Talking Transportation

These columns run in some publications under the title "Getting There." Am I going to have to change that name to “NOT Getting There”? That’s what Governor Lamont says. Post-COVID he predicts the end of daily commuting as we know it.  Lamont told Bloomberg that his New York business buddies tell him they’re saving so much money by having people work from their homes they may … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Is Commuting Dead?

In the post-COVID-19 world (whenever that may be) commuters will be asking themselves one question:  Is this trip really necessary? Sure, when the quarantining is lifted and the life-threatening virus seems to have passed (at least until it returns next fall), we may look forward to getting back on the train and on the crowded highways. But the weeks of not commuting have … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Flattening the Commuting Curve

I’ve always been fascinated by the airline business.  Even though I’m not a great flyer, the whole idea of moving hundreds of people from point A to point B in a metal tube has astounded me. I even remember the good old days of “Youth Standby” flights in the 1960’s when we could get a 50 percent fare discount just by helping fill empty seats.  But until recently the planes … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Airlines Hit COVID Turbulence

When it comes to transportation, Joe McGee is often the smartest guy in the room. If I want a vision of our state’s mobility future, he’s the first man I turn to. McGee served as then Gov. Lowell Weicker’s Commissioner of Economic Development. For years I worked with him on the Connecticut Metro-North Rail Commuter Council. And until recently he was the Fairfield Business … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: What is Connecticut’s Transportation Future Post-COVID?

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to work for the railroad? That’s what Paul Holland did for 39 years, first with Amtrak, later with Conrail and finally as a conductor on Metro-North.  His self-published “My Life As A Rear End” pays tribute to his time in cabooses, but it’s his commuter rail stories that kept me laughing. Like the colorful crowd from the … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Memoirs of a Metro-North Conductor

“Buckle up folks.  There’s some bumpy air ahead”, said the pilot on a recent flight.  No need to remind me; my seatbelt is always fastened as “bumpy air”… a euphemism for air turbulence … is my worst fear in flying. It’s the whole “fear of death” thing. Intellectually I know that modern aircraft can survive all manner of stress from changing or violent winds, but can I?  I’ve … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Avoiding Air Turbulence

Editor's Note:  This is the second of two articles written by Jim Cameron reporting on his conversation with CDOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti. Read the first article at this link. Connecticut's Department of Transportation (CDOT) Commissioner Joseph Giulietti is about to finish his first year on the job and his plate is more than full.  It’s overflowing with controversy. In … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: A Conversation With CT DOT Commissioner Giulietti, Part 2

Joseph Giulietti is finishing his first year as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation -- CDOT.  He’s been busy and less visible in recent months, so imagine my surprise when he offered me a one-on-one, no-holds-barred interview. “You’ve always been fair, Jim.  You’ve hit me hard but you’ve always been fair,” said the Commissioner.  That’s music to my … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: A Conversation With CT DOT Commissioner Giulietti, Part 1