(The following appeared on the Wall Street Journal website on May 23, 2011.)
NEW YORK — Once a dying industry, railroads have made a strong comeback and are poised to become busier places in the years ahead. Forecasts for freight growth are substantial, prompting railroads to plan capacity additions. At the same time, the federal government is looking to railroads to handle more and faster passenger trains and install an extensive anticollision system known as positive train control.
The Wall Street Journal recently held an email discussion about the future of rail with panelists from the private and public sides of the business. Participating were Jim McClellan, vice president of railroad consulting firm Woodside Consulting in Virginia Beach, Va.; Bill Rennicke, a consultant at Oliver Wyman Group in Boston; Francis P. Mulvey, a commissioner of the Surface Transportation Board in Washington; and Joseph C. Szabo, head of the Federal Railroad Administration in Washington.
Full article: Wall Street Journal