Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads: ‘It’s Not Rocket Science. It’s About Cutting the Right Business Deal’ – RAIL GROUP ON AIR
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
Industry icons Gene Skoropowski and Tom Mulligan recall their long, mutually beneficial association as, respectively, Managing Director of California’s Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and Union Pacific Director of Passenger Rail Operations. Gene and Tom, recipients of Railway Age’s W. Graham Claytor, Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to Passenger Transportation, discuss, with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono, the cooperation and collaboration between CCJPA and UP that is still considered a model for agreements between passenger train operators and host freight railroads—a successful model that Amtrak, state and regional entities and U.S. Class I railroads should examine closely, given today’s often adversarial relationships. “It’s not rocket science,” says Gene, repeating a phrase he often used at Railway Age’s long-running (1995-2017) “Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads” conferences, where he and Tom would speak jointly about the Capitol Corridor and the numerous infrastructure and operating improvements that increased passenger train frequency and benefitted UP’s freight operations.
