Remarks to APTA Rail Conference

This past week the American Public Transit Association (APTA) Rail Conference was held in Chicago. This annual event is a large national gathering of people working for or with ties to public rail transit - officials from rail agencies, rail contractors, community developers, and federal, state, and local government officials. Mayors from as far away as Honolulu attended and addressed the conference.

I was asked to welcome the attendees to Chicago on Monday morning. I took the opportunity to remind the conference that without adequate funding for our rail systems that there may not be any future rail conferences, and that we all need to work together to lobby our federal officials for more funding to ensure that iconic symbols of transit around the country - such as our beloved "El" train in Chicago - are in service well into the future.

Below is a link to my welcoming remarks - your feedback is most welcome.

http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/miscellaneous_documents/20090615_chairremarks-apta.pdf