NOVA-TRAC Supports Public Rail Now

As rail advocates and experts, we understand the importance of prioritizing the needs of communities, workers and the environment. Our work to advocate for a new rail connection alongside the W&OD trail to connect historic and walkable communities has shown us the issues with privately-owned rail.

The W&OD railroad was abandoned because the private sector refused to invest in modernizing, grade-separating and fixing infrastructure that they didn’t see as profitable in the short-term. They chose to abandon the line, and sell it to the highest bidder.

Private railroads consistently under-invest in their infrastructure and take shortcuts such as so-called “precision scheduled railroading” that compromise safety and cause grave environmental impacts. They also regularly fail to follow their legal mandate to prioritize Amtrak passenger trains. These companies also compromise the safety and working conditions of their employees in pursuit of profit.

For these reasons, rail must be treated like a public good. Public ownership of rail is a common-sense solution used in many countries to allow greater accountability to the public, better and more reliable services, use of modern, clean technology such as electrification, and better working conditions for railway workers.

That’s why we’re proud to announce that we support Public Rail Now. We support the campaign’s mission to transition the Class 1 railroads in the US from private to public ownership.