America’s first high-speed rail project could happen in Texas, where Houston and Dallas would be connected along a 240-mile stretch of railroad. However, what Texas Central Partners (TCP) and other high speed rail advocates are calling the Texas Central Rail, CAGW considers a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars.
Step Back, Doors Closing: D.C.’s Subway Debacle
For anyone familiar with the subway system in Washington, D.C., the warning, “step back, doors closing,” alerts riders to the dangers of trying to beat the trains’ automatic doors, which are not as forgiving as those on elevators. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), known as “Metro” to Washingtonians, first ran its trains in 1976. It started out positively, but the system has fallen from grace after years of poor service and intermittent reliability, not to mention several fatal incidents, and riders are leaving the service at increasing rates.
Maryland’s Proposed Purple Line Update
On August 3, 2016, Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Purple Line, a proposed light-rail project in Maryland, was ineligible for federal funding until the state recalculates the Purple Line’s ridership forecasts. In nearby Washington, D.C., the public transit system (Metro), administered by the Washington […]
Reduce Regulatory Burdens Instead of Increasing Fees
Innovative technology has become the foundation for performing mundane tasks, such as vacationing, buying groceries, and even catching a ride, in new inventive ways. The sharing economy is on the cusp of such a revolution, using mobile apps to offer consumers new ways to connect with the services they want to use. However, as noted […]
What’s Longer: TSA Lines or TSA Employee Retention?
This month, CAGW named Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson June’s Porker of the Month. The decision was a no-brainer, as he is the man behind the “nightmarish” Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines across the country. While the agency claims things are getting better, there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
A Perfect Picture of Government Efficiency: The Washington D.C. Metro
On June 24, 2010, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced a $5 billion overhaul of the Metrorail and Metrobus system. However, the results of this retrofit have been underwhelming. The problems have persisted to such an extreme degree that on May 6, 2016 WMATA announced a further improvement program, the $60 million SafeTrack, to fix the lines.
Hailing for Change: Medallions vs. the Marketplace
In the digital age, the monetization of personal assets has become a new phenomenon. Whether it is renting out the spare bedroom in your house through Airbnb, using your personal vehicle to earn money by transporting people via Uber or Lyft, or even booking a luxury private jet at a fraction of the cost through JetSmarter.
Purple Money
The largest public-private partnership (P3) in the U.S. is expected to start construction by the end of the year sits just outside the Capital Beltway in Maryland. What Maryland calls the Purple Line, we consider a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars. The Purple Line was first estimated to cost around $2 billion to construct, operate, […]
Senate Hearing on TSA Operations: Frustrated Travelers and Threats to Aviation
This morning, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs held a hearing entitled, “Frustrated Travelers: Rethinking TSA Operations to Improve Passenger Screening and Address Threats to Aviation.” The witnesses included: The Honorable Peter V. Neffenger, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) The Honorable John Roth, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Jennifer Grover, […]
USPS and the Next Gen Vehicle
The United States Postal Service isn’t known for its whiz-kid, early adoption of shape-shifting technology innovations. While the private sector has been screaming along, birthing cutting-edge, disruptive technologies in the communications, transportation, and logistics sector, the USPS has remained mired in its top-heavy, sclerotic, analog, bricks-and-mortar past. For example, the USPS has been preparing to procure […]