 | NARP blogTRAINS: A travel choice Americans want |
Roads, Railways and Runways
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
President Obama’s Labor Day announcement in Milwaukee is praiseworthy, not only because it focuses on creating jobs that address real public needs, but also because the President quietly, but emphatically, placed rail on an equal footing (rhetorically speaking) with highways and aviation. Every time Obama referenced the targets of investment in the speech, he listed the three R’s: roads, railroads and runways. This was also the case in subsequent press coverage of the announcement.
On the rail side, the President called for the construction and maintenance of 4,000 miles of railroad, enough track to go coast-to-coast. It is not known, though, how this will break down between true high-speed and improved conventional-speed track, and in what proportion passenger and freight operations will benefit. Obama also specifically mentioned “a long-overdue overhaul of Amtrak’s fleet” as part of his rail plan—recognizing that new and improved services must be built on the backbone of a healthy Amtrak system. The passenger railroad’s two-sentence statement [PDF] on the Obama plan calls it “a smart move with major benefits for increasing personal mobility, jump-starting job creation and improving the environment.”
The President also lays out his framework for using the next surface transportation policy legislation as a way to lay the foundation for sustainable American prosperity. It includes the establishment of a National Infrastructure Bank to tap private financing for projects in all modes and the integration of high-speed rail into the surface transportation program (from which intercity passenger rail is currently left out). Obama also stressed that transportation policy should work to enhance the livability of communities and environmental sustainability in addition to safety and economic competitiveness.
The President has heard Americans’ cries for more and better travel choices and for good domestic jobs, and has responded with a promising proposal. NARP, along with our partners at OneRail and Transportation for America, will remain engaged in the battle to turn the president’s promising words into deeds. Getting there will require reliable, dedicated funding as well as continued strong support from the White House and from Congress, private railroads, and—most importantly—the traveling public.
—Malcolm Kenton