Railroads

Issues & Modes / Railroads

Railroads have been a vital presence in American transportation for nearly 200 years moving both passengers and freight efficiently and effectively. Freight railroads in the United States are mostly owned by private companies, who maintain and operate their own networks. Passenger systems, whether through Amtrak or various commuter railroads, require public assistance and either operate on their own track or pay to use freight railroad-owned track.

Guest Op-Ed: Fast Trains for All

Apr 01, 2022 | Paige Malott

In the U.S., the Pacific Northwest has reached a tipping point where expanding its mobility choices to include high speed rail is...

California’s Ambitious High-Speed Rail at a Crossroads

Mar 13, 2022 | Jeff Davis

California’s high-speed rail will “get some federal funding now that there’s a Democratic administration in place and the...

Guest Op-Ed: The Real Danger of Mandatory Reciprocal Switching Is Freight Rail Stagnation

Mar 11, 2022 | Marc Scribner

On March 15, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) will hold a hearing on a 2016 regulatory proposal that would amend agency policy...

Webinar: The Emerging Future of Supply Chains

Mar 09, 2022 | Madeline Gorman

Many of the goods imported into the U.S. rely on intricate, finely-tuned, international supply chains. When the COVID-19 pandemic...

As Brightline struggles with deadly accidents, what will future hold for South Florida rail expansion?

Feb 20, 2022 | Paul Lewis

“It’s really in everyone’s interest to try to make sure this stops happening as soon as possible,” said Paul Lewis, policy...

Centennial Anthology: A Collection of Essays and Ideas

Feb 18, 2022 | Karen Price

Coming Out of the Crisis: A Look Past the Pandemic The pandemic isn’t quite behind us, but every day the contours of the new...

“Where’s The Beef?” Supply Chain Issues Centennial Recap

Dec 17, 2021 | Jonathan Hammond

Many of the goods imported into the U.S.—all told worth around $3 trillion—rely on intricate, finely-tuned international supply...

T&I Hearing Looks at Expanded Intercity Passenger Rail

Dec 10, 2021 | Brianne Eby

On Thursday, December 9, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee...

Northstar rail runs into trouble in Anoka County

Oct 31, 2021 | Paul Lewis

"A lot of regions are grappling with some of the same challenges," said Paul Lewis, policy director at the Eno Center for...

HSR, Transit Funding in Reconciliation May Rely on 5-Year Cutoff, “Tapered Match” Grants

Oct 29, 2021 | Jeff Davis

In the Byzantine budget reconciliation process, one of the big prohibitions is that each committee's contribution to the bill has to be...

Op-Ed: Recognizing the Reasons for Railroad Deaths

Oct 08, 2021 | Paul Lewis and Robert Puentes

While we do not yet know the precise cause of the recent Amtrak derailment in Montana, the response was swift. The National...

Train derailments like the Montana incident are rare, but other railroad-related deaths are on the rise

Oct 01, 2021 | Paul Lewis

“The response that we’re seeing to the Montana crash is showing that the existing standards that we have are in some respects...

Railroads are among the safest modes of transportation for workers, riders, and the public. Strong federal standards for railroad track and operations, technological investments like positive train control, and communities’ infrastructure improvements have yielded significant gains. But most of these gains have plateaued and in some cases safety trends are moving in the wrong direction. A new strategy and framework is needed to address the most significant safety issues facing railroads. This report explores trends in railroad safety data and actionable recommendations for federal, state, local, and private sector actors to make a demonstrable improvement in railroad safety.