I am a geography and planning grad student looking to get into rail transit and passenger rail development in the Southeast or anywhere in US really. I just finished an internship with European Railway Agency in France.
I am mainly interested in hearing from folks about their experience working with rail transit/commuter rail and prospects for new growth in the sector.
I personally am a big time dreamer about what we can do in the states with commuter/rail transit connecting it into HSR corridors. There is no reason (apart from the difficulties of getting state and fed funding) that we should not develop a web of connectivity based on passenger rail systems–from HSR to intercity/town routes to commuter rail to slow moving trams–and public buses.
All the advances in alternative/green technologies coupled with the scale benefits of moving more people in fewer vehicles seems to be a no-brainer step toward environmental responsible behavior. Even using conventional overhead catenary systems puts the pollution in a centralized location (at the electric plant) for hopefully a responsible disposal or filtration of waste.
I could go on and on about the environmental (and the social) benefits of rail and transit vs. private vehicle, but this is enough for now; and I have gone off my original topic of simply wanting to introduce myself and hear from people working in transit.
Kyle