Passenger Trains > Sarah Feinberg to join Amtrak board

President Trump has announced the appointment.

https://nypost.com/2020/05/18/trump-taps-interim-mta-exec-sarah-feinberg-to-join-amtrak-board/

Posted from Android

I was not impressed with her when she headed up the FRA. She had a fairly rigid and narrow approach to issues involving FRA during her tenure. Put another way; “big picture” kind of thinking wasn’t one of her strengths.

Posted from iPhone

Yes, yes, it all makes sense now: "Amtrak is a government-funded, for-profit corporation. Unlike MTA board members, Amtrak directors receive financial compensation so long as they are not federal employees."  Highly educated and accomplished Captains of Industry, sitting on the Amtrak Board of Directors, having access to all records and operations, expenditures and purchases...overlooked the poor, substandard leadership of GE diesel maintenance and other choice debacles.  I, for one, would like to know: as PAID board members who was minding the store when the thieves broke in and screwed the company into the ground.  Think "Money for Nothin' by Dire Straits".

Perhaps the venerable new board appointee Sarah Feinberg, of West Virginia can spur the old boys club into paying attention to what really matters within the organization like cleaning up the collective act of the company.

"...Feinberg said she would continue in her interim MTA role, since the Amtrak time commitment is not significant...."

If she is from WV, why is she on the MTA Board ?

Posted from Android

Can we at least say that she understands that a train operates on tracks?   And that passengers want on-time trains?  And maybe she knows what a shop is, or a signal, or a crossover?  Even hopefully that people happily live in remote areas of the country and need train service.  

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> If she is from WV, why is she on the MTA Board ?
>
> Posted from Android

Ms. Feinberg is a West Virginia native living in New York City.

Also to be nominated to the Amtrak Board is the mayor of Normal, IL, Chris Koos:

https://week.com/2020/05/18/president-trump-could-nominate-mayor-of-normal-to-amtrak-board-of-directors/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/20 19:02 by RuleG.

Feinberg was terrible at FRA.  She never understood railroading and as far as I could determine never attempted to learn anything about the industry.  She is a ZERO.

What happened to the 4 that were recommended over a year ago, but put on hold indefinitely by Senator Moran ? 

Sarah Feinberg and Chris Coos are excellent choices for the Amtrak Board (certainly better than the other recent, entirely politically motivated, nominees).

Does Sarah remember the 20th Century Limited? NO, but she does have a very clear understanding of the current realities of the US rail industry for both freight & passenger service! 

Mayor Chris Koos has been a long-time, vocal, supporter of Amtrak's national system. He will join with ardent fellow Illinois Amtrak supporter (and former mayor) Tom Carper on the Board.

Those who want Amtrak to continue as a national transportation provider AND also expand regional corridor services should applaud these nominations!



 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/20 06:34 by mbutte.

Isn't Tom Carper one of Steven Gardner's rabbis, who would be happy to get rid of the LD trains and foams about corridors that will never get off the ground ? 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Isn't Tom Carper one of Steven Gardner's rabbis, who would be happy to get rid of the LD trains and foams about corridors that will never get off the ground ?<

Absolutely NOT! From direct interactions I've had with Tom, I can emphatically state that he was not in support of many of the Anderson administration policy initiatives.

mbutte Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Isn't Tom Carper one of Steven Gardner's
> rabbis, who would be happy to get rid of the LD
> trains and foams about corridors that will never
> get off the ground ?<
>
> Absolutely NOT! From direct interactions I've had
> with Tom, I can emphatically state that he was not
> in support of many of the Anderson administration
> policy initiatives.

 I too had good interactions with him about 10 years ago, and planted the idea in his head at side-bar conversation about the Capitol Ltd/Pennsylvanian, gave him my 3 page proposal, which a year later turned into a PIP. He put his hand to his chin and said "interesting". I saw some of my language in it, and one of the very few PIP's that made business sense.

So Good, the rumor I heard was wrong. !



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/20 07:12 by joemvcnj.

         So, what we know now ( like every other bit of news ) is that these people are the most fantastic, dedicated choices for the job and they too love Amtrak as well as they are total bums that do not know a train from a bus and have no desire to lift a finger to improve crap service.    Oh yeah, that certainly helps us all make an educated decision.    I feel better already.  BARRRFFF !

“Passenger rail has been so important to our community and I'd like to tell that story on a national level and build Amtrak into a transportation system that it has the potential to be.” U.S. Sen Dick Durban (D-Ill.) said in a statement that he had recommended Koos for the position, and U.S. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) also issued a statement supporting the nomination.

Hell, pinch me!  Actual nonpartisan selections being made.  How about that!

raytc1944 Wrote:
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> Feinberg was terrible at FRA.  She never
> understood railroading and as far as I could
> determine never attempted to learn anything about
> the industry.  She is a ZERO.

Hmmmm, we talking about the same Sarah Feinberg who was drafting proposed two-person crew rules at FRA, until she was shown the door in favor of Ron Batory?

Posted from Android

bioyans Wrote:
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> raytc1944 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Feinberg was terrible at FRA.  She never
> > understood railroading and as far as I could
> > determine never attempted to learn anything
> about
> > the industry.  She is a ZERO.
>
> Hmmmm, we talking about the same Sarah Feinberg
> who was drafting proposed two-person crew rules at
> FRA, until she was shown the door in favor of Ron
> Batory?
>
> Posted from Android

Feinberg may have worked on the two man crew proposal but, it originated with Joe Szabo back in 2013 - two years prior to her coming to FRA. I’ll note as well there were three acting administrators who also would have been involved with this proposal prior to Batory finally being confirmed.

Posted from iPhone

Juniata Wrote:
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> Feinberg may have worked on the two man crew
> proposal but, it originated with Joe Szabo back in
> 2013 - two years prior to her coming to FRA.
> I’ll note as well there were three acting
> administrators who also would have been involved
> with this proposal prior to Batory finally being
> confirmed.

Agreed ... but it was still in the rulemaking process under Feinberg until "Railroad Rubber Stamp" killed it.

 By tradition, the 8 presidential appointments to the Amtrak board are split by party recommendation, four on each side.  This has nothing to do with bi-partisanship, or anything else.  This is a democratic party appointment, pure and simple.

As a former resident of Normal, Illinois,  I can tell you that Chris Koos has been successful at getting huge amounts of federal money dumped into "revitallizing" down town Normal (all of 3 blocks long), a huge new Amtrak station that includes a parking garage, and office space which is largely unrented and vacant, and as mayor finding ways to circumvent the laws when he finds it expedient.  For the record, he owns a bicycle shop and an athletic shoe shop, both of which the Normal city council deemed "essential" at the present time and has openly mocked protesters of the fact that he is open and others closed.   He has also shoved through a huge bike path program and an intesection rebuilding program in Normal, which slows down traffic flow but makes it "bike friendly".    His current project is a multi million dollar "bike friendly" overpass at the Normal Amtrak station, which is a totally unnecessary project but it is a way to get federal $$ (your money and mine) to do local projects.

Just the sort of person to sit on Amtrak's board



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/20 08:47 by elueck.

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