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Maglev comes to Pittsburgh... finally
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The new E5-type bullet train - AP Photo, Kyodo News
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Debated for years, finally here
For those of us Pittsburghers with a half decent memory, the word “Maglev” can stir recollections of politically inspired empty promises and immensely fast bullet trains stoppable only by government funding quagmires fueled by a conservative citizenry understanding that mass transit, while sustainable, does not hold mass appeal.
With President Obama now in the Whitehouse, it looks as though Pittsburgh will finally receive its own high-speed rail connector. The Pittsburgh connecter represents one of two points in the Keystone Corridor, which is one of eleven transportation corridors identified by the congressional Transportation and Infrastructure committee as being of significance to commuters.
The keystone Corridor connects Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and will utilize high speed Maglev train technology conveying passengers at speeds of 300mph and more. At this rate commuters would be able to reach Philadelphia from Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in an hour or less.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 designated $8 billion to be utilized for high-speed rail development, the President has proposed an additional $5 billion in his most recent budget, and in addition, Jim Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released the full text of the Transportation Authorization Act of 2009. The 775-page document released last week calls for an additional $50 billion over six years for high-speed intercity passenger rail development in the designated corridors.
Placing Pittsburgh back on the map
One Transportation and Infrastructure committee member, Pittsburgher and US House Representative Jason Altmire (D-McCandless), in a hearing held today by the House Subcommittee on Railroads said that he will push to have a Pittsburgh-to-Cleveland line added to a national list of high-speed rail corridors.
During the hearing, Congressman Altmire offered his opinion that a Cleveland to Pittsburgh connector should be included as a designated corridor, expressing that the Pittsburgh to Cleveland connector is the “missing link” in the national plan and according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, further elucidated that, if created, this connector would establish Pittsburgh as the hub of a network stretching across the upper Midwest.
Altmire’s proposal on the Pittsburgh/Cleveland connector was submitted for inclusion in the Transportation Authorization Act that will come before the Congress this year.
The designated high-speed corridors are:
1. Northeast Corridor
2. The California Corridor
3. The Pacific Northwest Corridor
4. The South Central Corridor
5. Gulf Coast Corridor
6. Chicago Hub Corridor
7. Florida Corridor
8. Southeast Corridor
9. Keystone Corridor
10. Empire Corridor
11. Northern New England Corridor
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s illustration below shows the magnitude of the high-speed rail corridor project.
Photo US Department of Transportation
All that it’s cracked up to be?
The project is historic in its size and scope, but he overall bill includes much more than the high-speed railway proposals and is sure to expand commerce for many and significantly curtail freedom for others, begging the question; is it truly the legislation we want?
As with most recent Democrat initiatives as of late, the $500 billion dollar legislation opens the door for many guidelines and limitations that will expand rights for some and severely curtail rights of the greater majority of individuals.
One of the areas in question in the proposed legislation is the formation of an “Office of Livability”. In it’s twenty-page summation of the Office of Livability, the proposed bill begins by laying out the case against the American way of life: “Since the creation of the Interstate System, American surface transportation has been defined by the use of personal motor vehicles. The focus on automobiles has afforded Americans increased mobility and interconnectivity; yet has also lead to increased congestion, higher greenhouse gas emissions, and a reduced focus on other modes of surface transportation.”
The act follows the shift that started with reauthorization of the ISTEA which began changing federal fuel taxes from a user fee into a general-purpose transportation tax in 1991. This general purpose tax revenue would be usable by Congress for whatever purpose it determines significant.
Pittsburgh should be wary of this proposal insofar as that the language of the bill opens the door to limit personal freedom dramatically. The act decrees metropolitan transportation plans are to be devised using “smart growth” principles, while targeting reductions in use of “single occupant vehicles” It also imposes what amounts to federal land restrictions to protect “valuable farmlands” in urban regions, and increasing “livable communities”, so if you know anyone who has had their family farm or homestead designated a wetland, ask them how they dealt with it, because you’re next.
Think twice
Pittsburgh-ers show their heart and determination here in the city of champions in how they support their sports teams and through uniquely strong family bonds. We do not take kindly to limitation of personal freedoms.
The bill sets new precedent for government expansion in control of transportation and limitation of freedom. It provides the above listed and many more regulations as part of the “California Smart-Growth” model and it will be imposed on urban areas large than 100,000 people. Remember that greater Pittsburgh (Greater) ranks somewhere around twentieth in the united states in this department. Bear in mind that the Federal Government knows this and if possible will find a way to impose the California model on our region.
So, before you jump on the High-speed Altmire train, bear in mind that it comes with a higher price-tag than just $500 billion, a higher price tag than just an unfunded mandate to be paid back by your children and grand children. It is a huge government expansion that affects Pittsburgh directly and whose costs are reduction of personal freedoms such as; how often you drive, where you drive to, what route you take to get there, it restricts your ability to build that fence in your back yard and even the retaining wall needed to keep the hillside from sliding into your home.
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