U.S. states to lead in creating high-speed rail: Biden

[Old Coot]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite the U.S. government's plans to spend $13 billion establishing high-speed rail across the country, much of the work to lay the tracks and send the trains chugging will fall to the states, Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday.

"We have no illusions. We know your budgets are strained," Biden told a meeting of governors and state transportation officials.

"People say to me ... 'Why the heck are you talking about high-speed rail all the time when these guys and these women are in a position where they're having trouble balancing their budgets?' Well, the payoff ... is really significant," he said.

The federal stimulus plan enacted in February includes $8 billion for upgrading existing passenger rail service and developing high-speed projects. President Barack Obama included another $5 billion for the fast trains in his recent budget.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/joeBiden/idUSTRE5527JL20090603

[Alcibiades]

1. Where are the routes?

What, specifically, is being proposed?

[blue_onyx]

2. My Governor was one of the people meeting with Biden

She's in favor of linking Detroit with Chicago (as well as other midwestern states).

This would be great. We need this now, as Gov. Granholm said in the article:

"I see this as a means of creating jobs -- jobs building the system and jobs building those railcars, which right now are predominantly made in Europe," she said. "Let me just say we have lots of capacity in Michigan and workers that are hungry and know how to make things."


I'm not optimistic of it actually happening though.

[avaistheone1]

3. I don't see a need. The average commute for most Americans is only

16 miles. We don't have any manufacturing here any more. So where is the compelling need?

I don't understand why we are dreaming up projects we don't need - when we are not taking care of Americans most basic needs like health care. I rather see us invest in single-payer national health insurance, a plan like HR676. Single-payer national health insurance will create 2.6 million new jobs.

[Tunkamerica]

4. People said we didn't need the Blue Ridge Parkway

...and would you rather have a job that you weren't sure about the worth of or be unemployed? Secure in the knowledge that no frivolous projects were being implemented.

Do Europeans commute to work more than Americans? Less probably. But from personal experience I can say their rail system is great. If nothing else, it encourages travel and tourism. And gives the people who run the trains jobs. And the whole point is to start manufacturing more here. Including rail cars. Is your argument we shouldn't build up the infrastructure because the infrastructure isn't there?

[ohio2007]

5. First there was the bridge to nowhere ...crazy

Now a crazy train.

"Build it and they will come"


Routes ?
Routes?!
we don't need no stinking routes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VorC_GHQnSc&feature=related

[izquierdista]

7. Open your eyes

Dependence on the automobile is a waste -- of time, energy, and money. All that money poured into private cars, each one pouring out pollutants while they sit in rush hour traffic. If we manufacture and maintain the high speed trains here in America, manufacturing jobs can be regained. You should go to Western Europe and see how well run public transportation is the foundation of a truly civil society.

[avaistheone1]

8. I am open, but there is no plan and there is no need.

Where are the routes? What will it cost? What will it save?

Sounds like the bridge to nowhere on steroids to me.

[Old Hob]

10. you can give up your car when the high speed train comes then

I hope it works out well for you. I'll be keeping mine though.

[izquierdista]

12. Living without a car

It IS possible, you know. Very difficult in the US, but very easy in most of Europe. But I wouldn't want to deprive you of the enjoyment of sitting at red lights, in traffic jams, paying $4, $5, who knows how many dollars per gallon, sliding on ice in the winter, having the car overheat in the summer, maintenance, parking tickets, repairs and insurance. Once you give it up, providing you live in an area that is conducive to it, it's not so bad, you might even enjoy it.

[Old Hob]

13. ........

It would not be possible for me to give up my car or my truck even if I wanted to. My job is 20 miles away and my girlfriend is 50 miles away. I need the truck for all kinds of day to day things. My friends wind up using it as much as I do too. I don't want to brag about my car but I really do love it and it would break my heart to part with it as it is completely irreplaceable to me now. If I lived in Europe, I could see it maybe but I live in rural America. What's more, the car has always been the means by which Americans exercise their right to travel freely about their country. It would be a real shame to see that era end.

http://image.vetteweb.com/f/corvette-news/europe-only-c6-corvette-victory-edition-arriving-in-march/6232295+w700+cr1+re0+ar1/victory-edition-c6-corvette.jpg

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

11. Europeans love their cars every bit as much as we do,

[demo dutch]

20. They prefer not to sit in traffic the way we do

[demo dutch]

18. It may be 16 miles, which takes 1 hr where I live. Would take a train in a minute if there was one!

[Alcibiades]

24. In some places it's much longer

In the DC area, or the Bay area in Cali. Since we already have a system where folks live in one place and work in another, high speed rail is logical. In my little corner of North Carolina, some sort of high speed rail system connecting Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary and Apex would be very sensible.

[WriteDown]

16. The only problem I see....

Is that this will require A LOT of eminent domain usage since the routes need to be very flat and straight.

[ohio2007]

6. imo, it will modernize the northeast corridor most likely

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbFqpvxmUA8&feature=related

the rest of the country is cattle car country

[du_grad]

17. Not all of Ohio is cattle car country

My brother-in-law has been an engineer for Conrail/Norfolk Southern for nearly 40 years. His route is from Toledo to Pittsburgh. His trains haul coal, cars, chemicals, and lots of other things besides cattle.

Being in Ohio, you know as well as I do that there is a LOT of traffic between Cleveland/Columbus/Cincinnati/Toledo. If I could hop a train for any of these routes rather than drive them it would be wonderful. Business would jump on this, especially if they included club cars, LOL.

My husband and I took a train from Toledo to Chicago back in the late 80's. It took us right downtown, was on time, and we didn't need a car at all. It took 5 hours. By the time one hassles driving to Detroit (to get a cheaper air fare) and flies to Chicago you've just about blown the 5 hours. Why not take a train? They are much easier to get on and off of than planes.

I think it will be a long time before this country embraces mass transit, but intra-city high speed rail is needed. Right now one can take a train out of Toledo to either Chicago or points east, but the schedule is totally unreliable and therefore not convenient for business travel. If you go to www.megabus.com you can see where this bus company has quietly expanded their routes in the midwest. The earlier you book, the cheaper your fare. If you're a planner you can get from Toledo to Chicago for around $20. It costs you that much to drive and it's much less hassle.

We have to start thinking of alternatives to the auto in this country! Cars can be used as means to get to transit hubs. This company is already thinking ahead:

http://www.zipcar.com/

A Facebook friend's sister works for them. So far they are only in big cities, but what a great idea!

[MasonJar]

9. $100 billion for another year of war and a mere $18 billion for high-speed rail?

[Veruca Salt]

14. I want to see more rail all over the country!

Specially in areas where people commute into cities for work; there needs to be more train stops and a more efficient bus system (I loved the one they have in Finland as a model - it ties the bus and train systems with a license type of government issued card and also is a library pass to boot!).

I would always keep my car of course, but as I take public transportation for my work commute I only have 4,000 miles on a 1yr old car. Public transportation = saving wear and tear and gas money on the personal vehicle, even if public transportation is only used for the work commute.

I also love to take the train to Boston from Portland (the Downeaster) as it's super cheap; you can get there and back for 24$ if you play your cards right with the buy one get one free trains or 48$ paying full fare for the total round trip. Even paying full fare between the money I save in the gas from Portland to Boston and back again plus the price of parking in and around Boston (not to mention no headache from having to drive in MA lol) it's well worth it.

[demo dutch]

19. yes please!! average commute maybe 16 miles, which take me 1 hr!

[Veruca Salt]

27. OMG that must be some killer traffic!

One of my co-workers who works right outside of Boston and lives only about 20 miles away most of the time has the same kind of commute, sometimes longer because of traffic! :scared:

[Vidar]

15. Good move by Granholm.

[Deja Q]

21. Woohoo @ an excellent start!

[amandabeech]

22. Here's a link to the Department of Transportation's high speed rail map.

http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/203

It seems to cover quite a few of our nation's heavily populated areas.

I see a few spots that need to be linked, like pulling Houston into the Texas network and connecting Cleveland and Pittsburgh (even if by regular rail).

I have personal experience dealing with traffic between Chicago and Detroit, and can attest that it is not a pleasant drive. However, I have to say that if trucks were removed from that route via rail, it would be a great improvement. I haven't driven the route recently, so I can't say if the current problems in the auto industry have made that route more driveable.

I've also lived on the East Coast near I-95 in the DC, Baltimore and NYC areas. As many of you know, Amtrak is popular because I-95 is hideous. A quicker trip along there would surely entice more people out of their cars and out of the shuttle planes.

[SKKY]

23. I would gladly take high-speed rail from NY to LA over flying...

...even if it takes 24 hours. I hate flying that much.

[amandabeech]

25. I'm sure that there are more like you.

I don't mind flying, but airports are incredible hassles these days.

I'd prefer rail on shorter trips if the hassle factor were less, like it is now.

Another advantage of rail is that it can be run on electricity instead of liquid fuel, which may become more and more scarce and the petroleum variety of which adds to the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Electricity can be generated by a variety of renewables or very efficiently by much cleaner burning natural gas.

[SKKY]

26. Yea, that's all good and everything, saving the earth and stuff...

...but I'm just terrified to fly. Which is odd considering I'm in the military and fly several times a year.

[Veruca Salt]

29. WOW that right there is a thing of beauty to behold!

:) If I'm not mistaken that means we can take high speed rail right to Florida from the NE! And my parents will be thrilled to see they will actually be able to take high speed rail all the way to Montreal!

[Kingofalldems]

28. This is great--gimme a ride on the the bullet train

Wonder which states will refuse to participate? Will it be the ones still fighting the Civil War?