Until high-speed rail has a dedicated source of funding, like the highway and transit programs, it will always be subject to annual budget battles and the changing political winds of Congress…Yesterday’s budget news underscores the importance of securing dedicated funding for high-speed rail, such as a penny on the gas tax, a percent tax on oil imports, and a passenger rail ticket surcharge that would grow as the program grows over time.
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A well-intentioned but quixotic presidential vision, to make high-speed rail service available to 80 percent of Americans in 25 years, is being buffeted by a string of reversals. And, like its British counterpart, the London-to-Birmingham high speed rail line (HS2), it is the subject of an impassioned debate. Called by congressional leaders “an absolute disaster,” and a “poor investment,”, the President’s ambitious initiative is unraveling at the hands of a deficit-conscious Congress, fiscally-strapped states, reluctant private railroad companies and a skeptical public.
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Vincent Kartheiser & Rich Sommer sit down in 1965 to discuss trains and why we need them. Trains get you where you want to go, more directly than planes too.
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REGIONAL PLAN ASSOCIATION
High-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor is a critical component to providing the capacity needed to support projected growth in the megaregion. The Corridor’s $3 trillion economy, representing 20% of the nation’s total on just 2% of its land mass, is the direct result of our nation’s historic investments in world-class infrastructure.
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HARRIS INTERACTIVE
When Americans were asked about awareness of high-speed rail projects, only a little more than a third (35%) of those living in one of the proposed high-speed rail corridors said they are aware of a high-speed rail project that is either proposed or under development in their state, with more than four in ten (45%) unsure…Not surprisingly, awareness is highest in states where HSR is developing the fastest (68% are aware in California corridor, 60% in Florida). Awareness in other states with proposed high-speed rail projects include the Chicago Hub at 31% and New York at 28%.
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All three governors who rejected the federal HSR grants — Govs. Walker, Kasich and Scott — told Sec. LaHood that their states could badly use that money for more urgent needs of fixing roads, bridges and transit systems and, in the case of Gov. Scott, rebuilding Florida’s ports in anticipation of the Panama Canal expansion. Yet Sec. LaHood turned a deaf ear to those requests, insisting that the stimulus money must be spent on high-speed rail — even though money spent on other modes could have been just as effective in creating jobs.
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The trickle of criticism about the Administration’s high-speed rail (HSR) program several months ago has turned into a veritable torrent in recent days. Serious media opinion seems to have turned against HSR and this has enormously complicated the Administration’s efforts to turn congressional and public opinion around.
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The Alliance hopes the federal stimulus dollars will be re-directed to other states investing in high speed rail projects. High speed rail investments provide both short-term economic stimulus and long-term competitive advantages that can significantly increase connectivity and productivity, while mitigating the costs of congestion.
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While Florida’s route was most feasible and ready-to-go, investment in many other corridors, including those in the Midwest, California and Northeast, will underpin long-term economic growth and success
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The Obama administration announced on Tuesday a six-year, $53-billion-dollar project to expand high-speed rail service in the United States – promising trains reaching 250mph. The budget request is in addition to $8-billion already allocated in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Even so, those billions are a drop in the bucket compared to the investment European and Asian countries have been making to their rail networks for decades. Above – a Japanese bullet train – top speed 275 mph.
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