(On a more personal note, a friend who commutes to work via the Red Line shared the following insight):

"Thank God the accident involved two trains heading into town that were sparsely populated. If it had been two rush hour direction trains, fatalities would have easily exceeded 100."

While investigations into the incident itself are continuing, Maryland Congressman and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer knows that moving millions of people a day on outdated infrastructure is an ongoing gamble with stakes far too high to fudge.

So Hoyer has just proposed an additional $3 billion in Metro transit improvements.

That's a positive move, but it's too much of a response to problems that have been allowed to develop. Forward-thinking investment is what systems like DC's need, before disaster strikes.

$13 billion are set to pour into America's high-speed and commuter rail systems before 2014, including $8 billion in 2009 alone.

That money will be put to best use by investing in companies that make efficiency and safety their top priority. And since the U.S. is playing catch-up to countries like France and Japan that already have high-speed rail, there's a world's worth of examples and listed firms to choose from.

In our new report, High-Speed Rail: Getting Back on Track, we detail the potential economic benefits of advanced nationwide rail infrastructure as well as highlighting the very real costs of underinvestment and inaction.

The only international companies that deserve our public dollars are ones who will get the job done right.

And when it comes to where you should invest, the same tough standards apply.

You can check out the report here.

Until next time,

Sam