Senate probes David Fink’s Pan Am safety record as he seeks Federal Railroad Administration post

David Fink, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Railroad Administration, faced senators’ questions about safety failures at Pan Am Railways and a 2022 FRA audit during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing.

The concerns were fronted by Sen. Gary Peters, who cited higher-than-average mainline derailment rates and safety issues under Fink’s leadership at Pan Am, and recalled the 2023 East Palestine derailment when pressing for accountability. “Rail safety is certainly not something to take lightly,” Peters said during his opening remarks.

Fink disputed parts of the FRA’s findings and defended Pan Am’s safety efforts, saying the company conducted two voluntary safety-culture assessments with the Short Line Safety Institute and that Pan Am’s safety performance ranked “third” among its class‑2 peers over a recent 10‑year span. “I really wanted to work towards 0 injuries and 0 accidents,” Fink said. He added that Pan Am worked closely with labor and that the railroad “was in the best shape it had been in 20 years” when it was sold to CSX in 2022.

Committee members pressed Fink to accept and respond concretely to audit findings. In response, he said Pan Am’s management submitted formal responses to the FRA and that the audit followed a fatal employee accident that triggered the review. “We fixed things and argued about them later,” Fink said, adding that he would not “waiver” on safety if confirmed as FRA administrator.

Senators also asked about several FRA programs and priorities Fink said he would support if confirmed: the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, the Corridor Identification (Corridor ID) planning program for passenger routes, and the Railroad Crossing Elimination grant program intended to reduce at‑grade conflicts. Fink committed to working with states, Amtrak and freight railroads on grant delivery and to “get this safety technology out in the field.”

Multiple senators raised community and operational concerns tied to freight and passenger rail — blocked crossings, long‑distance passenger service, and infrastructure bottlenecks such as Chicago’s hub — and sought commitments that awarded federal funding would not be delayed. Fink said he would “hit the ground running” if confirmed and pledged to work with the committee and affected communities.

The hearing did not include a committee vote; senators reserved questions for the record and indicated follow‑up meetings and written questions would be submitted.