Jim Mathews
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Jim Mathews leads the DC-based professional staff of the Rail Passengers Association as President & CEO, where he is responsible for strategy, policy, and business operations. He appears frequently in national media, and also testifies before Congress and regulatory bodies. Mathews serves on eight Federal advisory panels across DOT, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Surface Transportation Board, representing the Association’s 127,000 members, donors, and supporters, plus the 40 million Americans who rely every year on trains and public transportation. As a member of the DOT’s National Advisory Committee on Travel & Tourism Infrastructure, he was principal drafter of the NACTTI final report to Congress and DOT in 2020.
Op-Ed: Amtrak Isn’t Profitable — And That’s Okay
"As a for-profit company, Amtrak fails ... spectacularly. As a government agency, created half a century ago to carry out a public purpose recognized in law and in Supreme Court rulings, it is a spectacular success worth celebrating, supporting, and building up."