On April 17, Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle was in Washington, D.C. to testify before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials at a hearing, titled ‘Getting to Work: Examining Challenges and Solutions in the Commuter Rail Industry.’ He was joined by fellow commuter rail operator CEOs Mike Noland of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District, Debra Johnson of the Denver Regional Transit District, Doug Dech of the ‘Tri-Rail’ South Florida Regional Transportation Authority and Kevin Corbett of New Jersey Transit.
Darren offered testimony and answered questions from the subcommittee regarding industry issues affecting the commuter rail sector at large, in addition to the specific needs of Metrolink. Topics of particular interest included the agency’s preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games, future connection to high-speed rail service between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, and expansion of discretionary grant program funding eligibility for commuter rail operators, among others. Darren’s appearance before the subcommittee punctuated meetings he held earlier that week on Capitol Hill with members of the subcommittee and the Metrolink congressional delegation to inform and advocate for federal partnership and assistance.
Pictured left to right: Paul Hubler, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, Jeffrey Dunn and Michelle Stewart.
Earlier in the month, Metrolink staff attended the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. Between April 7-10, members of the government relations and planning teams met with congressional representatives from across Metrolink’s service area to advocate for pending federal grant applications; earmark requests the agency is preparing to submit in the FY25 appropriations cycle; and capital, maintenance, rolling stock and operations needs related to preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games. Chief Strategy Officer Paul Hubler, Director of Government Relations Jeffrey Dunn and Senior Manager of Locomotive Fleet and Facilities Michelle Stewart met with Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-31) to commemorate her retirement from Congress after 25 years of service and her tireless support of public transit and Metrolink as the ranking member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Congressman Brad Sherman with Metrolink staff.
Staff also met with Rep. Brad Sherman (D-32) to thank him for his steadfast support of Metrolink and his successful submission of a $1 million earmark in last year’s appropriations bill, which will support the development of an advanced track intrusion detection system. With this and additional funding from a recent SMART Grant award from the Department of Transportation, Metrolink will develop and test a cutting-edge, artificial intelligence-powered system integrated with Positive Train Control that, if successful, would automatically slow or stop trains if a track intrusion is detected ahead. The Metrolink team remains grateful to all members of its congressional delegation for their continued support.