With impacts including a shrinking number of vehicles and less road congestion currently being ignored when the financial feasibility of projects is being studied, a new economic value added model must be used to illustrate the total realizable benefits that can be obtained.

Do government interventions help foster American manufacturing in public transportation? By and large, they help only marginally, say those who have been involved with the industry for decades.

Title: Deputy Administrator Organization: Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation City: Washington, D.C.

The $8 billion in ARRA funds awarded to 13 high-speed rail projects in January will impact about 31 states and is only the beginning of a new transportation vision by the Obama administration.

President Obama's focus on rail harkens back to the days of the first 'rail president' and fellow Illinois native, Abraham Lincoln.

Following the Sept. 12 Metro­link rail accident in Chatsworth, Calif., the operation has taken steps to bolster its safety measures, including adding a crewmember in the lead cab and making equipment and track improvements.