If you want to support OTA's mission of bringing a collaborative approach to surface freight transportation planning, there are a variety of ways you can get involved.
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We're launching OTA to raise the cause of rail transportation to the level of a national mission in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
OnTrackAmerica offers a new way for government, the public, and the rail industry to intelligently understand each other’s concerns and contributions.
With energy at record prices and the opportunity never greater for rail technology to improve air quality and transportation efficiency, the U.S. Congress, the rail industry, and its related stakeholders are more at odds than in partnership. This will not do for such an important infrastructure and economic linchpin as railroads. Fortunately, railroads do not need a government bailout; they are currently outperforming other industries. That stability, along with rail technology’s inherent energy and capital efficiency, can deliver a high return on investment if we focus our national economic revitalization plans on a comprehensive build-out of our entire rail transportation system.
OnTrackAmerica is out to forward what I believe the world needs in these very troubled times: a better way to coordinate commercial activity and related public policy that best serves not only private commercial interests, but our longer-term, communal interests as well. This may be one of the world’s most urgent challenges. Ultimately, this is how business will thrive in the future.
I invite the leaders of the rail industry to embrace OnTrackAmerica in support of this thesis─that a massive private- and public-sector investment in North American rail transportation is available if the industry aligns its business plans with the best interests of the continent. If we replace mistrust and fear with productive collaboration, we can create more profitable private initiatives and more effective public-private capitalization strategies. Let’s not wait for the crucible of crisis to work together.
It is time for long-term thinking and action. To successfully integrate population growth over the next century, we need to end the demarketing of branch line rail service and the suffocating impact of public policies, regulations, and financial assistance that favors the largest railroads, projects, and transactions. My September '08 Railway Age magazine article, Leveraging Capital for the Entire Industry, speaks further to this issue. Our attention to higher-volume shipping lanes and overall capacity does not have to mean less rural, urban, and direct rail service with its consequent increase in local truck traffic. It is counterproductive to add one more hurdle to the revitalization of economically challenged towns and regions across North America.
People working in rail transportation are some of the smartest, most dedicated, hardest-working individuals in any industry. We have the most productive rail system in the world to show for it. But our society’s tendency to pit groups against each other has led to a North American transportation system that underutilizes railroads in spite of this success. We need railroads more than ever. Working collaboratively, we can move beyond the incremental progress in rail transportation currently happening in North America.
I hope that OnTrackAmerica is a change agent―a transformational change agent. During the last fifteen years, in between delivering over 350 educational briefings to the U.S. Congress, I have created financing breakthroughs for some of the leading rail developers in the country. I have had a front-row seat for observing the dynamics that have acted to diminish our appreciation for both the vital role of railroads and their outstanding creditworthiness. A complete review of our work in this arena is presented at www.strategicrail.com.
OnTrackAmerica has developed from the input of so many knowledgeable and experienced people. In the coming months, the full conception of OTA will continue to benefit from this input. OnTrackAmerica will be flexible and responsive to best serve the many stakeholders already working hard to improve our continental transportation system. Our commitment is to make our contribution as positively and graciously as possible.
There is a role to play for each of you. We invite you to contribute, to participate, and to stay tuned. To make a tax-deductible contribution to OTA, see our Sponsorship page.
