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Maintaining the Rails for Transport

CES Contributor Malcolm Kenton has co-authored a major report on maintaining rail systems for public transport. The report titled Tools for a Smoother Ride; Managing Rail Assets and Leveraging Competition, was published on May 15, 2018, by Eno Center for Transportation, a nonpartisan Transportation policy think tank, and is available here.

In introducing the report the Eno Center writes:

Public transit maintenance is not often headline news. Yet with high profile closures and disruptions to rail systems in major metropolitan areas like New York, Baltimore, and Washington, the condition of this infrastructure is very much in the public eye. These systems all need major track maintenance overhauls, but the real overhaul needs to be in how agencies conduct their asset management and maintenance programs.

Together, major rail systems in US cities move millions of people every day, and the lack of regular maintenance and upkeep has direct effects on the efficiency of personal mobility and regional economies. While local elected officials and voters time and again approve proposals to raise revenues for new projects, reinvesting in existing systems is too often ignored. But the more maintenance is deferred, the more it will cost to return to a state of good repair in the future, and the less reliable the service will become for riders.

Malcolm is highly focused on the US rail transportation system. His bio describes his life and passion:

Malcolm Kenton is a native of Greensboro, NC and was fortunate enough to be one of Thomas Berry’s last students. He is a writer, researcher, photographer, videographer, and communications professional with interests in sustainability—particularly in terms of transportation—and engaged citizenship. A 2008 graduate of Greensboro’s Guilford College with a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies, Kenton currently resides in Washington, DC. There he contributes his talents to advancing a balanced, efficient transportation system for the 21st century based on a robust network of passenger trains, as a consultant to a passenger rail operations contractor and to a travel consumer advocacy organization, and as a freelance contributor to Trains Magazine. He completed an MA in Transportation Policy, Operations and Logistics at George Mason University in May 2016.

Our hat is off to Malcolm as he carries out his part of the Great Work.