Angela Cotey's Blog

In spring 2007, I visited Caltrain's San Carlos, Calif., headquarters to interview senior executives about the inner workings of the agency, their challenges and top priorities. What I left with was far more specific. Caltrain Executive Director Michael...

What do you get when you combine a century-old piece of steel rail, a few scrapped wood ties and a creative eye? If you guessed a piece of furniture (and I’m thinking you didn’t), you’d be right on track. Robert Hendrick, owner of railroad...

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is set to launch construction on the initial segment of its high-speed rail line in the Central Valley this fall. But will it happen? In recent months, a series of issues have been raised that have drawn...

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) held its annual Rail Conference at the Chicago Hilton earlier this week. If conference planners were worried that the recession and tight travel budgets would affect attendance, they were quickly dismissed...

Last week, the Federal Railroad Administration wrapped up a series of workshops held throughout the country to gather input on the Obama Administration's strategic plan for high-speed rail development. The goals: to determine how to best create partnerships...

We had a stormy night here in Milwaukee yesterday, and I thought it provided the perfect opportunity to plop down on the couch and catch up on some TV. At the top of my "must-watch" list: "24." The show actually aired on Monday (what...

It's no secret that transit agencies are facing large budget deficits in the coming fiscal year. The recession has caused sales tax revenue — which provides dedicated funding to many a transit agency — to plummet, and financially strapped...

Ever hear of Twitter? It’s a social networking service under which users can send and receive updates, known as “tweets,” that tell their friends, family and whoever else might care, what they’re doing at the moment. While the...

Why do we need public transportation? To take cars off the road ... to provide commuters an alternative to sitting in gridlocked traffic and paying outrageous fuel prices ... to help improve the environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. But...

Remember the last wedding you went to? What did you take as a gift? Chances are, you presented the newlyweds with a shiny new toaster, blender or (fill in houseware item of your choice here). But the guests at last Saturday’s nuptials between Kristen...

For the past nine months, transit agencies have been spewing out ridership data fast enough to make your head spin. And why wouldn't they? Ridership skyrocketed when gas prices rose to record levels last summer, and continued to climb even when fuel...

The Senate passed its version of the economic stimulus package yesterday. Despite proposed amendments that called for either increasing or decreasing funding for transportation infrastructure projects, the approved figure didn't differ much from what...

On Monday, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle outlined to Milwaukee business leaders how he would suggest spending any federal economic stimulus funding the state received under President-elect Barack Obama’s proposed plan. One of the top priorities: a Midwest...

Like many economy-watchers, President-Elect Barack Obama believes the recession is going to get significantly worse before it gets better, as he said during an interview with Tom Brokaw that aired on Sunday's "Meet the Press." The good news...

Shortly after joining the Progressive Railroading staff almost six years ago, I was given my first story assignment. The topic? High-speed rail. I still remember the interviews I conducted for that article — not everything that was said, but...

I'll admit it — I had my doubts. Sure, transit ridership has soared this year. Sure, Americans seem to be seeking alternatives to automobile and air travel. But in these particularly tough economic times, would people actually vote in favor...

All too often, it takes a tragedy to raise public awareness of — and prompt action on — long-standing issues. Last week's deadly Metrolink/Union Pacific Railroad collision is an unfortunate example. A week ago, positive train control...

Speculation is mounting that Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) will be named Barack Obama's running mate in the 2008 presidential election, CNN.com reported yesterday. Now, I don't claim to know much about politics, nor do I know much about Biden himself...

Midwest Airlines has become the latest air carrier to announce job and service cuts; yesterday, the company said it would be slashing about 40 percent of its workforce — and those who are lucky enough to keep their jobs could be facing a huge pay...

I was perusing MSN’s Web site last weekend when I saw a photo of a Charlotte Area Transit System light-rail vehicle next to the headline, “Where’s the best place to live in America?” Intrigued by why the site might have used...

With ridership on the rise, some U.S. transit agencies are nearing capacity on their peak-period trains. But that’s nothing — a “YouTube” video a friend of mine emailed me yesterday (“Crazy Japanese commuters get pushed into...

The Cato Institute has released results from a recent study that says transit rail is “ineffective at reducing carbon dioxide emissions.” Because “most” transit-rail agencies supplement their systems with feeder bus services...

I was having brunch with friends a couple of weekends ago when one mentioned she had just read an article on global warming. According to the piece, our home state of Wisconsin eventually would have a climate similar to Kentucky. On this particular...

Would you pay an extra 50 cents a day to drive your car? If Congress follows recommendations unveiled today by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission — including a motor fuels tax hike to the tune of five to eight...

Is there something in the water? By my count, there were a dozen new transit-rail chiefs named this year, putting a whole lot of new faces in the top post. Not that they’re all new new faces. John Catoe Jr. was deputy CEO at the Los Angeles County...