RAIL Solution

New Phillip Longman Article in Washington Monthly
07/09/11
Several years ago Washington Monthly featured a ground-breaking article by NewAmerica Foundation's Phillip Longman about the potential of rail to relieve truck congestion on Interstate 81. Now in the latest issue of the magazine, Longman's article "The Case for Not-Quite-So-High-Speed-Rail" makes the case for rail infrastructure investment in America that can support both passenger and freight new capacity, an approach very congruent with RAIL Solution's Steel Interstate advocacy.

Read the article here.

News Articles Feature RAIL Solution's Work on Steel Interstate
07/09/11
Recent articles in DailyKos and in Cumberland County, PA Sentinal mention our advocacy work on the Steel Interstate. Read the articles here:
Daily Kos (7/3/2011)
Sentinel (7/9/2011)

Memphis Voted as Revised Western Terminus for Steel Interstate Prototype Project
05/05/11
After much discussion RAIL Solution’s Board recently voted to switch the Western terminus of the proposed Steel Interstate demonstration from Knoxville to Memphis, TN. The Eastern end remains at Harrisburg, PA, for a distance of almost 1,000 miles in the I-81/I-40 Corridor (see map).Use of the Memphis gateway anchors the pilot project at an important, high volume shipping hub. Tennessee faces the same issues of high truck density on I-40 that Virginia faces on I-81, so the expanded corridor will address the same freight flows. It is also congruent with Norfolk Southern’s Crescent Corridor project area. Recognition of commonality of freight problems in both the I-81 and I-40 corridors has led to recent efforts by RAIL Solution to view these key areas as one for future planning. Three of the group’s new Board members are from Tennessee (see Board list) Future pilot project references on this website and in printed materials will reflect the new broadened I-81/I-40 definition. Expanded efforts will be undertaken to secure resolutions of local government support in TN.

RAIL Solution Holds First Board Meeting on November 14, 2010
11/24/10
One of our goals for 2010 was to reform the RAIL Solution governance structure. On Nov. 14 the Steering Committee, which has overseen operations since founding in 2003, met, approved changes in Constitution and By-laws, dissolved itself, and turned control over to the new Board of Directors. Both meetings were held in Hagerstown, MD in conjunction with the I-81 Corridor Coalition annual conference. The purpose of this organizational change is to broaden the professional and geographical diversity of our governing body.

Click here to meet the new Board of Directors and Officers.

Sneak Preview of Alan Drake's An American Citizen’s Guide to an Oil-Free Economy
10/26/10
Energy researcher Alan Drake is working on a new "How-to" treatise aimed at weaning the U.S. from its dependency on oil. Organizations ranging from Sierra Club to RAIL Solution support this goal. Here is an advance look at Chapter 1 - Rail Electrification Can Reduce U.S. Oil Dependency. This is the first chapter, he says, because it's the most important thing we can do as a nation. He welcomes feedback and can be reached at alan_drake at juno dott conn (adjust to normal e-mail address format).