Charles Spitulnik and Suzanne Silverman will present at the 2021 Legal Affairs Virtual Mini Seminar on June 16. Information about each of their sessions is below, times listed are Eastern Time. Find out more about the seminar here. 

Portal North Bridge: Lessons Learned from a Multi-agency Mega Rail Project  |  1:15 – 2:15 p.m.

The Portal North Bridge Project is an estimated $1.8 billion rail project being sponsored by NJ TRANSIT on the Northeast Corridor the rail line owned by Amtrak. Funding will be provided by the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, local bond funds, and other New Jersey state entities.

In this session, panelists will identify and discuss key legal issues that arose in this project. The session will provide an overview of the project, compliance issues related to multiple federal and local funding sources, and development of interagency agreements, including those between two railroads using the same right of way.
 

Rail 101: All (Rail) Roads Lead to the CFR  |  4 – 4:45 p.m.

 Are you dreaming of using that railroad right-of-way running through your city to build commuter or light rail?  Or are your dreams (and those of your elected officials) being disturbed by train horns? You have the money – wow, good for you! You have the willing railroad partner – wow, you must have a lot of money! But, do you have 49 CFR Chapters II and X?  Because friend, you are going to need them.  

This session will introduce you to the federal regulation of railroads and how that regulation impacts a public agency’s purchase (i.e., economic regulation) and use of railroad property (i.e., safety regulation). Understanding these regulations will be the first step in bringing your railroad dreams to reality.