Infrastructure in the News: August 31, 2010

According to the Transport Politic European countries have to consolidate intercity rail operations due to high competition and USA Today reported that this year the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded grants totalling $258.6 million for streetcar projects. More in this Infrastructure in the News.

National News

The Transport Politic: European Transport Agencies Consolidate Intercity Rail Operations in Face of Competition
Compared to Western Europe, the U.S.’s intercity passenger rail system seems positively easy to understand, with exactly one major carrier. The Old Continent has a glut of operators providing services along thousands of miles of travel corridors, representing billions of rides every year. In Western Europe, with serious competition in play in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands, this makes for a complex system of corporate link-ups and competing systems, as the chart above shows.

Fleet Owner: Contemplating rural connections
In the last of three reports compiled by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) dissecting U.S. transportation infrastructure needs, the group takes a hard look at situation faced by the rural areas of our nation.

State News

The Hill: Rendell suggests need for more transportation infrastructure spending
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) said Monday the Obama administration needs to produce a targeted investment plan for infrastructure spending to change the November election outlook for Democrats.

Minnesota Star Tribune: Editorial: Say more about transportation
Minnesotans probably won't hear a lot of discussion about transportation funding in this fall's campaign for governor. And that may not be a good thing.

Business Review: Report released about benefits of SoCal high-speed rail
Thinking Ahead: High-Speed Rail in Southern California is a new report released by the Center for Urban Infrastructure that discusses the benefits of a fast, convenient and efficient intercity high-speed rail system on southern California's economy.

USA Today: Portland streetcar success has fueled interest elsewhere
…Portland's success helps to fuel a renaissance of electric streetcars on tracks in cities across the USA. This year, the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded grants totaling $258.6 million for streetcar projects in Portland, Tucson, Dallas, Cincinnati, Charlotte, St. Louis and Fort Worth.

The Epoch Times: University Study Suggests Investing in Public Services
An Amherst Massachusetts University economics professor suggested that the state should deal with the economic crisis by putting money into the public services sector to help boost economic development. The new study, released by Jeffrey Thompson from the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the university, says that funding should go toward education and infrastructure.