Following the Modern Skies Summit, USDOT flexed its convening muscles again, hosting a Rail Tech Summit on Tuesday, April 28th. USDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration brought together voices from across the rail industry to discuss the benefits of technology for rail safety and why rail still matters in moving freight and passengers. USDOT and FRA used the summit to project a clear message: the U.S. rail industry has strong momentum. 

That momentum is visible in several ways. Freight railroads are leveraging new technologies to detect safety issues before accidents happen. Passenger rail providers are seeing growing demand from riders who want more reliable and convenient alternatives to congested roads and high fuel prices. Federal agencies, states, Class I freight railroads, Amtrak, short line railroads, and suppliers all appeared to agree that safety innovations and rising passenger demand point to a strong rail sector, with room to grow.  

The event was also revealing in what was not said. FRA and USDOT officials were eager to showcase innovation, partnerships, and progress. But they were less direct in making the case for consistent federal funding or using the surface transportation reauthorization bill to sustain that progress. Nonetheless, that argument was made by the industry leaders and state partners invited by the administration, if not by the administrative officials themselves. 

Successes in deploying safety technology 

The administration used the summit to present the industry’s progress in deploying new technology, and the FRA’s desire to partner with industry in deploying it responsibly. During  the summit’s first panel discussion, industry leaders pointed to automated track inspection, wayside detection, inspection portals to inspect train cars, and positive train control (PTC)(which is a digital system used to prevent collisions) as some of the technological advancements that keep the rail network safe. The broader argument at the summit was that enhanced defect detection, improved train inspections, and PTC can help prevent incidents before they occur and railroads are taking advantage of technology. Participants had a chance to see some of the new technology in person: FRA brought in rail inspection vehicles, inspection portals, and grade crossing detection technologies to showcase the ongoing work to improve safety. Many of these technologies are encouraged in guidance but not required through regulation, although bipartisan safety bills would seek to impose new requirements. 

Importantly, the safety technology conversation included the balance between automated technology and workforce development. USDOT Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury noted that inspection technologies are designed to support, rather than replace, human expertise. This is a critical distinction, because for innovation in new technologies to take hold in the rail sector, railroads must ensure that deploying automated track and train inspection technology assists railroad employees in their work and does not remove them.  

Growing passenger rail demand 

During the second panel, passenger rail leaders representing Amtrak, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, Amtrak’s state-supported Downeaster service, and Deutsche-Bahn described a passenger rail market that is changing, with new customers, strong interest in state-supported routes, and growing demand in places like Virginia, where rail is seen as an attractive alternative to highway congestion. The data supports this: Amtrak service in Virginia carried 1.45 million passengers in 2025, up 4.8% from 2024 and the highest ridership since the state-supported services began in 2009. Nationwide, Amtrak provided 34.5 million passenger trips in 2025, up 5.1% from 2024. The success of new services like the Borealis in the Midwest and Mardi Gras along the Gulf Coast suggests that the question is no longer whether people will ride trains, but whether the system can provide reliable service where people want to travel.  

That creates a challenge. Panelists noted that passenger rail growth depends on modern train sets, adequate station infrastructure, improved customer experience, and coordination with host railroads. Coordination with host railroads is particularly important. Passenger services outside of the Northeast Corridor run on tracks owned by freight railroads, which means capacity and reliability issues cannot be solved by one actor alone. Passenger rail providers and freight railroads operate in the same space, and partnerships often require compromise so that each party walks away with something. This was most recently evident in Colorado, where BNSF and the state came to an agreement to expand passenger rail service from Denver to Fort Collins. The state agreed to one operator running three daily trains per day (a reduced frequency than previous plans), reducing the need for additional track and simplifying the coordination with the host railroad, BNSF.  

Promoting certainty in funding 

While both industry and the administration praised the successes in new safety technology and growth in passenger rail, the administration was less involved in the discussion over federal funding. Industry leaders, however, did not shy away from discussing the importance of federal funding. Chuck Baker, president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), championed the CRISI grant program as a valuable resource for short line railroads to upgrade rail infrastructure. Short line railroads often do not generate enough revenue to fund major infrastructure projects alone, and the CRISI grant program provided billions of dollars directly to short lines. Leveraging federal support helps short lines take advantage of new track inspection technologies to ensure they can support safe operations alongside the larger and wealthier Class I railroads.  

On the passenger rail side, DJ Stadler, Executive Director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, and Patricia Quinn, president of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (which operates the Downeaster service) praised the investment in rail that came from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, suggesting that the passenger rail sector is in a much better place than before, because agencies can have projects ready to go, knowing that they have a source of federal funding to support them.  

USDOT and FRA leadership’s limited role in the discussion was notable. USDOT and FRA were highly present as conveners and champions of the current progress in technological advancements. They created the space, framed the safety and innovation discussion, and elevated examples of progress across the sector. But they did not appear to make a direct case for preserving or expanding rail funding programs in the next surface reauthorization bill, when the current law expires in September, 2026. Instead, they allowed the actors who benefit from federal funding to explain why consistent funding matters.  

Whether or not it was a deliberate choice to leave the federal funding conversation to state and industry partners, with reauthorization approaching, silence from the administration on long-term rail funding priorities leaves others to define what it will take to sustain rail momentum.  

The summit was ultimately an opportunity to showcase progress in the rail sector. Freight railroads are deploying safety technologies with real benefits, and passenger rail demand is steadily growing. USDOT is positioning itself as a great convener of innovation and partnership. But celebrating momentum is not the same as keeping the momentum going. Investments in safety technology, infrastructure, and service expansion, particularly for short lines and passenger rail, will require consistent and predictable funding alongside partnerships. The administration gave that conversation a platform. The question is whether federal officials and policymakers will deliver consistent and predictable funding to keep the momentum in the rail sector on track.