PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Stanley Forczek, Advisory Board Member of Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank
0:20:59
·
127 sec
Stanley Forczek, an advisory board member for the Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank and retired Amtrak executive, provided testimony on the importance of infrastructure investment, particularly focusing on aging infrastructure in New York City and the need for funding smaller projects.
- Highlighted that much of the infrastructure in NYC is approaching or exceeding 100 years old, including subway substations
- Emphasized the need to consider the age of infrastructure in relation to when it was built and its intended lifespan
- Mentioned ongoing major projects like the Gateway project and East Side Connection, but stressed the importance of addressing smaller infrastructure needs as well
Stanley Forczek
0:20:59
Thank you so much, mister speaker and members of the committee.
0:21:03
My name is Stan Forczyk.
0:21:04
I am on the advisory board for the Coalition For National Infrastructure Bank.
0:21:08
I'm also a retired executive from Amtrak, spent over 30 years there.
0:21:13
I've worked with Con Edison, Metro North, Long Island Railroad, and a lot of other organizations within the city of New York, and also the Albany Transit Authority.
0:21:28
I also retired from an energy consulting firm, based out of Philadelphia.
0:21:33
And I wanna take a different approach.
0:21:35
I I like what, doctor Prins has said, and we all believe in that.
0:21:39
Every member of the coalition believes in that.
0:21:41
But I want you to take and look within as to what's going on within the country, and and especially in New York.
0:21:50
I mean, there's a lot of projects going on.
0:21:52
You have the gateway project.
0:21:54
You have, the east side connection.
0:21:57
You have a lot of transportation for a major projects going on, but the smaller projects need, help.
0:22:05
Think of it this way.
0:22:06
Infrastructure took off in the 19 twenties, 19 thirties, 19 forties, and it was built for a lifespan of 50 to 75 years.
0:22:18
That is approaching now a 100 years old.
0:22:20
You had an event within the city, several weeks ago where a subway, line, was stopped.
0:22:29
A train was stopped.
0:22:31
We had to get passengers out through a tunnel.
0:22:34
It was all caused by a substation, which was a 100 years old.
0:22:39
You have to think about where we are in relationship to when everything was built.
0:22:44
Everything was built many years ago.
0:22:46
There's a lot of substations that are out there that are a 100 years old.
0:22:50
I can tell you when I took over Amtrak as director of finance, for Northeast Corridor Operations, all of our substations were over a 100 years old, and they all had to be replaced.
0:23:01
The National Infrastructure Bank
UNKNOWN
0:23:04
Your time has expired.
0:23:05
Thank you.
Stanley Forczek
0:23:06
Thank you.
