Is America's transportation system failing? In Ken Orski's most recent newsletter, which is one of the best around, the following quote was published from a respected transportation practitioner who had written in to express his frustration with the current political apathy in Washington:

"The only good news these days is Warren Buffett's recent investment in BNSF [Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.] The private sector is perhaps the only solution source we have since Washington and most state legislatures and their respective DOTs are stymied by the rigor mortis which has set in, in recent times, regarding pricing, taxing, and other innovative ways to restructure the nation's transportation system.... I am skeptical the public sector has anything to offer but earmarks and squandered resources, while the overall transportation system remains under-funded and decaying.

"We have come full circle whereby government regulation and its abrogation of fiscal responsibility have condemned our publicly-funded transportation system to a beggar role, diminishing its ability to serve the nation's transportation needs. This is what happened to the freight railroad industry between 1887 and 1987. Now the freight railroads have the chance to regain their footing while the highway system is looking more and more like the failed railroads of the 1970s. ...

"Unfortunately, we are witnessing the passing of the American century where the inability of our leaders to lead is placing the nation in an eroding competitive position on the world's diplomatic, military, and economic scenes. ... The nation's influence continues to decline. The fate of our nation's transportation infrastructure and systems are perhaps the most visible examples of this decline since the steel industry left the nation in the 1970s and 1980s.

"The prospects are indeed bleak except for Mr. Buffet's eternal faith in the American economy. It is interesting which mode of transportation he decided to invest his money in - not highway and bridge PPPs but in basic freight railroads which remain a stalwart foundation for moving freight and perhaps, in the near future, increasing percentages of the nation's commuters and intercity travelers."

Posted by rjorr at December 29, 2009 8:39 AM