ABSTRACT
Infrastructure does not get much attention, until it fails, or when someone asks taxpayers to pay to repair and upgrade it. Even without major hazard events, protecting and enhancing infrastructure has become a serious problem and a relatively silent priority. The vulnerability and deterioration of, for example, the United States’ collective water, sewer, electric, communication and transportation infrastructures, as well as of buildings is well documented (Committee on Predicting 2012) and risky. The country has fallen behind in rebuilding and upgrading infrastructure. Many local and state government and corporate officials appear to be acting like the mythical little pigs in the fairytale who built their houses out of straw and sticks, and when a wolf attacked fled to the brick house. Relying on the United States federal government to be the third pig and pay for bricks is wishful thinking. Underfunding infrastructure is a smart political idea, until it fails, leaving decision-makers looking for someone to blame when all they need to do is look in the mirror. For this infrastructure case, I chose the passenger rail service between
Washington D.C. and New York City. Arguably, they are the center of government and center of capitalism, respectively, in the United States. The rail corridor linking them is a challenging opportunity to apply risk assessment and risk management ideas and tools. Government and business should have an enormous vested interest in protecting the Northeast Corridor line that links these two centers. If they will not invest in this asset, then I am left wondering what assets that are not symbolic, like Liberty Island and the capitol building in Washington, D.C., are worth investing in.
