The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reached out to mayors across the United States last week, sharing with them information related to the current state of the industry and reaffirming its commitment to its communities.
“A significant portion of the industry’s operations are regulated by the federal government, but our impact is felt strongly in towns and cities across this country,” Edward Hamberger, AAR President and CEO, said. “While the industry will never stop in its pursuit to make our safe industry even safer, we are proud that our continued private investments help efficiently move goods throughout the U.S., serve myriad businesses that help support local economies, and increasingly allow the industry to test and deploy innovative solutions.”
The letter addressed Positive Train Control technologies, a set of advanced tech designed to enhance safety measures for freight rail transportation by instituting automatic stopping measures before certain accidents. It also went into detail on the AskRail system, a digital platform meant to buoy first responders by providing access to critical rail information during emergencies. It also addressed efforts by certain interests to increase federal weight and length limits for large commercial trucks, which it labeled misguided.
“We feel it is important to extend our Washington-based dialogue to local policymakers to supplement the tireless work our members do every day in working with not just mayors, but their residents, businesses and safety officials,” Hamberger said.