The Accidental Legacy of the High-Speed Rail Program

Posted by Ken Orski on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

This week’s discussion on the highly respected National Journal’s Transportation Blog  has been prompted by a recent report of the U.S. Conference of Mayors assessing the economic benefits of  high-speed rail. You can look up the responses by the blog’s participating contributors at  http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2010/07/will-highspeed-rail-drive-busi.php Our own contribution is reproduced below.

Ken Orski (korski@verizon.net)
Editor/Publisher
Innovation NewsBriefs (celebrating our 21st year of publication)


The Accidental Legacy of the High-Speed Rail Program

In our June 30  NewsBrief, “The Rail Debate Intensifies,”  (available at https://www.infrastructureusa.org/the-rail-debate-intensifies/ ) we speculated whether the  Administration’s $8 billion high-speed rail initiative is indeed a first “down payment” on a multi-generational commitment to create a network of high-speed lines or whether it is simply a one-shot initiative that will only marginally increase passenger rail speeds in a few rail corridors. Our conversations with colleagues in the transportation community and the railroad industry suggested that the weight of expert opinion is favoring the latter scenario.

Many of the experts we had consulted noted that the future of true high-speed rail in America depends on finding a dedicated source of funds that could sustain the program over a period of several decades. Because building new high-speed rail lines would require massive sums of money and long-term financial commitments, the program could not be placed on a pay-as-you-go basis and left to the vagaries of the annual congressional appropriations process. However, securing a dedicated funding source would require broad-based public support. Are there enough potential intercity rail users in America to engender popular grassroots support for a tax-financed rail fund like the Highway Trust Fund? Would there be enough users and beneficiaries of high speed rail service to generate the billions upon billions in  tax revenue necessary to fund a network of dedicated high-speed rail lines? And will future presidents and Congresses share this Administration’s enthusiasm for high-speed rail or will they be obliged to focus attention and scarce resources on other, more urgent infrastructure priorities? Despite the rosy expectations of the U.S. Conference of Mayors as expressed in its June 14 report (“The Economic Impacts of High-Speed Rail on Cities and their Metropolitan Areas”) and despite the confident rhetoric of some industry and government HSR boosters, there are huge uncertainties concerning all three questions.

That is why most informed observers we have talked to have expressed skepticism about the prospect of President Obama’s high-speed rail initiative sparking a renaissance in intercity passenger rail transportation.  A more likely legacy of the HSR program will be a series of improvements in Class I rail infrastructure–assuming a successful resolution of the current impasse concerning the terms on which the Class I railroads are willing to participate in this program. The planned improvements as detailed in the Administration’s HSR announcements —upgrading track and signal systems, eliminating grade crossings, refurbishing existing stations, deploying positive train control technology—will not only benefit the private railroad companies but also enhance the overall capacity of the nation’s freight carrying infrastructure since freight railroads move 40 percent of the nation’s intercity freight (as measured in ton-miles.)

In the end, therefore, the HSR initiative could turn out to be of considerable economic benefit to the nation — but not quite in the way the program has been sold to the public and not exactly in the manner it is still being envisioned by the Conference of Mayors and other passenger rail boosters. Improvements in Class I freight railroad performance rather than a substantial enhancement in the quality of intercity passenger service is likely to be the main consequence of the $8 billion “high-speed” rail initiative.

C. Kenneth Orski is a public policy consultant and former principal of the Urban Mobility Corporation. He has worked professionally in the field of transportation for over 30 years, in both the public and private sector. He is editor and publisher of Innovation NewsBriefs, now in its 21st year of publication.

Tags: , , , ,

Comments are closed.

Follow InfraUSA on Twitter Facebook YouTube Flickr

CATEGORIES


Show us your infra! Show us your infra!

Video, stills and tales. Share images of the Infra in your community that demands attention. Post your ideas about national Infra issues. Go ahead. Show Us Your Infra!  Upload and instantly share your message.

Polls Polls

Is the administration moving fast enough on Infra issues? Are Americans prepared to pay more taxes for repairs? Should job creation be the guiding determination? Vote now!

Views

What do the experts think? This is where the nation's public policy organizations, trade associations and think tanks weigh in with analysis on Infra issues. Tell them what you think.  Ask questions.  Share a different view.

Blog

The Infra Blog offers cutting edge perspective on a broad spectrum of Infra topics. Frequent updates and provocative posts highlight hot button topics -- essential ingredients of a national Infra dialogue.


Dear Friends,

 

It is encouraging to finally see clear signs of federal action to support a comprehensive US infrastructure investment plan.

 

Now more than ever, our advocacy is needed to keep stakeholders informed and connected, and to hold politicians to their promises to finally fix our nation’s ailing infrastructure.

 

We have already engaged nearly 280,000 users, and hoping to add many more as interest continues to grow.

 

We require your support in order to rise to this occasion, to make the most of this opportunity. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to InfrastructureUSA.org.

 

Steve Anderson

Managing Director

 

SteveAnderson@InfrastructureUSA.org

917-940-7125

InfrastructureUSA: Citizen Dialogue About Civil Infrastructure