More Passenger Rail Could Help

While Wall Street partied yesterday, West Texas Intermediate crude oil hit its fifth consecutive new record high ($82.20) and closed at $81.51, up 94 cents on the day. (Brent crude rose 61 cents to $77.59.) Barclays Capital said that “oil demand [outside the US] appears likely to stay very healthy” (from today’s Financial Times). These facts help feed the inflationary pressures that are also a big potential drawback of the Fed’s bigger-than-expected rate cut. And remember the studies by Surface Transportation Policy Project showing that U.S. household transportation costs are lowest in regions with excellent public transportation.

Here are two quick notes—one caution about BWI Rail station and one advocacy tip:

(1) Please check our September 14 Hotline regarding BWI Rail Station elevators being out of service for two months. Many people prefer, and some require, two elevators to reach the southbound platform. Amtrak expects them back November 16. In the mean time, there is Red Cap service (see Hotline for hours) and some shuttles to the airport from Baltimore Penn Station.

(2) Many newspaper web sites invite you to post comments on stories. We encourage you to do this…particularly, for example, when you see a story overlooking rail and implying that the only solution for congestion problems is to build more highways and runways. For example, check out the story from yesterday’s USA Today on the latest Texas Transportation Institute congestion report, and their editorial on aviation. Some newspapers require you to “log in” (it’s free) in order to post comments.

—Ross B. Capon, NARP Executive Director