Opinion

Commentary

Spuyten Duyvil: Why? A safety expert weighs in

Pearl Harbor. Dallas. 9-11. Lac Mégantic. Now we have “Spuyten Duyvil” to add to the collection of names that, before they became linked to tragedy and loss of life, were simply locations, or dates. You’ve probably read many of the press reports (including what Railway Age has covered) and seen the videos 

on Metro-North’s horrific Dec. 1 wreck. The accident, which now appears to be caused by human error, has turned into a media circus involving politicians and rail union reps, the latter now censured by the National Transportation Safety Board for compromising “confidentiality of investigative information” and being removed from participation in the investigation.

Commentary

A 220-mph NEC? A contrarian weighs in

In competitive markets, vision and strategy are tested daily as consumers vote with their wallets, investors choose among opportunities, and competitors react—all creating greater efficiency.
Commentary
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U.S. energy independence—with the railroad industry’s help

Largely based upon increasing output from shale formations, the United States will surpass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s top oil producer by 2015, and be close to energy independence in the next two decades, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a Paris-based adviser to 28 energy-consuming nations. And based upon huge increases in CBR (crude by rail) traffic in the past two years—safety and regulatory issues notwithstanding—the railroads will be playing an increasingly important role.
Commentary
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MTA labor talks: Cannon to left, cannon to right

Hard times motivate T-bone steak lovers to chow down on Spam or Sloppy Joes, but unionized workers employed by MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), MTA Metro-North Railroad, MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR), and New York’s subways, MTA New York City Transit (NYCT)—all operated and largely funded by the cash-strapped State of New York, under the umbrella of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)—are resolved to resist a change in diet.
Commentary
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The “public” in rail public transportation

Do the U.S. rail transit industry, Amtrak, and advocates of rail public transportation have a stake in the current Washington crisis over the federal budget and government shutdown? A stake in the looming crisis over threats to force a default on the federal national debt? Or is this mainly a fight over the Affordable Care Act with little relevance to other issues?

Commentary
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STB nominee Miller: A fresh perspective

Any notion that Debra (Deb) Miller, President Obama’s nominee to succeed Frank Mulvey at the Surface Transportation Board, is a gullible “Dorothy from Kansas” should be ditched chop-chop.

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