Taking aim at a 20th-century rail bureaucracy

Karen Christensen loves trains but is no fan of the transportation bureaucracy, in Massachusetts or in the US as a whole. In this show, she runs through a list of examples of waste and bloat, and highlights a sensible, economical proposal that never saw the light of day. How many proposals of that sort get squashed because they aren’t business as usual? Listen and comment!Show NotesThese organizations, reports, and press articles are mentioned in the podcast, or simply recommended:* “The Most Expensive Mile of Subway Track on Earth” - New York Times gift link* TransitCosts at NYU * North-South Rail Link news in Commonwealth Beacon* “CT to build train station in Enfield, using nearly $32 million” - CTInsider* Palmer Rail Stop * East-West Rail in Massachusetts - Trains in the Valley* Comments on MassDOT study - TransitMatters* Northern Tier Report Train Time a media project focused on passenger rail’s potential for making the world a better place. Please support us with a paid subscription or sponsorship.And how about another podcast? RailNatter is hosted in the UK but talking about trains (and planes) in the US: “Ten Of The Most Pointless US Regional Flights That Should Be Trains.” This reflects the aim of policy makers in Europe, and is one of the arguments for California high-speed rail, a subject we will be talking about in future shows. Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe