Happening Now

President Trump May Ignite Rail Boom

February 26, 2019

But where it'll happen will come as a surprise....

by Sean Jeans-Gail

President Trump has often talked about himself as "a builder," and campaigned hard on addressing America's crumbling infrastructure. So it's no surprise that he's taking up infrastructure again this week.

The location of this latest iteration of Infrastructure Week, however, did come as a shock. Bloomberg has more:

At South Korea’s northernmost train station, the tracks stop abruptly ahead of the demilitarized zone that marks the North Korean border. A sign reads: “The steel horse wants to run.”

That may soon become a reality as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un prepare for a second summit next week in Vietnam. The outcome is expected to include some easing of sanctions in return for steps toward denuclearization -- with a rail link first mooted more than 15 years ago one of several key inter-Korean projects that might finally get approved.

In a phone call with Trump this week, President Moon Jae-in said South Korea was ready to move forward with the rail link and other unspecified economic projects if it helped the negotiations.

...

Restoring the connection and modernizing North Korea’s railways would allow South Korea to run trains into Russia, China and beyond.

Let's hope the president brings some of that deal-making magic back with him on his return stateside. If he's looking for a blueprint, may we suggest www.railpassengers.org/2020?

Comments

"It is an honor to be recognized by the Rail Passengers Association for my efforts to strengthen and expand America’s passenger rail. Golden spikes were once used by railroads to mark the completion of important rail projects, so I am truly grateful to receive the Golden Spike Award as a way to mark the end of a career that I’ve spent fighting to invest in our country’s rail system. As Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, it has been my priority to bolster funding for Amtrak, increase and expand routes, look to the future by supporting high-speed projects, and improve safety, culminating in $66 billion in new funding in the Bipartisan infrastructure Law."

Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
March 30, 2022, on receiving the Association's Golden Spike Award for his years of dedication and commitment to passenger rail.