DENVER, Colo. — The U.S. should build a new, intermodal transportation system that incorporates both freight and passenger rail to meet future transportation needs, according to Gil Carmichael, founding chairman of the board of directors of the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver.

At the recent 68th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Carmichael called for a public-private initiative, which would be funded through two, new intermodal trust funds, one for freight movement and one for passenger transit.

"The Interstate Highway System that was built has served us well," Carmichael said. "But today we have a population that has doubled in 50 years; we have a deteriorating and badly congested transportation infrastructure that cannot meet consumer demand; and we have a growing global economy that requires interconnected, intermodal transportation. The solution to meeting this century’s challenges lies in building ‘Interstate 2.0.’"

To achieve this holistic approach to transportation, Carmichael recommends using the U.S. 240,000 miles of existing rail Rights of Way and upgrading 30,000 miles of tracks to a high-speed, grade-separated track. "We should provide the private railroads with a 25 percent investment tax credit to encourage them to upgrade and double- and triple-track their main lines to increase speeds and double capacity," he said.

Carmichael also calls for the states’ DOTs to develop two separate departments for intermodal freight transport and passenger transit. "We can no longer afford to administer effective transportation policy on a single mode basis," he said.

— via Truckinginfo.com