Your weekly source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the NARP Blog.
September 11, 2015
Congress went back into session this week with a lot of legislation to pass in the fall session before adjourning for 2015. The bill that’s most important to NARP is the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act, a major transportation effort that includes provisions from the Senate’s rail reform bill. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in Politico that it “wasn�...
September 4, 2015
The Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration held an event September 3 at Washington Union Station to announce an increased TSA security presence over the Labor Day travel weekend, part of a program dubbed "Operation Rail Safe." "Rail safety is shared endeavor," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told reporters at the event. "You will see days like today...
August 28, 2015
Photo courtesy of Amtrak An attempted attack by an armed man aboard a train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris has now brought rail security in the United States into the spotlight, including the question on whether current security measures are adequate, reported the New York Times. Unlike airports, which are guarded with multiple layers of security — including airport police and Transportat...
August 21, 2015
A vintage post card of of the Hudson River Tunnels. Image courtesy of the Northeast Corridor Commission. As the wrangling over when a new Hudson River Tunnel will be built and who will pay for it, the New York Times editorial board urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to “get on board” with the Gateway project. The editorial noted that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) recently met with Transportat...
August 14, 2015
Now that Congress is out for its summer recess, the fate of the Hudson River tunnel continues to be the hot news topic. Rail advocate Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has joined Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J) to position themselves as the brokers to come up with a permanent solution. Schumer wants to create a new partnership called the Gateway Development Corporation, reports Politico New York. The corpora...