2010 Passenger Rail Outlook: As Operating Budgets Shrink, Expansion Funds Approach Record Levels

While the worst economic downturn in eight decades has cut deeply into the state and local taxes that help pay transit operating costs, it has paradoxically spurred the federal government to stream new billions into job-creating transit construction. This article reviews 2009 from the perspective of the passenger rail industry. The author reviews some of the light rail, metro-rail, and regional commuter rail networks that serve most major U.S. cities. Specific projects covered include the PATH commuter rail line for fleet improvements; and the New Jersey Transit-Port Authority passenger rail tunnel between New Jersey and midtown Manhattan, known as Access to the Region’s Core (ARC). A final section reviews the renewed public interest in passenger rail in general. One extensive table charts the new railcar deliveries for 2009, including new and rebuilt cars.