FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2021
CONTACT
Mike Friedberg
202-469-5131
(Washington, D.C.) – On April 28, President Joe Biden announced the nomination of Coalition for the Northeast Corridor (CNEC) member Karen Hedlund to serve as a member of the Surface Transportation Board (STB).
“The CNEC would like to congratulate Karen for being nominated to serve as a member of the STB,” said Mike Friedberg CNEC Executive Director. “Karen’s extensive experience working to enhance passenger rail along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and throughout the country as the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Deputy Administrator and chief counsel makes her well-equipped to oversee the development and service of America’s passenger rail. We look forward to working with Karen in her new role, Karen currently serves as a Director for WSP where she has advised on a number of rail projects across the country, including Amtrak’s Gateway Program, O’Hare Express Rail and California High-Speed Rail Program, and is a leader of peer-to-peer exchanges with state and local municipal officials through the Build America Transportation Investment Center Institute on various topics including alternative delivery, public-private partnerships, and station area development and financing.
Prior to joining WSP, Karen served as deputy administrator of the FRA from 2011 to 2014, and as the FRA's chief counsel from 2010 to 2011. During her tenure, she was a key participant in the FRA's $12 billion high-speed rail grant program, including the FRA's investments in California's high-speed rail system and improvements for Amtrak's NEC. Karen also supervised the FRA's Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program, which was established to provide direct loans and loan guarantees to finance the development of railroad infrastructure. In that role, she served on the boards of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation in Washington, D.C., and Moynihan Station Development Corporation in New York City.
CNEC is the business community’s voice for strengthening rail infrastructure in order to reduce congestion, create jobs and grow the economy. We represent diverse stakeholders who rely on the Corridor to conduct commerce, access customers, and transport employees.