Courtesy Photo-(Left to right) – Eric A Schertzing spoke with Representative Elissa Slotkin about passenger rail April 15, 2024.
For the first time in a while Michigan has a full contingent of 3 elected National Council of Representatives of the Rail Passenger Association (RPA). Michigan is lucky to also have an elected at-large representative.Our 3 spots are based on 301 RPA Michigan members as of August 31, 2023. Position terms run thru February, 2026. Larry Krieg is our returning Council member and Eric Schertzing and Stephen Schaack are new. Bob Meisner is new as an at-large member.
Larry and Eric recently returned from RailNation:DC – 2024 Spring Advocacy Summit and Day on the Hill in March. Tuesday’s Capitol Hill visits included meetings with staff from Michigan Congressional Representatives: Bergman, Scholten, Walberg, Slotkin, Kildee, McClain, James, Stevens, Tlaib, and Senator Peter’s Office. An RPA student intern from the University of Michigan, Stanley Rhoades, attended Hill meetings. The reception on Capitol Hill was cordial and very positive from both Republican and Democratic offices.
Wednesday’s agenda included remarks from Rail Passengers Board Chair Meredith Richards and Rail Passengers President & CEO Jim Mathews; a panel on success stories in passenger rail service in the Southeast; Amtrakpresentations by Nicole Bucich, Vice President, Network Developmentand Fred Gazzolo, Vice President, Product Development & CustomerAnalytics; Federal Railroad Administration presentations by Katie List, Community Planner, Office of Railroad Development, Dr. Santiago Cruz-Roveda, Supervisor, Office of Regional Outreach and Project Delivery and Doug Gascon, Division Chief, Rail Program Policy & Performance, Office of Rail Program Development.
The warmly received luncheon speaker was Christopher Coes, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy at USDOT. He updated us on FRA’s Implementation of the Infrastructure, Inflation & Jobs Act Rail Programs and building better working relationships with states. Afternoon Workshops included Supporting the Corridor Identification Program Development, Preparing for the Next Surface Transportation Reauthorization, Advocacy 101 lessons, and Orientation for Council members.
A key takeaway from all the speakers was how much federal money is available. We learned that it’s up to the states to take the initiative and apply for it. It is our job as advocates to get Michigan to go after more funding!
If you are interested in helping with federal advocacy at the Congressional level, please reach out to Eric. Personal connection to elected officials areespecially important and in-district meetings are a goal. Please feel free to reach out to any of us to learn more about RPA and our national advocacy, as well as coordination at the State level with the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers.
Contact information for Michigan Council members:
Larry Kriegkrieg45@gmail.com
Stephen Schlaacksteve6548867@gmail.com
Left to right - Larry Krieg, Eric A Schertzing, and Stanley Rhodes on RPA Capitol Hill Day.
Left to right – Eric A Schertzing spoke with Representative Elissa Slotkin about passenger rail April 15, 2024