The Power of Speed

[I will start with a brief apology for the long silence since the last post. Suffice it to say I am uncertain about blogging and have let it lapse.] Last night, I read a post by Yonah Freemark about French plans to introduce low-cost TGV service between Paris and Marseille. Ignoring for a moment that

Train speeds on the NEC, Part III

I have discussed the operational side of Northeast Corridor train speeds previously. These discussions were prompted by Florida Congressman Mica, who proposed a plan to reduce trip time between Washington and New York from less than three hours to a flat two hours. I wrote in general terms about how to evaluate such a proposal

Amtrak’s Boardman discusses electrification from FL to ME to Chicago

From Brian O’Neill, at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in the article  A fast track away from oil dependency, which relates a conversation he has with Amtrak’s new president Joe Boardman… Mr. Boardman sees an electrified American rail system, both for passengers and freight. The passenger side is well-established in the Northeast, and he’d like Amtrak to move south from

Good coverage of the Kerry HSR bill and Clinton’s 1992 failures

Since September, I have been following news of John Kerry’s proposed high-speed rail legislation. I covered it in some detail here, but that was when it was first announced, and details were sparse. As more information has appeared, The Transport Politic has beaten me to the punch and written up a good synopsis of the

Biden discusses rail investments in NGA remarks

Promising words from Joe Biden, speaking at the National Governors Association meeting, as covered by the Washington Post: On infrastructure specifically – and I know I sound like a hobby horse to Governor Rendell and others on this, but we have, I think, a huge opportunity. A huge opportunity. China invests between 7 and 9