The University of Denver’s ITI and NCIT Produce a White Paper on the FRA’s Proposed National Rail Plan

DENVER, CO, November 15, 2010 – The Intermodal Transportation Institute (ITI) and the National Center for Intermodal Transportation (NCIT) at the University of Denver released a White Paper in response to the USDOT’s Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) call for input from industry and organizations on its proposed National Rail Plan (NRP). ITI and NCIT prefaced their answers to the 10 questions that the FRA posed with one, fundamental recommendation:

A new National Rail Plan must be an integral part of a new, visionary, 21st Century National Transportation Policy.

In the White Paper, ITI and NCIT went on to describe key issues that a national transportation policy must address and among them are the following:

• § It should promote the integration of all of the modes of transportation into a connected, intermodal system for the movement of both goods and people;
• § It should promote the use of new energy technologies to reduce the dependence on the finite fossil fuels; and,
• § It should address the funding of an ethical, 21st century intermodal transportation network with sustainable sources that would finance not only the cost of the initial infrastructure but also the full life-cycle costs of the continued development, maintenance, and operation of the transportation network.

To access the ITI/NCIT White Paper and read the suggested answers to the FRA 10 questions in their entirety, please go to: http://www.du.edu/transportation/iti_2010_fra.pdf.

About ITI

The Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver offers an Executive Masters Program that awards a Master of Science in Intermodal Transportation Management from the University of Denver. This graduate degree program prepares transportation industry managers for the increasingly complex, global business environment where knowledge of finance, quantitative processes, supply chain, law, and public policy issues as well as freight, passenger, and intermodal transportation operational strategies are critical management tools for success. For more information on the ITI Executive Masters Program call: 303-871-4702 or visit: www.du.edu/transportation.

About NCIT

The National Center for Intermodal Transportation (NCIT) is a partnership between the University of Denver and Mississippi State University. NCIT builds upon the activities of the Intermodal Transportation Institute (ITI) at the University of Denver and the activities of the centers with transportation focuses at Mississippi State University. NCIT is a part of the USDOT University Transportation Centers Program and was reauthorized under SAFETEA-LU.