MARTA General Manager/CEO Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D., last Tuesday testified before the Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development expressing her appreciation for the subcommittee’s focus on the critical issue of the insufficiency of funding for the state of good repair of the nation’s rail transit systems. In addition, she stressed that additional funding for all transit systems is urgently needed in order to rehabilitate and modernize aging transit infrastructure throughout the country.
Senate Banking Committee member Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) invited Dr. Scott to participate on the panel entitled “Rail Modernization: Getting Transit Funding Back on Track,” along with The Honorable Peter Rogoff, Administrator for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Ms. Carole Brown, Chairman of the Chicago Transit Authority; Mr. John B. Catoe, Jr., General Manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; and Mr. Richard R. Sarles, Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit. In April 2009, the FTA issued a first report on the state of good repair in rail transit, which looked at the seven (7) largest rail transit systems in the country and identified a current backlog of $50 billion for state of good repair for just those seven rail systems. The full committee is charged with preparing the transit portion of the next federal surface transportation reauthorization bill, which is expected to fund transportation programs for the next six years.
During her testimony, Dr. Scott cited MARTA as representative of an important and growing segment of rail transit systems in our country that are “aging, first generation New Starts transit systems” – the “baby boomers” of the industry that are 20 to 35 years old, no more the new kids on the block. These are largely systems operating in high growth areas of the country (like the Atlanta Region) – with continuing demands for rapid service expansion and staggering concentrations of both physical infrastructure rehabilitation and replacement needs coupled with the equally serious challenge of replacing experienced personnel at all levels resulting from retirements, that are also understandably but unfortunately “clustered.”
On a national level, Dr. Scott emphasized transit ridership’s continued record levels despite the serious financial crisis and the multitude of benefits achieved through public transportation.
“The bar has raised considerably on getting it right in this next, extremely important and pivotal surface transportation authorization, which most appreciate cannot simply be business as usual.
It is my firm belief that significantly expanded federal transportation investment coupled with real program restructuring: a level playing field, outcomes-based with meaningful performance metrics, strong federal oversight, in-depth technical assistance as we kick this off; and serious incentives for local self-help and investment are key elements of the prescription needed to help us move forward. I also believe that ultimately there must be consequences for those systems and communities that are not prudent stewards of our federal investment.”
Dr. Scott’s complete oral and written testimony to the Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development is included below.