Rail Transport is critical to the economy

Rodney Slater, United States Secretary of Transportation under President Bill Clinton and a partner at the law firm Squire Patton Boggs, gave two speeches during the first annual Discover USA Week. He tells Qatar Today why rail is crucial to the future of Qatar's transportation.

What is Qatar doing right in transportation?
Transportation investment should not just be viewed as the development of the rail line, the highway, airport or shipping port solely, but rather in connection with the land, mixed use and real estate development that it can inspire. During the visit I learned about the [Qatar's] $40 billion rail initiative. I applaud this. They invested in what little system exists. They're looking to have a region-wide system. You look at Doha as a mega city, and you add Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, if they were connected that would be quite big, especially if you had freight and passengers. We're not just travelling in our own borders, but people want to access places that are outside of the borders of their country.

Why is rail critical economically?
If you can cut down on the cost of transportation, you can really cut down on the bottom line. It could also bring the rural areas into the economy as well. That's really the purpose of the US system. Over time this nationwide connection has developed.

Why is investment in transit important in terms of sustainability?
In the next ten years we're going to sell more automobiles than we have sold in the last 100. What it means is that you've got a lot of places now where you've got this opportunity to purchase vehicles that you didn't in the past: the Middle East, Asia. If we're not careful we can choke ourselves. That's why this investment in [rail] transit is so important.

Where do you see the United States playing a role in Qatar?
US companies could be a partner in the building and the management of the rails [in Qatar]. US is the leader in freight traffic. We can bring the best of US talent and technology to Qatar. I know there are a number of US railroads that operate internationally, especially from the US into Canada and Mexico. The one that comes to mind is Kansas City Southern. You've also got Burlington Northern Santa Fe and CSX Transportation and Union Pacific Railroad. Many of them have fairly significant international exports. I know that there is something to be gleaned from these companies, and I know that there would be some interest there in having an international discussion as Qatar looks not just across the country but across the region.

What sectors of the transportation industry in the US are good to invest in right now?
The South and West regions that are experiencing population growth are good places to invest. [Highway projects such as] the US Interstate 70 Project in Colorado, the Interstate 66 Project in Northern Virginia, the Interstate 40 Biomedical Corridor Project between Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas. It is also good to invest in high-speed rail projects in California, in Texas and the Maglev project in the Northeast of the US.