Frank Busalacchi, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and chair of the AASHTO Intercity Passenger Leadership Group, led a roundtable discussion at the AASHTO Annual Meeting on October 23 on high speed and intercity passenger rail issues. Other speakers included Karen Rae, deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration; and Stephen Gardner, vice president for policy and development of Amtrak. In addition to those speakers, others participating in the roundtable discussion included Jolene Molitoris, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation; Gabe Klein, director of the District of Columbia Department of Transportation; Allen Biehler, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; John Halikowski, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation; and Bill Bronte, chief of the Rail Division of the California Department of Transportation and vice chair of AASHTO's Standing Committee on Rail Transportation. Attendees from Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Washington, and Wisconsin also participated in the discussion.

Busalacchi talked about the need for continued significant investment in the national high speed and intercity passenger rail network. Rae discussed the recent release of the Preliminary National Rail Plan and the extensive outreach effort to state departments of transportation and other parties that the FRA will perform over the next year in the development of the plan's final version.

Gardner focused on Amtrak's efforts to collaborate with states in offering service for high speed and intercity passenger rail and also providing technical expertise in the development of applications for federal funds.