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New Rail Report Offers Policymakers Insight into Train Length

07 Aug 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Washington, D.C. (August 7, 2023) – The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) published its latest report Monday, Evaluating Train Length: Mitigating the Costs and Enhancing the Benefits of Longer Trains. The report evaluates train length amidst a wide-ranging national debate over railroad safety and issues such…

How Smart Vehicles Can Change Our Roads

18 Jul 2023, Posted by Andrew Jefferis in All Posts, Blog Posts

As technology and connectivity continue to improve, many things around us continue to become “smarter” – smartphones, smart watches, smart TVs, and even smart refrigerators. All of these devices and machines are tied to what we call the Internet of Things, or IoT, a phrase first coined by Kevin Ashton…

A Longer View on Longer Trains: Part 2 Costs

01 May 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Analysis, Blog Posts

In this blog series, we are tackling the question of what longer trains mean for the United States and the world. We are using three lenses to evaluate this policy issue: safety, costs, and climate impact. Be sure to read our first blog overviewing modern day freight rail and explaining…

A Longer View on Longer Trains: Part 1 Safety

22 Feb 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Analysis, Blog Posts

Longer trains can be a blessing or a curse, depending on where you sit. Certainly when stuck at a blocked crossing, one can only see the negatives. But what does a more wholistic assessment of longer trains reveal? Does the frustration outweigh the benefits, or are longer trains a key…

Uncoupling Derailment from Disaster in East Palestine

14 Feb 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

On Friday, February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train moving through Ohio derailed in the city of East Palestine. While the definitive cause is still being investigated, reports indicate that 38 cars, including 11 carrying hazardous materials, derailed from a 150-car train with many damaged by fire. Subsequently, officials…

What the Data Says About Train Crew Size

13 Dec 2022, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Analysis, Blog Posts

Following two significant railroad incidents in 2013, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) began taking a sharper look at train crew sizes. Under the theory that human error was causing substantial harm to rail workers, the public, and the environment, the FRA proposed a minimum crew size on locomotives to ensure…

New Rail Report Calls for More Data Before New Rules

12 Dec 2022, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Washington, D.C. (December 12, 2022) – The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) published its latest report Monday, The Safety Impact of Technology and Crew Size: An analysis of accident data, incorporation of technology, and train crew staff levels on rail safety trends. This report will also be submitted to…

How Technology Improves Safety on the Roads

23 Jun 2022, Posted by John Cassibry in All Posts, Blog Posts

Since the first gas-powered automobile in 1886, cars have constantly advanced in efficiency, capability, and most importantly, safety. While the safety of the vehicles that transport us every day is often taken for granted, it is worth taking some time to reflect on several of the advanced safety features helping…

Safer Digging Part 3: Keep it in Park

10 May 2022, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

This blog series is laser-focused on innovative technology that can improve the damage prevention process. While this particular series only discusses one technology – Electronic white-lining (EWL)– we have covered its manifold benefits, including public safety, damage reduction, and communications value. Electronic white-lining has multiple advantages, but here we focus…

Freight Rail Is The Next Tesla, If Regulators Will Allow It

25 Apr 2022, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

When famous Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary was asked by his son why he didn’t invest in Tesla, he said he was not interested in investing in the car company and was instead interested in shorting it. To hear him tell it then, “I love the car; now the stock…

Domestic Uranium Supply Needed As Supply Chain Problems Persist

21 Apr 2022, Posted by John Cassibry in All Posts, Blog Posts

The current energy crisis has seen gasoline prices rise to all-time highs across the country. Around the world, many countries’ ability to meet their energy needs through imports has also been called into question as markets respond to Russia’s war in Ukraine and environmental regulations and policy priorities limiting exploration,…

Self-Driving into the Future

19 Apr 2022, Posted by John Cassibry in All Posts, Blog Posts

While some recent conversations about transportation in the U.S. are relatively simple – like the supply and demand for oil – others are more nuanced and complex. America is a car-dependent country, with more than 90% of households estimated to have access to a vehicle. But with the changing climate…

Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse Shows Need for Immediate Bridge Investment

14 Feb 2022, Posted by John Cassibry in All Posts, Blog Posts

Embed from Getty Images Bridges are so integral to U.S. infrastructure and commonplace in our lives that we only notice them when something is wrong. Across the U.S., almost 10 percent of the bridges linking communities are structurally deficient. The collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last…

5G Flight Interference

25 Jan 2022, Posted by John Cassibry in All Posts, Blog Posts

Between snowstorms hitting large swathes of the East Coast of the United States, the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and continued supply chain crises, airlines have faced a gauntlet of events for cancellations in recent weeks. However, one issue stands out: Verizon and AT&T’s 5G wireless service rollout. Alarm bells were…

Pipeline Safety Agency Reauthorized in Year-End Omnibus

22 Dec 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

With the year-end omnibus budget and coronavirus stimulus package, the federal government’s top pipeline safety agency was reauthorized. The down-to-the-wire omnibus deal included the reauthorization, which was 447 days overdue, as the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) authorization expired in September of 2019. Due to federal rules and…

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