Rail Bite #3: Professor David Alff on the expectation that trains turn a profit

Photo credit: English | University at Buffalo on X @ UB_English

In this timely meditation, author and professor David Alff probes the inner tension of rail transport in the U.S.: that it is expected to make a profit while providing an essential public service.

Mr. Alff is associate professor of English at SUNY Buffalo and author of the 2024 book The Northeast Corridor: The Trains, the People, the History, the Region (Code: “UCPNEW” for 30% off).

The following articles by Professor Alff are also must-reads for anyone interested in the history of U.S. passenger rail and the nature of infrastructure:

• “What Is Infrastructure Anyway?” in Boston Review—from the ancient concept of “public works,” which aimed for not just material, but also spiritual edification; to the invention of the term “infrastructure” by French railway engineers in reference to the gravel ballast underlying railroad tracks; to the endurance of the older, deeper notion of public works in the cultural and recreational initiatives of the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration—this article will change the way you think about infrastructure.

• “Why America Still Doesn’t Have Fast Trains” in Time—well, it turns out America did have fast trains. As early as 1967, the “TurboTrain” (heard of it?) reached speeds that remain untouched in the U.S. to this day. But an insistence on keeping upfront investment to a minimum doomed this powerful train and others to operational mediocrity—a trap that continues to ensnare U.S. passenger rail 60 years later.

Our new Rail Bites series presents you with some of our favorite clips from our amazing guests on Reconnect America. With Rail Bites, you can look forward to more frequent, shorter-form content in between our carefully crafted longer episodes.

Reconnect America is hosted by Bill Moyer, co-author of the book Solutionary Rail: A People-powered Campaign to Electrify America’s Railroads and Open Corridors to a Clean Energy Future. Check out the essays and supplemental posts that complement this podcast HERE.

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