News & Commentary
The Inconvenience of Driverless Cars
December 4, 2013
Written By Abe Zumwalt While the fascinating and complex technology behind driverless cars becomes more and more of a reality, there are worrisome externalities and lessons from the past that will need to be confronted. “The Google car is an old-fashioned sort of science fiction: this year’s model of last century’s make” proclaims a recent opus in the November 25th edition of The New Yorker. “Auto Correct” by Burkhard Bilger is a very astute review of the developing technology of
Millennials and trains: positive forces for 21st-century growth
December 3, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton Last August, I was one of 23 very fortunate individuals who each raised $5,000 through online crowd funding to participate in the inaugural journey of the Millennial Trains Project. This was the first in what should become a series of such journeys, occurring every six months or so, that use a transcontinental train ride as a vehicle to inspire creativity, entrepreneurship, civic engagement and principled problem solving amongst members of the Millennial generation (th
The Metro-North Accident Was Preventable
December 3, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail The story about Sunday’s tragic Metro-North accident got more puzzling yesterday. NTSB Member Earl Weener, in an interview with Wolf Blitzer, said this: “We do know that two minutes before the curve, the train was going at 60 miles per hour and had accelerated then, up to 82, prior to entering the curve.” From the NTSB briefing, the throttle was engaged “giving the engine power – until six seconds before the locomotive, in the rear of the train, came to a
Trains are selling out for Thanksgiving, without the media’s help
November 26, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton As we again enter the year’s busiest week of travel, the focus of the mainstream media returns to congestion on the roads and in the skies. Trains are occasionally included in the picture, particularly on the Northeast Corridor. And indeed we spent a good 20 minutes on the phone this morning with an AP reporter interested in tips for people using crowded trains this holiday weekend. But in much of the country, the press doesn’t even mention them as alternatives
Spinning the budget, kicking the can down the road while the roads (and Amtrak) deteriorate
November 26, 2013
Written By Ross Capon Amtrak figured in a rather positive way in a November 21 Washington Post editorial, “Where the money is: As Congress faces yet another spending deadline, it continues to ignore the true debt problem.” The Post was ridiculing suggestions about what would constitute meaningful budget savings. Here’s the key passage: The Congressional Budget Office’s latest report on deficit-reduction says “Congress and the president must resolve to tackle programs and tax breaks
Pay no attention to the tax-sucking behemoths behind the curtain
November 25, 2013
Written By Colin Leach Amtrak's Acela Express. Photo credit to Connor Harris via Wikimedia Foundation As might be expected, last week’s kangaroo court-style hearing into Amtrak’s food and beverage service has caused critics of the railroad to emerge from the woodwork. These critics have rehashed tired claims against passenger rail in the United States, arguing that it’s a money-losing proposition that has no real future. But none has argued that point with such vehemence and vitriol
Judge's Ruling a Setback for California High Speed Trains
November 25, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail A Sacramento judge ruled today that the California high speed rail project, as currently constituted, cannot tap state bonds approved by voters in 2008. The decision, based on the judge’s interpretation, could cause further delays for the project, which is scheduled to break ground on construction this year. The Los Angeles Times called the ruling a “major blow” to the proposed service, which would connect Northern and Southern California via 220 mph trains:
Flashback Friday: A gift for Reagan, clean air & trains, Iowa specials, and Railfone
November 22, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton An occasional feature looking at the archives of NARP's monthly newsletter, available to NARP members and published continuously since 1968. December 1987: NARP writes a speech calling for an increased gas tax as a “Christmas present for President Reagan” or his successor. “Our legacy to future generations must include a lifestyle that can be sustained—not one that would have to be altered dramatically by entirely predictable events,” we ghostwrote for the P
Better than Google Maps?
November 21, 2013
Written By Abe Zumwalt Getting around just got easier. The gala launch event for RideScout happened last night in DC’s 1776 startup incubator. RideScout, developed in part by some enterprising military veterans who tired of seeing the glaring inefficiency of empty seats in cars, busses, and trains (hence the referential name). Using the magic of mobile technology, as well as an impressive cooperative effort from public transit agencies, bike share companies, and taxi aggregators, they have cr
Public-private partnership commits to improving Scottish trains
November 20, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton The government of Scotland yesterday opened up bids on a ten-year contract, starting in 2015, to provide improved passenger service on Scotland's many scenic rail lines. The agency committed to making these services "emblematic of the best of Scotland." Not only does this offer an enviable model for a passenger-friendly requirements to be included in a passenger train operating contract, it also has the potential to be an exemplary public-private partnership, with di