Karen Rae, Deputy Administrator

Federal Railroad Administration

In March 2009, President Barack H. Obama named Karen Rae Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).   As Deputy Administrator, Ms. Rae is responsible for helping oversee operations for the nearly eight hundred-person organization.  This includes managing comprehensive safety programs and regulatory initiatives; enforcement of FRA safety regulations; development and implementation of national freight and passenger rail policy; and oversight of wide ranging research and development activities in support of improved railroad safety.  In her capacity as Deputy Administrator, Ms. Rae will play a leading role in the FRA’s efforts to successfully implement the President’s historic commitment to advance the development of high-speed rail and implement the Administration’s public policy directive to improve intercity passenger rail for users and communities across the US .

Prior to joining the Federal Railroad Administration, Ms. Rae served since 2007 as Deputy Commissioner of Policy and Planning at the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).  In that capacity, she was responsible for advocacy and finance activities that enhanced the state’s multimodal transportation system, including its public transit, freight and passenger rail, aviation, bicycle and pedestrian components.   Prior to her tenure at NYSDOT, she served as Deputy Secretary for Local and Area Transportation at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) in 2006, where she led efforts supporting the State’s Funding and Reform Commission on transit related issues and created a new streamlined performance based funding program for transit. 

Ms. Rae previously served as Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, where she led development and implementation of that state’s first ever rail funding program and it’s first six-year public transit plan.  She also finalized an agreement with CSX Transportation to fund rail line improvements in order to permit additional Virginia Railway Express commuter service.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Rae worked for 18 years as director or general manager of transit systems in Austin , Texas , Glens Falls and Buffalo , New York .  All told, she brings nearly 30 years of transportation experience to the agency.