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6/23/2010
Today, the American High Speed Rail Alliance (AHSRA) unveiled its 12-member advisory board, which will “provide guidance to the alliance on its mission to advocate for the development and implementation of an improved passenger rail network in the United States,” according to a prepared statement. Chairing the board is Al Swift, former Congressman from Washington state. Swift is known in some circles as “the father of high-speed rail” for his leadership on the Swift Rail Development Act of 1994, which was the first to authorize federal funds for corridor planning activities to establish U.S. high-speed rail service. The other advisory board members: • Chuck Baker, president, National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Inc.; • Brian Caine, manager, business development, Lockheed Martin Corp.; • Nora Friend, vice president of public affairs, Talgo Inc.; • Lewis Goetz, president and chief executive officer, Group Goetz Architects; • Nicholas Hann, executive director, Macquarie Capital Advisors; • Zach Mottl, chair, government affairs committee, Tooling and Manufacturing Association; • Paul Nowicki, assistant vice president, government and public policy, BNSF Railway Co.; • David Soule, executive director, Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association; • Marise Stewart, director of government and industry relations, Electro-Motive Diesel Inc.; • George Weber, chair, bureau of railroads, Illinois Department of Transportation; and • Jim Wolfe, president and chief executive officer, Knight E/A
The Board will participate in strategic planning sessions, maintain a dialogue with stakeholders in the high-speed rail industry, help to establish the permanent governing board of directors and support the alliance’s policy agenda. What’s AHSRA’s policy agenda? The alliance “supports ensuring sustainable funding sources adequate to build and operate a high-speed and regional passenger rail network in the United States,” according to the June 23 statement. Among the funding and financing options AHSRA has in mind: “a combination of federal, state and local funding, public/private partnerships, government-backed infrastructure bonds, tax credits, tax incentives and private-sector investments. The AHSRA advocates for robust federal investment in building and improving America’s passenger rail network.”