI); and 

o Special transportation circumstances (under the CRISI authorization) 

Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety

• As most of you know, safety continues to be the DOT’s— and FRA’s-- highest priority. 

• There is nothing more important than keeping our industry safe, and safety should always be 

first and foremost in our minds. 

• So, I want to briefly talk about grade crossings. Did you know that roughly 96% of railrelated deaths in the U.S. are due to train-vehicle collisions and illegal trespassing?

• Highway-rail crossings are an issue that highlight the importance of safety, innovation, and 

investment. 

• The data speaks for itself -- at least two people will be killed by a train today at a crossing or 

while trespassing. It will occur again tomorrow and the next day if we do not place greater 

emphasis on grade crossing safety.

• Thankfully, where high-speed passenger rail is concerned, grade crossings are generally 

eliminated entirely as a pre-condition of operating fast trains. 

• Nevertheless, I make this plea because the issue affected me personally in May of last year.

• My former crisis public relations firm was called out to a grade crossing accident where a 

father and his two young kids were killed.

• It was an emotional moment for me, law enforcement, and first responders who were there 

on the scene. Because the driver wasn’t paying attention, a woman is without her husband, 

her son, and her daughter.

• This is when my professional interest changed into a passion – a crusade if you will. 

• We know who these victims are- and this is an important tool in our tool box at this time of 

year.
1. 75% of the victims are male.

2. 59% of the drivers are between the ages of 20-49.

3. And, collisions fluctuate by season, with the highest accident rates occurring in 

December, January and February.

• Many factors have kept the number of collisions stagnant: whether it’s because people are in 

hurry, they are driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or handheld devices are 

distracting them from their surroundings, it is a serious problem.

• The point is, we know these people. They are our neighbors. Perhaps their children go to 

school with ours. But I’m not telling you something you don’t already know. 

• We, as Americans have been challenged before:

1. In the 1980s, we were challenged to “just say no” as it related to drugs.

2. In the 1990s, we were challenged to bring attention to drunk driving; and an organization 

that started with one mother whose son lost his life to a drunk driver brought about huge 

increases in public awareness.

• Let’s challenge ourselves once more to make the next decade the safest in rail history. I now 

we can do it.

Closing

• In closing, I want to reiterate how much we value our work with APTA, its members, and 

allied stakeholders.

• DOT and FRA are committed to rebuilding our critical infrastructure, and the Trump 

Administration will be rolling out a robust investment proposal demonstrating its support.

• As someone who believes that good governance doesn’t emanate from Washington, DC, but 

from localities and states, I look forward to learning from you what works and what doesn’t.

• Thank you for your time and attention.

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