November 30, 2010 • 9:11 am 4
So, is the perfect really the enemy of the doable? Maybe. New York State has enough population density to suggest that true European style HSR is viable. The real difficulty is a lack of political will. Nobody wants to upset the big campaign contributors in the air and trucking industries.
Filed under: Amtrak, Passenger Rail Politics, Regional USA Passenger Rail, United States High Speed Rail
November 30, 2010 • 8:58 am 0
CALIFORNIA High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) says it has identified the section of line that will form the first phase of the state’s planned $US 43 billion high-speed network.
Engineers have recommended to the CHSRA board that the initial phase of construction should focus on the 106km stretch through the Central Valley between Madera and Corcoran, which will include two stations at Fresno and Hanford.
California identifies route for first high-speed line – International Railway Journal.
Filed under: Regional USA Passenger Rail, United States High Speed Rail
November 27, 2010 • 9:32 pm 0
Do the dimming prospects for high-speed rail in the Midwest brighten prospects for high-speed rail in the Mid-Atlantic?
Republicans who won gubernatorial elections in various Midwestern states do not appear fond of high-speed rail and similar projects. As they address their budget challenges, they do not seem eager to commit state revenue even to proposals that enjoy federal support. And if the states do not ante up, Washington is prepared to pull the funding.
The Charlotte Observer notes that North Carolina enthusiastically has backed rail enhancements, including improved service between Raleigh and Richmond. North Carolina and Virginia do not want high-speed to stop at Washington’s Union Station. (Although “high-speed” remains the preferred reference, “higher-speed” is more accurate. Bullet trains similar to those in Europe and Japan are not on the U.S. horizon.) Virginia’s state and regional leaders have promoted the high-speed concept.
HIGH-SPEED RAIL: Brighter? | Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Filed under: Passenger Rail Politics, Regional USA Passenger Rail, United States High Speed Rail
November 25, 2010 • 9:41 am 2
As most of you know, Ohio has been taken hostage by the Party of “No.” Here is a paragraph from an excellent article.
Unfortunately, putting that money back in our taxpayers’ pockets is not a reality. If Ohio’s high-speed passenger rail project is “dead,” then we can kiss our $400 million grant, thousands of jobs, freight rail infrastructure upgrade plans and subsequent economic development opportunities goodbye. New York, California, Illinois, and Florida were among the states quick to raise their hands and ask for Ohio’s piece of the pie. Even the terminator, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, was in disbelief over Kasich’s statements, announcing “it is with a certain sense of astonishment that we note recent announcements from some of our gubernatorial colleagues that they are uninterested in federal contributions to their high-speed rail systems.” Astonishment is right.
There is something really important in this little item. It looks to the future.
Debate Forum Left 11/24/10 : Dayton City Paper.
Filed under: Passenger Rail Politics, Regional USA Passenger Rail, United States High Speed Rail
November 24, 2010 • 9:19 am 0
This is great stuff. Even the people on our side are idiots.
E-mails reveal clashes over high-speed rail project – latimes.com.
Filed under: Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy, Regional USA Passenger Rail, United States High Speed Rail
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