[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 145 (Monday, September 26, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH BOARDMAN

  Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the dedication of 
Joseph Boardman, the president and chief executive officer of Amtrak. 
After nearly 8 years of service, Mr. Boardman will retire from Amtrak 
this month. He is the second longest serving leader in Amtrak's 
history.
  Mr. Boardman has spent his life in transportation and public service. 
As a boy, Mr. Boardman would watch the buses passing on Route 69 as he 
was working in the fields on his family farm. His father persuaded him 
of the importance of transportation and started him down to the road to 
a career in public transportation. After graduating from high school, 
he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1966 and served the United States 
in Vietnam. He received his bachelor's degree at Cornell and his 
master's from SUNY Binghamton.
  Mr. Boardman's transportation career began as a bus driver. Later, he 
went on to manage the transportation authorities for the cities of Rome 
and Utica. He also worked in Broome County as the commission of 
transportation services, before starting his own transportation company 
in 1995. Mr. Boardman later went on to serve as the longest serving 
Commissioner of Transportation in New York State's history. In 2005, he 
became the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.
  During his transportation career, Mr. Boardman has been a fierce 
advocate for improving safety. At the Federal Railroad Administration, 
he played a particularly important role in the development and passage 
of the 2008 Rail Safety Improve Act. This bill mandated the 
implementation of positive train control technology to help prevent 
crashes and fatalities on America's railroads. Under Mr. Boardman's 
leadership at Amtrak, the railroad led the Nation in implementing this 
lifesaving technology.
  At Amtrak, Mr. Boardman has also made improvements in how Amtrak 
operates. He has been responsible for a host of financial, technical, 
and safety improvements at the railroad, as well as numerous 
investments in infrastructure improvements. During Mr. Boardman's 
tenure, Amtrak has hit its highest ridership levels; annual ridership 
reached and passed 30 million passengers per year. Amtrak's debt 
dropped to a third of the 2002 level, which allowed the railroad to 
replace its aging elective locomotive fleet and improve service on the 
Northeast corridor. Amtrak has made numerous improvements to its 
infrastructure thanks to Mr. Boardman's careful stewardship of the 
Federal investment in Amtrak. In my State, we know just how important 
that is, as Amtrak works to build the Gateway Project, connecting New 
Jersey and New York via a new tunnel under the Hudson River.
  Finally, it goes without saying that Joe Boardman has been the heart 
and soul of Amtrak. He has been a passionate advocate for maintaining 
nationwide Amtrak service, for increasing passenger rail service around 
the country and for providing the best possible service to Amtrak 
riders. His dedication to the railroad will be sorely missed. I 
congratulate Mr. Boardman on his service and wish him well in his 
retirement.
  Thank you.

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