49 USC 24905 - Northeast Corridor Commission; Safety Committee

View all text of Chapter 249 [§ 24901 - § 24911]

§ 24905. Northeast Corridor Commission; Safety Committee

(a)Northeast Corridor Commission.—

(1) Within 180 days after the date of enactment of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish a Northeast Corridor Commission (referred to in this section as the “Commission”) to promote mutual cooperation and planning pertaining to the rail operations, infrastructure investments, and related activities of the Northeast Corridor. The Commission shall be made up of—

(A) members representing Amtrak;

(B) members representing the Department of Transportation, including the Office of the Secretary, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Federal Transit Administration;

(C) 1 member from each of the States (including the District of Columbia) that constitute the Northeast Corridor as defined in section 24102, designated by, and serving at the pleasure of, the chief executive officer thereof; and

(D) non-voting representatives of freight and commuter railroad carriers authorities using the Northeast Corridor selected by the Secretary.

(2) The Secretary shall ensure that the membership belonging to any of the groups enumerated under paragraph (1) shall not constitute a majority of the Commission’s memberships.

(3) The Commission shall establish a schedule and location for convening meetings, but shall meet no less than four times per fiscal year, and the Commission shall develop rules and procedures to govern the Commission’s proceedings.

(4) A vacancy in the Commission shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made.

(5) Members shall serve without pay but shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with sections 5702 and 5703 of title 5.

(6) The members of the Commission shall elect co-chairs consisting of 1 member described in paragraph (1)(B) and 1 member described in paragraph (1)(C).

(7) The Commission may appoint and fix the pay of such personnel as it considers appropriate.

(8) Upon request of the Commission, the head of any department or agency of the United States may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of that department or agency to the Commission to assist it in carrying out its duties under this section.

(9) Upon the request of the Commission, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to the Commission, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support services necessary for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities under this section.

(10) The Commission shall consult with other entities as appropriate.

(b)Statement of Goals and Recommendations.—

(1)Statement of goals.—The Commission shall develop and periodically update a statement of goals concerning the future of Northeast Corridor rail infrastructure and operations based on achieving expanded and improved intercity, commuter, and freight rail services operating with greater safety and reliability, reduced travel times, increased frequencies and enhanced intermodal connections designed to address airport and highway congestion, reduce transportation energy consumption, improve air quality, and increase economic development of the Northeast Corridor region.

(2)Recommendations.—The Commission shall develop recommendations based on the statement developed under this section addressing, as appropriate—

(A) short-term and long-term capital investment needs;

(B) future funding requirements for capital improvements and maintenance;

(D) opportunities for additional non-rail uses of the Northeast Corridor;

(E) scheduling and dispatching;

(F) safety and security enhancements;

(G) equipment design;

(H) marketing of rail services;

(I) future capacity requirements; and

(J) potential funding and financing mechanisms for projects of corridor-wide significance.

(3)Submission of statement of goals, recommendations, and performance reports.—The Commission shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives—

(A) any updates made to the statement of goals developed under paragraph (1) not later than 60 days after such updates are made; and

(B) annual performance reports and recommendations for improvements, as appropriate, issued not later than March 31 of each year, for the prior fiscal year, which summarize—

(i) the operations and performance of commuter, intercity, and freight rail transportation, including ridership trends, along the Northeast Corridor;

(ii) the delivery of the first year of the capital investment plan described in section 24904; and

(iii) progress in assessing and eliminating the state-of-good-repair backlog.

(c)Allocation of Costs.—

(1)Policy.—The Commission shall—

(A) develop and maintain the standardized policy first approved on September 17, 2015, and update, as appropriate, for determining and allocating costs, revenues, and compensation for Northeast Corridor commuter rail passenger transportation, as defined in section 24102 of this title, on the Northeast Corridor main line between Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, District of Columbia, and the Northeast Corridor branch lines connecting to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Springfield, Massachusetts, and Spuyten Duyvil, New York, that use Amtrak facilities or services or that provide such facilities or services to Amtrak that ensures that—

(i) there is no cross-subsidization of commuter rail passenger, intercity rail passenger, or freight rail transportation;

(ii) each service is assigned the costs incurred only for the benefit of that service, and a proportionate share, based upon factors that reasonably reflect relative use, of costs incurred for the common benefit of more than 1 service; and

(iii) all financial contributions made by an operator of a service that benefit an infrastructure owner other than the operator are considered, including but not limited to, any capital infrastructure investments and in-kind services;

(B) develop timetables for implementing and maintaining the policy;

(C) submit updates to the policy and timetables developed under subparagraph (B) to the Surface Transportation Board, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives;

(D) support the efforts of the members of the Commission to implement the policy in accordance with the timetables developed pursuant to subparagraph (B); 1

1 So in original. Probably should be followed by “and”.

(E) with the consent of a majority of its members, petition the Surface Transportation Board to appoint a mediator to assist the Commission members through nonbinding mediation to reach an agreement under this section.

(2)Implementation.—

(A)In general.—In accordance with the timetables developed pursuant to paragraph (1)(B), Amtrak and commuter authorities on the Northeast Corridor shall implement the policy developed under paragraph (1) in their agreements for usage of facilities or services.

(B)Effect of failure to implement or comply with policy.—If the entities referred to in subparagraph (A) fail to implement the policy in accordance with paragraph (1)(D) or fail to comply with the policy thereafter, the Surface Transportation Board shall—

(i) determine the appropriate compensation in accordance with the procedures and procedural schedule applicable to a proceeding under section 24903(c), after taking into consideration the policy developed under paragraph (1); and

(ii) enforce its determination on the party or parties involved.

(3)Revisions.—The Commission may make necessary revisions to the policy developed under paragraph (1), including revisions based on Amtrak’s financial accounting system developed pursuant to section 203 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.

(4)Request for dispute resolution.—If a dispute arises with the implementation of, or compliance with, the policy developed under paragraph (1), the Commission, Amtrak, or commuter authorities on the Northeast Corridor may request that the Surface Transportation Board conduct dispute resolution. The Surface Transportation Board shall establish procedures for resolution of disputes brought before it under this paragraph, which may include the provision of professional mediation services.

(d)Authorization of Appropriations.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the use of the Commission and the Northeast Corridor Safety Committee such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section during fiscal years 2022 through 2026, in addition to any amounts withheld under section 22101(e) of the Passenger Rail Expansion and Rail Safety Act of 2021.

(e)Northeast Corridor Safety Committee.—

(1)In general.—The Secretary shall establish a Northeast Corridor Safety Committee composed of members appointed by the Secretary. The members shall be representatives of—

(A) the Department of Transportation, including the Federal Railroad Administration;

(B) Amtrak;

(D) commuter rail agencies;

(E) rail passengers;

(F) rail labor; and

(G) other individuals and organizations the Secretary decides have a significant interest in rail safety or security.

(2)Sunset.—The Committee established under this subsection ceases to exist on the date that the Secretary determines positive train control, as required by section 20157, is fully implemented along the Northeast Corridor.

(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 935; Pub. L. 110–432, div. B, title II, § 212(a), Oct. 16, 2008, 122 Stat. 4921; Pub. L. 114–94, div. A, title XI, § 11305(a)–(d)(1), Dec. 4, 2015, 129 Stat. 1656, 1657; Pub. L. 115–420, §§ 4(a), 6(a), Jan. 3, 2019, 132 Stat. 5444, 5445; Pub. L. 117–58, div. B, title II, § 22302, Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 716.)