The Commuter Rail Coalition (CRC) is an association representing the interests, needs and benefits of the nation’s commuter railroads, which deliver 490 million passenger trips each year. The Coalition was formed by industry leaders to
The 2008 Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) required railroads that operate or host passenger trains (commuter/regional and intercity) to install Positive Train Control (PTC). The Commuter Rail Coalition (CRC) points out that, despite PTC requiring radio frequency spectrum for communication, “when commuter railroads needed to acquire spectrum, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) rebuffed requests to recognize the public safety mandate that required it, and told railroads to buy spectrum on the open market.”
Commuter Rail Coalition chair and Metra CEO Jim Derwinski recently testified before the Senate Commerce Committee, where he requested a new grant program specifically for commuter railroads that are struggling to meet the resource demands of implementing Positive Train Control (PTC).
“Commuter rail,” says Metra CEO and Executive Director Jim Derwinski, “needs a distinct voice.” Derwinski and a group of current and former passenger rail industry executives led by former New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Director of Regulatory Affairs, Corporate Standards and Benchmarking KellyAnne Gallagher, have launched the Commuter Rail Coalition (CRC), described as “an association representing the interests, needs and benefits of the nation’s commuter railroads.”