▶ AIPRO is the US Association for Innovative Passenger Rail Operations, based out of Washington DC.

▶ It calls for faster market opening in US passenger rail, for the benefit of passengers, reducing carbon emissions and growing the rail sector.

This week, AIPRO submitted testimony to the US House of Representatives Railroad Subcommittee. It presented to Congress a comprehensive long-term program designed to introduce competition on the rapidly expanding intercity passenger corridors.

Currently, there are thirty of these corridors which are under 750 miles long as well as 15 long-distance corridors. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the program to expand these corridors.

AIPRO’s Chair Fred Craig stated that the commuter community around America is deeply involved in the competitive process to attract operator and service providers. This was fully demonstrated by Commuter Authority witnesses at the hearing.

The AIPRO testimony called for the Commuter Competitive Model to be applied to the US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s new Corridor Identification and Development Program (CID).

▶ Under the CID, the FRA has released sixty-nine (69) new planning grants to states and authorities for corridor expansion.

Fred Craig called for a new Competitive Direct Access Model as an alternative to the existing historical Amtrak model for expanding intercity passenger corridors. He also listed potential legislative reforms that would promote a pro-competition policy.

The full AIPRO testimony can be found here.