USDOT announces Amit Bose as new administrator of Federal Railroad Administration

Amit Bose

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that Amit Bose has been confirmed as the 15th Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Bose was nominated by President Joe Biden on April 22, 2021, and served as Deputy Administrator when the U.S. Senate confirmed him on Jan. 12, 2022.

“From his work with New Jersey Transit to his leadership at FRA during two administrations, Amit has spent his distinguished career supporting America’s railways,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Amit’s experience and expertise will be invaluable as we work to implement the President’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which includes the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak.”

Bose will lead FRA’s safety regulatory oversight of the country’s more than 800 freight and passenger railroads, as well as the national rail policy, planning, and environmental activities, and the agency’s financial assistance grant programs.

He will also oversee more than $66 billion in railroad improvement and modernization projects as part of the BIL. That funding will be supplemented by an additional $36 billion in annual authorized appropriations to support projects and programs focused on improving safety, reliability, efficiency, resiliency, equity, and sustainability over the next five years.

“It’s an honor and privilege to serve Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden-Harris Administration,” Bose said. “America’s railroads are an indispensable part of our transportation system and national economy. This is an exciting time to lead approximately 900 FRA employees as we seek to advance America’s second great rail revolution.”

Bose previously served as the FRA’s director of governmental affairs, as well as the agency’s senior advisor and then chief counsel, during the Obama-Biden Administration. He also served in the Office of the Secretary as the associate general counsel and as deputy assistant secretary for governmental affairs. Before his work at FRA, he worked for the New Jersey Transit and the New Jersey Department of Transportation and as a transportation staffer in the U.S. Congress.