High speed rail possible? Yes, this is America

The Department of Transportation is proud to support President Obama’s vision for new and improved passenger rail service for America.

Nearly 150 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln approved construction of the Union-Pacific Railroad.  It would stretch from Iowa to California. The work of building cutting-edge railways in America has not yet been completed. With President Obama's high-speed rail initiative, we can resume that work today.

All around the country, people are asking for more rail service. Ridership on Amtrak, light rail, commuter rail, and subways, is on the rise. And across Europe and Asia, people enjoy the comfort and convenience of high-speed train travel. That’s why it’s so important for us to jump-start a new era in American train travel.

We need to develop new passenger rail corridors where it makes sense to do so--and integrate them with our highways, airports, transit hubs, and urban centers.

It’s the right thing to do for our mobility – and for the environment.A single railroad track can carry as many people as a 10-lane highway. That could help to relieve congestion. And rail systems powered by clean diesel or electric power are energy-efficient. They’re capable of removing billions of pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.

Years from now, Americans will look back on this time as a game-changer. A time when we got serious about putting public transportation to work on behalf of all Americans. A time when we recognized that passenger rail can play a key role in making our communities more livable and sustainable.

We're creating jobs while repositioning our economy and supply chains for the future. But, it's not just job creation; it's mobility transformation. The President understands that "investing in our transportation, investing in our infrastructure pays dividends over the long term."

Vice President Biden said it so well when he described the President as a "Man who will have transformed transportation in this country."

Can we really do this? As the President said this morning, "It's already being done; it's just not being done here. And there's no reason for it; this is America."

Comments

[Allan Thomas]

Mr Obama, Mr. Biden, Mr. LaHood,
and Mr Boardman,

The future high speed rail system should augment the present national passenger railroad system providing connectivity to Americans. Since Katrina that system has been broken when Amtrak truncated America's only coast to coast route ( L.A. to Orlando), the Sunset Limited east of New Orleans to Florida. Please re-evaluate Amtrak's plans to termanate this long neglected route, and expand the high speed designation pass Mobile to Jacksonville.

[William R. Walling]

Mr. LaHood,
After one hundred and fifty (150) years time America remains an 'infant' within realised NATIONAL daily rail service.
America's public cares not about the method of transportation but that which is EFFICIENT!
Rail transportation has always provided this service in concept if not obvious fact.
Inconsistencies during this period by Government, industry and public regarding transportation methods or policies has clearly hindered America beneath a global guise.
Kindly devise then soon implement policies that reach accord with all effected parties.
Do proceed exhibiting forethought and vigour!

[Christopher Milne]

Congratulations! After decades of waiting and holding our breath, we have a treambling iceberg ready to move inevitably to give us cool clear water which will transport us all much better than we have been for fifty years.

[Willie Wlizlo]

A high-speed rail between Minneapolis and Chicago would connect two of the largest Midwestern metropolitan areas, both of which flourish in the arts and industry. Minneapolis has just recently begun investing in light-rail and commuter-rail systems and is finding that public demand for those services is increasing every year. In 2008, our Hiawatha light-rail line topped 10 million passengers for the first time. A high-speed rail between Minneapolis and Chicago would help connect the Midwest as a community.

[Alex Boov]

Tnx for your work !

[Sybil]

What is the proposed speed of high-speed rail here in the states?

I've read that it's just 90 mph, whereas in Europe and Asia the speed is more like 180 mph.

And yes, please pay particular attention to Florida - we need help down here!

[David Works]

I think this is great and long overdue. Way to go President Obama. This will help save the enviroment big time if they do it right and make it cost effective.

[Evan]

I live within view of the high speed rail line planned for California. It's fantastic to see support for projects like this spread throughout the nation.

It will truly serve as a turning point in how our nation's citizens get from place to place. And I can't wait to see it.

[Martin Engel]

Wrong question. Of course it's possible. Because something is possible doesn't make it desirable or necessary. The question is, what do we need? Starting with high-speed rail as the solution and then looking for problems is backward thinking. To a hammer, everything looks like a nail. What are the problems and how can they be solved? Where do we need urban mass transit the most? Inter-city or urban/regional? Where in the country do we need to improve and/or increase rail transit? Let's do what the European and Japanese did, since we admire them so much. First they created a comprehensive rail network. Then they added high speed rail. California is doing it the opposite and starting with the icing rather than with the cake.
Finally, let's not kid ourselves. High speed rail is a luxury, premium ride, anywhere. It's not the commuter train for the blue-collar working class.
It's for well-to-do suits with laptops. Why should the government; that is, we taxpayers, subsidize corporate travel expense accounts?

[Alek F]

Indeed, it's about time
for America to start catching-up to the rest of the world!

[John]

Fast passenger rail might be nice, but if it was economically justifiable on its own it would already be here. If it requires tax subsidies to make it work, we don't need it.

We all pay for highways with tax dollars because we all use them. Passenger rail will only work where there is sufficient density. That means most of the nation will not use passenger rail. I have enough demands on my funds that I don't want to subsidize people in the few areas that can be served by passenger rail.

[Mike Rosenberg]

Affordable High Speed passenger rail is a must for our country for many of the reasons stated.

Nevertheless, we need a High Speed freight rail as well. Aside from growing a national industrial/commercial network that will help facilitate the construction of passenger lines, there are other benefits as well.

High Speed freight, if on its own dedicated lines, will clean up traffic on our highways. It will also move the energy used from lower-efficiency trucking to higher efficiency rail. High Speed will also move shipping away from dirtier air freight to the more efficient rail.

Please give some consideration to how this can help.

[Andrew]

Subsidized rail should be provided for the working class who would best be served by rail service that connects suburbs and outlying villages to the cities. People who work in the cities could then live more comfortably in the country only using their vehicles to get to the nearest station. Subsidizing rail and bus transportation can also reduce parking costs in the destination city (and reduce the need for parking garages). The money people save on parking can be used to stimulate the economy by shopping. We might provide tax incentives for large shopping malls, wallmart and target stores to locate in the city center, reducing urban sprawl.

[Andrew]

bicycle's are appearing that have electric assist motors for climbing hills, three wheels for those with balancing problems or larger cargo carrying concerns and I've now seen them for people who weigh up to 500 pounds.
The transportation department should do all it can to make the uses legal and comfortable so that more people use vehicles that don't use gas, stabilizing gas prices permanently through a reduction in demand that might see gas prices stay under $3 rather than creeping up gradually after were out of our recession.
And I like the idea of an electric assist on hills.

[Jeff Bequette]

Evan is right-we are a hammer. Rather than the 18th century answer to transit, albeit sped up, why not look at a 21rst Century answer like Skytran? Safer, eats less resources, able to individualize routes unlike the Acela high-speed "old tech" trains.

[Lisa]

I ride the train. One reason is because I like it but another is because I am disabled and can no longer drive and airplanes are a big problem. The rail service is a necessity to many disabled and seniors citizens who cannot or do not wish to drive or fly. For me it is a matter of discrimination that we do not spend more on rail service. He has my support. Oh great news a new rail line is in the works from El Paso to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. This would cut train travel to Chicago by almost a day and a half. Yippee

[Jonathan]

RE: We all pay for highways with tax dollars because we all use them. (John on April 20).

We also pay for airports and flight control, ports, schools, fire department and police, not because we all use them all the time but because we think they help all of us. Same for high speed rail. These other things are not "economically justifiable" either, if you're only thinking narrowly.

[MPMueller]

I'm ready to ride the rails...like they do in Europe.
Thank you for your work/efforts.