September 12, October 1, and October 11, 2004

Hello. I’m Betty Monro with the Federal Railroad Administration.

I regret that holding down the fort here in Washington prevents me from being with you. But on behalf of President Bush and Secretary of Transportation Mineta, I want to wish the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association a successful and productive conference.

The industry continues to grow, evolve, and become increasingly safe—and your Association is in the forefront of that change. You can be proud that you are a critical part of keeping the American economy moving.

President Bush has implemented policies that has the economy growing at a steady pace and producing new business and new jobs.

I know railroads both large and small have experienced the growing demand for your services. Freight volumes are at record levels. Train miles have increased significantly.

In response, railroads have hired and trained thousands of new employees, have ordered thousands of new rail cars and locomotives, and are making innovative arrangements to handle all of the new business.

We at FRA, on behalf of the Administration, pledge to continue to find ways to help you adjust and succeed in the new environment.

At the same time, as most of you know, FRA’s primary charge is to help maintain the highest possible standards of railroad safety; but safety is a responsibility that we all share.

This Administration is committed to preventing accidents from happening in the first place, not simply punishing railroads after the fact.

Frankly, I think this is a new and different approach – one that requires more accountability from the railroads, managing their safety problems to find permanent resolutions with us.

We have worked to move our enforcement policy from the “Gotcha” version, to one that says if you have problems, we will help you fix them. But they must be fixed.

I recognize that it’s a long way from the top, to changing decades of practice in the field, but we want to continue to work with you to achieve lasting safety improvements.

I do not feel it is the appropriate role of the Federal Government to sit at your desks and dictate every move you make; but it is appropriate to hold the railroads accountable.

If carriers or individuals fail to take the necessary action to correct the problems, employees and operators will be dealt with seriously. The stakes are just too high for any lesser approach.

I also want you to know that under this Administration, FRA will continue to walk the fine line between the various, and sometimes competing, interests.

We prefer to make consensus decisions.

But in the final analysis, we will MAKE decisions, and not talk them to death, and they will NOT be based upon politics, labor, management, or other interests. They will be made in the best interest of rail safety, and rail safety alone.

I cannot close without mentioning one of your favorite issues: the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Finance Program, known as RRIF.

When we took office, this program had languished, as you well know. We re-examined it and have worked closely with your Association to make some important improvements.

Since the program was revamped last December, FRA has approved over 262 million dollars in loans—and we hope to announce new loans in the near future.

I strongly encourage all of you to explore the potential of RRIF to help you achieve your business goals.

Finally, I want you to know that we are committed to working with you to address the many challenges and opportunities the railroad industry faces in the coming years in a positive, progressive and productive manner. Working together, I am confident we can achieve our common objectives of sustaining the economic vitality of the industry and maintaining the highest possible level of rail safety.

Thank you for the opportunity to address you today, and again, I extend my best wishes for a successful conference.

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