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Rail Passengers on Rep. DeFazio's Retirement
December 1, 2021
Rail Passengers Commend Chairman DeFazio for Decades of Service to America's Passengers
For Immediate Release (21-22)
Contact: Sean Jeans-Gail (202) 320-2723; [email protected]
Washington, D.C.—Statement from Rail Passengers Association President & CEO on today’s announcement that Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, will not seek reelection.
“The nation’s passengers owe an immense debt of gratitude to Chairman DeFazio for his many decades of fighting for Amtrak and—above all—a safer, cleaner, more efficient transportation network able to connect all Americans,” said Mathews. “While we are sad to lose his leadership in the transportation sector, it is fitting that his final chapter in Congress will be to oversee the implementation of the largest investment in passenger trains in the U.S. in 50 years. We look forward to working with him over the next 13 months to ensure that America’s passengers see the benefits of the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act.”
Congressman DeFazio won the Rail Passenger Association’s Golden Spike Award in 2013.
About Rail Passengers Association
The Rail Passengers Association is the oldest and largest national organization serving as a voice for the more than 40 million rail passengers in the U.S. Our mission is to improve and expand conventional intercity and regional passenger train services, support higher speed rail initiatives, increase connectivity among all forms of transportation and ensure safety for our country's trains and passengers. All of this makes communities safer, more accessible and more productive, improving the lives of everyone who lives, works and plays in towns all across America.
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"It is an honor to be recognized by the Rail Passengers Association for my efforts to strengthen and expand America’s passenger rail. Golden spikes were once used by railroads to mark the completion of important rail projects, so I am truly grateful to receive the Golden Spike Award as a way to mark the end of a career that I’ve spent fighting to invest in our country’s rail system. As Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, it has been my priority to bolster funding for Amtrak, increase and expand routes, look to the future by supporting high-speed projects, and improve safety, culminating in $66 billion in new funding in the Bipartisan infrastructure Law."
Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
March 30, 2022, on receiving the Association's Golden Spike Award for his years of dedication and commitment to passenger rail.
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