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Posts by David Peter Alan

David Peter Alan

Commentary

Federal Judge Denies Latest Administration Challenge

Judge Lewis J. Liman of the Southern District of New York has been busy lately, deciding cases about the new Congestion Pricing toll that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has…

Using NJT, SCOTUS Sets Limits on State ‘Sovereign Immunity’

There was a legal maxim in England during the Middle Ages that “The King can do no wrong.” That ancient doctrine has come down to us today as the concept…
Commentary

Who Should Operate Corridors?

Amtrak is now repairing the East River Tunnels between New York Penn Station and Queens, as we have been reporting. That project has brought service reductions, including on the Empire…
Commentary

FRA’s ‘Kind of a Little Bit’ Amtrak Restructuring

One of the basic principles of legal or historical research is to locate source documents: those which contain the words from the original proponents of an idea or a program,…

For NJT, a Relatively Smooth Portal North Cutover Startup

After the first of four weeks of temporary schedules on New Jersey Transit’s (NJT’s) rail lines due to the cutover from the old Portal Bridge to the new Portal North…
Commentary

New Rail Transit Starts and Line Extensions: Lots More to Ride in 2025/2026

Rail transit lines and transit railroads are being extended in almost every region of the United States and Canada. This phenomenon was common in past decades, but not anymore. Still,…
Commentary

PSNY Master Developers Shortlisted. Now What? (Updated Feb. 5, 2026)

As I reported on Aug. 27, 2025, Andy Byford, New York’s beloved “Train Daddy,” is back in town. He earned his local fame (which enhanced his already global reputation on…
Commentary

An Unequivocal Success!

Even though the Congestion Pricing toll now being collected when vehicles enter the CRZ (Congestion Relief Zone) south of 60th Street in Manhattan is a local initiative, few topics on…

Portal North Bridge Cutover Coming Soon

Changes will be coming to train schedules on New Jersey Transit (NJT) during the second half of February and the first half of March, as the agency and Amtrak prepare…
Commentary

AmeriStarRail’s Amtrak L-D ‘Grand Conveyance’ Trains

AmeriStarRail (ASR), through Chief Operating Officer Scott R. Spencer, has proposed a new fleet for Amtrak’s long-distance trains, the latest of several proposals that ASR has made recently. Spencer has…
Commentary

No Clear Track Ahead

PASSENGER RAIL OUTLOOK, RAILWAY AGE JANUARY 2026 ISSUE: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … in short, the period was ... like the present…
Commentary

Mamdani: Popular, Different—Perhaps a Transit Advocate?

He’s only 34 and has boundless energy to prove it. He was a member of the State Assembly from Queens who came out of nowhere to become New York City’s…
Commentary

Will Amtrak Take Scott Spencer Seriously?

My report on the Dec. 4 Amtrak Board meeting in New Orleans included a proposal by Scott R. Spencer, Chief Operating Officer of AmeriStarRail, who proposed rebranding the new NextGen…
Unlike other “public” Board meetings that showed only the presentations to non-members, the Dec. 4, 2025, meeting occurred both in person and on line, and included questions and answers. Pictured, below right: Amtrak Board Member Ronald L. Batory, who was confirmed in 2024. (Screen Grab of Amtrak Meeting Video)
Commentary

Amtrak Board: ‘We’re Just Getting Better, Year After Year’

The Amtrak Board of Directors held its year-end 2025 meeting earlier this month in New Orleans, the site of a celebration held three-and-a-half months ago for the inauguration of Mardi…
Commentary

Meet Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, Transit Advocate

Last month’s election was a good one for Democrats. Mounting dissatisfaction with POTUS 47 and his Administration’s policies contributed to major victories, as I reported shortly after Election Day. I…
Commentary

Chicagoland Transit Gets Reprieve

Since the emergency infusion of federal funds for transit enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic started to run out, Railway Age has been reporting on how major transit providers have been…
Commentary

RUN Conference: New Starts, UP-NS Merger, Amtrak Equipment Needs

On Nov. 14, the Rail Users’ Network (RUN) held its fall online conference. Its theme was “An Update—Keeping You Informed in the World of Passenger Rail & Rail Transit.” The…
Commentary

Brightline Financial Woes Continue

On Sept. 30, I reported on Brightline, the private-sector passenger railroad that currently operates in Florida and is building a high-speed railroad between Southern California and Las Vegas. I examined…
Commentary

Dems Win Big. Amtrak and Rail Transit, Too?

Election Night 2025 was a good one for Democrats. Although there were some local elections earlier this year, the first multi-state set of contests since POTUS 47 returned to office…
Commentary

Metro-North to Albany a Big Deal?

Starting next spring, on a date not yet announced, trains will again run on a regularly scheduled basis between New York City’s Grand Central Terminal (GCT) and Amtrak’s Albany-Rensselaer station.…
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