Amit Bose has been confirmed as the 15th Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced.
Bose was nominated by President Joe Biden on April 22, 2021. The former deputy administrator was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 12. He is the first person of South-Asian descent to lead the FRA.
“From his work with New Jersey Transit to his leadership at FRA during two administrations, Amit has spent his distinguished career supporting America’s railways,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the announcement.
“Amit’s experience and expertise will be invaluable as we work to implement the President’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which includes the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak.”
Bose will lead FRA’s safety regulatory oversight of more than 800 freight and passenger railroads, national rail policy, planning, and environmental activities, as well as the agency’s financial assistance grant programs, according to the DOT.
He will also administer an unprecedented $66 billion to oversee FRA programs to improve and modernize the nation’s freight and passenger rail network under the BIL. Those funds will be supplemented by an additional $36 billion in annual authorized appropriations over five years to support projects and programs that improve safety, reliability, efficiency, resiliency, equity, and sustainability, the DOT states.
“It’s an honor and privilege to serve Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden-Harris Administration,” Bose said. “America’s railroads are an indispensable part of our transportation system and national economy. This is an exciting time to lead approximately 900 FRA employees as we seek to advance America’s second great rail revolution.”
Bose was born in Laheriasarai, Bihar, India, and came to the U.S. at the age of 5. He earned a MIA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He previously worked in the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) during the Obama-Biden Administration as FRA’s director of governmental affairs, senior advisor, chief counsel, and ultimately as deputy administrator. He also served in the Office of the Secretary as Associate General Counsel and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs.
