Air & Train Woes Prove Now Is The Time To Make Real Infrastructure Improvements

America's mass transportation infrastructure is fast becoming a national embarrassment.

The latest black eye is a computer problem this morning at the FAA that is resulting in flight delays and cancellations around the country.

The glitch is resulting in pilots being unable to access their flight plans and thus forcing airlines to spend time filing those flight plans manually.   The problems were first reported at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, America's busiest.

This is just the latest in what's been a very bad few years for air travel.   As frequent travelers are already painfully aware, flight delays have grown considerably over the years as more people take to the skies.   While weird weather takes some of the blame, America's antiquated air traffic control system shoulders most of it.    Our system is still based on World War II era radar rather than more modern digital satellite systems that would enable controllers to manage more planes in the air, adding capacity and reducing the impact of single delays.    Late arrivals inbound and outbound of the New York area are estimated to to be responsible for up to 40% of flight delays nationwide.

The problem are not just in the air.    Despite dealing with a 200-year old form of travel, our government seems woefully incapable of running a viable commuter train system.    One recent report writes that 41 of 44 Amtrak routes lost money last year.   One route - New Orleans to Los Angeles - lost $462 per passenger!    Every taxpayer in America subsidizes Amtrak to the tune of $32 dollar per person.   While the Northeast has the relatively fast and profitable Acela service, most of Amtrak nationwide is a plodding system of slow, old trains and dirty stations.   Anyone who has been to Europe or Asia knows how far behind we are.

Consider my own well-documented problems commuting by train each day.    This year alone I have received about 100 delay notifications from New Jersey transit, most of which are 20-60 minutes in length.    Many of these delays are the result of problems at Amtrak, which controls the right of way on the heavily trafficked Northeast Corridor between New York and Washington.   Some examples just in the past month: Three days ago a broken-down Amtrak near Penn Station resulted in hour-long delays for commuters and some people being re-routed by bus.  On November 8th a stuck drawbridge forced trains to stop running entirely for a few hours.    November 5th power problems at that same bridge resulted in 60-90 minute delays.    October 29th it was a track switching problem that forced major delays.    There are many more of these notifications, but you get the idea - even as fares and subsidies increase, the system is breaking down.

Traveler frustration aside, flight and rail delays have the more serious result of a negative impact on productivity.   They impact those who have the least amount of time to lose; those trying to get to work, make a sales meeting, get to a job interview on time, see their family after work, etc.   Would a company accept the excuse of "my train was late" as a job-seeker scrambles into an interview 30 minutes late?   Is it worth finding out?

Upgrading the air traffic control system will be costly.   So too is modernizing our rail system and upgrading our stations.    But don't confuse these investments with entitlement spending.   Preventing costly air and rail delays will increase productivity and help grow the economy.    There have been at least two trips I have not taken this year because I've simply grown tired of wasting hours of my time waiting at the airport.    That means lost money for the airlines, hotels, restaurants, taxis, etc.   

While the stimulus plan does provide some money for high-speed rail, the process - like Amtrak - is slow and cumbersome.   Congress needs to stop wasting taxpayer money on non-productive programs and help grow our economy by increasing it.    Upgrade the air traffic control system.   Privatize the rails and cut massive subsidies for commuter services we don't need.  Eliminate or cut back on money-losing train travel across sparsely populated areas.   Heavily trafficked corridors such as the Northeast, Upper Midwest and the West Coast need fast, efficient and environmentally friendly high-speed rail.   Run like a real business these systems will pay for themselves.

Congress has no problem throwing trillions at banks, health care and entitlement programs.   It should be able to toss a few coins and tax breaks to bringing America's transportation infrastructure into the 21st century.