The Transportation Research Board (TRB), a division of the National Research Council, recently released its Fall 2009 “Intercity Rail Passenger Systems Update." The update contains a collection of news briefs submitted by industry specialists. The highlights are provided below.
Randy Wade, Passenger Rail Director, Great Lakes Division, HNTB Corporation, and former Passenger Rail Manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, provides an update on federal funding for passenger rail projects. He notes that those states that have invested in passenger rail may finally be rewarded with substantial federal partnership, thus laying the groundwork for new high-speed and higher-speed rail service.
Tom Cornillie, the Commuter Services Coordinator for Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, highlights the efforts of the federally mandated Next- Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee. This Committee, which was formed to address the demand for corridor rail service improvements, has been tasked to “design, develop specifications for, and procure standardized next-generation corridor equipment.”
Reinhard Clever, the principal of thinkMetric® Transportation Consulting, provides insight into the ways that new high-speed rail systems could be designed to be most attractive to the traveling public. According to Mr. Clever, “transposing the European or Japanese experience to North America probably will not be successful.” Because most business trips in North America involve travel to areas outside of central business districts, “a much more sophisticated approach is necessary for high-speed rail to be competitive with air.” Mr. Clever’s research suggests that by integrating existing high-speed and commuter rail systems into a single, coherent transportation system, we could vastly improve the competitiveness of our high-speed rail systems.
Lastly, Deborah Matherly, a Senior Associate for the Louis Berger Group, sheds some light on the collaborative efforts to improve the safety and efficiency of Egypt’s railways. She explains how similar collaborative efforts, which can involve international partnerships, could be leveraged as the U.S. updates and upgrades its railway systems.
About the Author: Matthew Stock, an attorney with the Buck Law Group—a Seattle-based land use, environmental, dispute resolution and civil litigation firm that is a Northwest Hub sponsor—can be reached by sending an email to mstock@bucklawgroup.com.
