In the News

[Ray Lahood] brought a different perspective to Washington. He is a straight shooter, and I think he took transportation from the back of the political discussion to more of the forefront.

April 30, 2013, Robert Puentes, National Public Radio

Blog Post

State and Local Leaders Double Down on Infrastructure

April 16, 2013 | comments

In the News

As a nation, we've got to figure out better, more long-term ways, more sustainable ways, to fund needed transportation projects without having to rely on this annual uncertainty which seems to be the norm instead of the exception now.

March 14, 2013, Robert Puentes, WAMU

Blog Post

Expand State Partnerships for Passenger Rail

March 13, 2013 | comments

In the News

15 years ago in this country, we thought that [telecommuting] was the death of distance and that it was just going to ruin cities and we didn't see that at all. We see that people really do benefit from face-to-face conversations. Face-to-face conversations are going to be critical for many, many metropolitan jobs. There are many jobs that will require you to be face-to-face. Telecommuting does have a role [but] it's not going to solve all of our problems.

March 10, 2013, Robert Puentes, WTOP Washington

Report

A New Alignment: Strengthening America's Commitment to Passenger Rail

March 1, 2013

Blog Post

New Partnerships for American Rail

March 1, 2013 | comments

In the News

The places we see Amtrak being competitive, running effective and efficient service, are in those places where the state already has some skin in the game. These are places where Amtrak is treated not as a big federal bureaucracy that's coming in but is actually part and parcel of the transportation plan.

March 1, 2013, Robert Puentes, USA Today

In the News

[Amtrak is] too often considered a big, bloated bureaucracy that depends heavily on federal subsidies and is no longer relevant to the technologically oriented metropolitan economies of today.

March 1, 2013, Robert Puentes, CNN

In the News

In order for metropolitan areas to compete, they have to be able to provide several different options for people in how they get around, for how business leaders are going to connect with other business leaders in different metropolitan areas and then how these regions are going to grow in the future. We are seeing continued congestion on the roadways, perhaps deterioration of the roadways in some cases, frustration with the airlines and looking at Amtrak as a potential alternative to some of the other modes.

March 1, 2013, Robert Puentes, Minnesota Public Radio