High-speed rail to be a US job-growth engine

America is excited about the Obama Administration's goal to develop a national high-speed rail network.

But, more than just moving passengers and goods more efficiently, high-speed rail will also be an engine for job growth in the US.

Today, as reported in Bloomberg, Reuters, and the AP, I am meeting with more than 100 business leaders, labor groups and rail experts. And I intend to make sure everyone in that room knows that American jobs are an absolute priority for this Administration as we develop the new rail system.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act set aside $8 billion to jumpstart high-speed rail development, and we hope that money gets spent right here in the US where it can create jobs and stimulate economic growth.

We have already received commitments from over 30 companies in the rail business to create or expand U.S. rail manufacturing should they be awarded contracts for portions of this money. These companies know high-speed rail, and they could become partners to the state or regions awarded rail grants.

Let's be clear about this: we want to see that $8 billion do its job-creation work in America. We want to create good jobs right here and reinvigorate US manufacturing.

Comments

[Tim Smith]

One way to start would be have Amtrak re commit to be the national passenger rail system, (not just the east coast) reinstate the Sunset Limited east of New Orleans to Florida to reconnect the national passenger rail grid coast to coast providing national connectivity, order new equipment for Amtrak, and proper staffing for the long distance trains. And reduce grade crossings.
That would create good jobs, lead to higher speed trains, increase safety, and provide the connectivity a national passenger rail should provide and international tourism requires.

[bob j nash]

High speed rail is an important part of economic recovery and development .Congrats to the Secretary and the President.A balanced transportation strategy that also includes investments and policies to support trucking and other forms of transportation is critical to overall economic revitilization and success . bob j. nash

[Jerry H. Sullivan, P.E. (retired)]

HSR is merely a distraction from what is really needed in this nation and that is a total revamp of AMtrak, with forward thinking management, many addtional routes, reestablishment of proven routes, such as the Sunset Ltd. east of NewOrleans, the Pioneer, the NorthCoast HIwatha and others. In addition all routes need more than one frequency per day.
When we have this, we will gain the will to do HSR and we will have the infrastructure in place to feed it, otherwise it is nothing but a distraction.

[solarglobalgreen]

Amen to that. We need to rebuild the infrastructure in this country which will put more people to work and be a shot in the arm for the economy.

[Lake Tahoe Hotel Reservations]

Here at Lake Tahoe operations centre we support your thoughts, let us receive faster trains which will develop our country, reduce unemployment and gives us the opportunity to leave a better environment to our children.

[Michael E. Bailey]

I also fully support creation of high speed rail. But I have been made aware that one state that had grant applications ready to submit to DoT to help fund safety increases for commuter rail cars and locomotives decided a few days ago to kill those grant requests and not send them in for fear they would get in the way of high speed rail funding. I do support high speed rail, but it should not be done at the expense of the safety of passengers using Amtrak and regional commuter railroads. High speed rail should be an important part of the overall passenger rail system that Amtrak and commuter rail lines and even city and county subway systems can feed into. The City of Los Angeles Union Station is a good example. Amtrak and Metrolink have their terminals there, the proposed high speed rail will have a terminal there, The LAMetro has a subway terminal at Union Station on the line going from Union Station to Hollywood. The LAMetro light rail line to Long Beach has a stop a LA Union Station. A number of LAMetro and other city bus lines stop at Union Station. And LAMetro's new headquarters building is at Union Station. But it would not be good for high speed rail, rail as a whole, and transit if the High Speed Rail Authority were to convince politicians that it would be fine to starve all the other transit and passenger rail modes and give all the funding to high speed rail. It would be bad for high speed rail because the connections it would need would not be there and it would be bad for transit systems and bus passengers across the state. We need to make sure as we move forward with High Speed Rail that there is integration of it into an overall transit system and that it is not seem as a stand alone program divorced from the rest of the transit system. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[Jeffrey]

Transportation projects need to be supported on the local level to contribute to the success of any national network.

There's no reason why this can't be reality in Chicago: http://www.downtownairport.com/graphics/westloopphotos/OBLIQU_L.jpg

[OhioNewsBureau]

While Sec. LaHood talks about handing billions in American taxpayer money to foreign companies who control high speed rail technology in the hopes they will create lots of jobs here, he has overlooked one, small but very innovative high speed train company in Texas whose "trackless train" technology would cost a fraction of what Euro-style trains cost. Tubular Rail Inc., (www.tubularrail.com) is a new breed of high speed train technology, one that makes surface-grade steel rail systems obsolete for the most part by revolutionizing how people and freight move in the future. We at Tubular Rail have sought but been denied an opportunity to meet with Sec. Lahood, who we believe, once he has a chance to understand what we can deliver to America and the world, would be incentivized to help us build our prototype demonstration project either in Texas or Nevada, two states who have worked with us on our goal to birth a fourth generation of transportation. Sec. LaHood could open the door for train innovators like us by asking Congress to give the Federal Railroad Administration to open its eyes to train technology other than conventional technology or maglev, which is the only non-conventional technology it can legally explore. If the country's principle railroad agency is barred from looking to the future for new technologies that can deliver big benefits like speed, efficiency of operation and a reduction in capital costs, green technology and a reduction in possible accidents delivered by grade separation, that represents a mind set that dooms us to following train innovations that other companies, maybe in other countries, will make. It's telling that for Sec. LaHood to ride a real high speed train, he had to go to Europe to do so. Tubular Rail is an American company that has caught the eye of other American companies whose products or services could make our technology a reality. The letter we received from Joe Szabo, through the efforts of Ohio Senator George Voinovich, says it all. As much as Mr. Szcabo congratulated us for doing what we are doing, he said, as things stand right now, our technology would not quality for ARRA funding and that his agency cannot even evaluate us as Congress has not given it the authority to do so. Also interesting is that he nor anyone else has asked Congress over the decades to expand the agency's mission to evaluate and help new concepts like that of Tubular Rail's. If our public policy is so tied to the past, which is a reflection of how people think about train, we will always fall short, when others whose policy is not so constrained take the lead now and in the future. If anyone at USDOT actually reads these comments, we at Tubular Rail are asking for an opportunity to bring our private sector suitors with us to show and tell the story of Tubular Rail to Sec. LaHood. Once he understands what we are offering, we are confident he will want to help make us a proven technology, whose benefits, we believe, will outdistance and out shine the technology he is ready to spend $8 billion on now and even more on in the future. Sec. LaHood, we look forward to hearing from you. Contact us at info@tubularrail.com
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct/19/forum-highlight-three-futuristic-rail-projects/

[Robert Lambert]

Use the wide spaces between the interstate highway system to build the infrastructure need to put real high speed rail +200 mph to work. The land is there and new stations could be built at hub cities.

[Ken]

I agree that billions more should be pumped into upgrading our aging rail infrastructure, but I'd rather see those money go towards American innovators and companies for high speed rail than foreign consortiums.

The poster above gave an example of a home-grown Made In USA innovation that has the potential to outdo and perhaps, be a viable competitor for high speed rail in the world market.

Spending billions in something that the public can use is great, but it will be even better if said billions can be used to spur our own high speed rail system to be exported thoughout the world as well.

[Jobirn]

Agreed that high speed rail system will create tens of thousands of jobs not only in construction but also connecting the different districts.

For example, we won't drive 5-hr from LA to SF. That will be great for the local business and the traveling industry.

[John Allen]

Could more trains use these same tracks to stop of smaller cities? Most of the HSR stops are 50 miles or more apart. It would be nice if there were feeder lines every 5 or 10 miles apart using the same track, to feed into the stations where the HSR trains stop.

[California Blogger]

I, too, want see money go towards American innovators and companies rather than to foreign groups.

[Heath]

From what I’ve been able to glean thus far, is that as a direct result of both Presidential and Congressional commitment to mass transit over the last 40 years the US doesn’t even possess the high speed tech at this point necessary to deliver the project. They are actually fielding the possibility of a foreign based contractor for the project (recall Dubai and the New York Port Authority mess). In fact, at this stage the only prospects capable of delivery, and incidentally to date the only proposed bidders, are South Korea, Japan, France and Germany. Forget that we DO actually need a 10 year manufacturing based project that would involve both the development of technology as well as its deployment to at least begin chipping away at the economic hole we’re in. This does not , of course, preclude the likelihood of Cheney teaming up again with Halliburton for one last public gauging for example, where to maintain appearances Halliburton would be brought in to bid the project as the general and South Korea as a sub but in effect doing all of the work. Just tell me one thing, do THEY really think Americans are that stupid or are THEY that stupid?

[marcus moree]

The concept is really great and the motive to create jobs for american in the current situation by deploying this High Speed Railway is really a great thing.Although it a gigantic task but hopefully with proper man power and funding and also with pure devotion this could really become a milestone.

[Lovely Denver]

U.S. rail manufacturing should they be awarded contracts for portions of this money. These companies know high-speed rail, and they could become partners to the state or regions awarded rail grants.

[OXO Salad Spinner]

Use the wide spaces between the interstate highway system to build the infrastructure need to put real high speed rail +200 mph to work. The land is there and new stations could be built at hub cities.

[Canon EOS Rebel XSI]

By doing this we hope that money gets spent right here in the US where it can create jobs and stimulate economic growth.

[Paul Mckenna]

SO whats the update with this project? It would be great to have high speed train network across all Over US. Curious to know how long it will take to complete the project.

[p90x]

I agree with you Paul, I don't understand it either.It works so well In Europe. For example if your in London you can be to Paris in just two hours by Train and then to Germany and wherever. You can actually travel most of Europe by just getting a 15 day rail pass. I really wish it would happen in the US. Anyways just my viewpoint.

[Denver Bars]

There must be only a small number of travellers every day. If the train stops at several stations it looses its purpose - high speed. The answer lies in passengers being loaded and unloaded whilst still at high speed.

[Computer Tech News]

For most tuning enthusiasts, they want to find ways to make their cars accelerate faster, have higher top-end speed, and go around the corners like it is on rails. That's all well and good, but very few think about slowing the car down

[Dave Melville]

Amtrak is still subsidized by tax payer dollars. It is not viable without government support. Would a faster more expensive rail system be self sufficient or just another receipient of government aid? I am all for high speed rail, but not when the government will have to indefinitely support it.

[Rob]

I glad to see that there are already over 30 commitments at the time of this article, how many have committed by now, or dropped out I wonder. The US economy could really use the work force with this project and I hope is goes on. I have to agree with Dave here, we know the government is probably going to have to fund the speed rails, so where does that leave the tax payers?

[Mike Rowan]

I think that high speed rails are going to be the wave of the future.....what is the timeframe for them actually getting up and running.....realistically?