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High-speed rail plan unveiled

Take this high-speed baby anywhere! |
(Katherine M. Hill)

The high-speed rail plan is here! Sort of. A plan has been outlined, and President Barack Obama has finally said, oh, yeah, I forgot that I’m open to ideas outside the highway, which is sometimes frustrating. From The New York Times:

 

With clogged highways and overburdened airports, economic growth was suffering, Mr. Obama said from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, shortly before leaving for a weekend trip to Latin America.

 

Obama wants you to know it’s time for a change! A time for cleaner air! A time for less traffic congestion! A time for ease in travel! A time to create jobs, many of them permanent! It’s time for me to curse less on the road! It’s time for me give the finger to the same woman in the sedan who always cuts me off! It’s time to stop laughing at her stupid Baby on Board sticker! Oh, those things aren’t related, since my commute isn’t covered by high-speed rail, I’m on my own. Still, it’s time!

 

In Obama’s words: “What we need, then, is a smart transportation system equal to the needs of the 21st century,” he said, “a system that reduces travel times and increases mobility, a system that reduces congestion and boosts productivity, a system that reduces destructive emissions and creates jobs.”

 

I know the image of a citizen swooning over the President is old hat, but, seriously, swoon. Obama has finally recognized (again) that highways are a burden, not just the solution! This doesn’t change the car-dependent funding across the U.S., but it does alleviate some of the aggression that has been building over the last few months as the stimulus funding was focused on roads, roads, roads.

 

Today Obama called high-speed rail “overdue.” He said the construction would create thousands of jobs of the next few years and would create permanent jobs.

 

He also said, “…This plan lets American travelers know that they
are not doomed to a future of long lines at the airports or jammed cars on the highways.”

 

Finally!

 

As for the plan? From The Washington Post:

 

The stimulus package that Obama pushed through Congress includes $8 billion that the president said will be doled out to the most deserving projects. He has requested another $5 billion in his budget.

Obama said that the money would be used for two things: to improve existing rail lines so that trains on them could go 100 mph or faster; and to identify and construct new rail lines in major corridors.

Among those, according to a fact sheet put out by the White House are the following:

-- California Corridor (Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego)
-- Pacific Northwest Corridor (Eugene, Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver BC)
-- South Central Corridor (Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Little Rock)
-- Gulf Coast Corridor (Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta)
-- Chicago Hub Network (Chicago, Milwaukee, Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville)
-- Florida Corridor (Orlando, Tampa, Miami)
-- Southeast Corridor (Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Macon, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville)
-- Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh)
-- Empire Corridor (New York City, Albany, Buffalo)
--Northern New England Corridor (Boston, Montreal, Portland, Springfield, New Haven, Albany)

The fact sheet also suggests that upgrades and improvements are needed in the Northeast Corridor, including "Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City, New Haven, Providence, Boston."

So the rail will cover a vast area and include our area. (Of course, our area is covered from DC to Boston, but wouldn’t it be nice to traverse westward?)

 

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