High-speed rail--the future we can't afford to leave behind

Last week, I traveled with Vice President Biden to Philadelphia to announce a comprehensive plan for an American high-speed rail network. As the Vice President said that day, "We know that public infrastructure investment increases private-sector productivity, promotes growth, and creates jobs."

That’s because transportation is the lifeblood of today’s global economy.  And if we can’t move goods and people faster and more efficiently than our competition, there’s no way we can remain the most prosperous and productive country in the world.  The undeniable fact is that our existing systems are not up to tomorrow's load.

Unfortunately, some continue to take the short view on our economy. Robert Samuelson's attack on President Obama's high-speed rail initiative in Monday’s Washington Post was equally as shortsighted as the Post’s editorial last month criticizing our high-speed rail plan.

But as the Secretary of Transportation, let me be clear: there is no amount of money that could build enough capacity on our highways and at airports to keep up with our expected population growth in coming decades.  America’s population will grow by 70 million in the next 25 years and 100 million in the next 40 years. Adding capacity to an interstate highway in the congested Northeast would cost more than $40 million per mile and cause enormous traffic backups, assuming we even had the space. A relatively “inexpensive” airport runway can cost half a billion dollars to construct.

High-speed rail can alleviate congestion both in the air and on our roads. It can do that with more energy efficiency than other forms of transportation. High-speed rail will involve upgrades to our freight rail system that will be needed to serve a swelling population. And it will support an industry that will add jobs for our workers.

In fact, more than 30 foreign and domestic rail manufacturers and suppliers have committed to locating or expanding their base of operations in the United States if they get the chance to work on our high speed rail program. Some are already locating here.

Siemens, for example, is manufacturing train cars and other equipment in Sacramento. CAF is doing the same in Elmira, New York. Caterpillar/EMD is building a locomotive assembly plant in Indiana. And Steel Dynamics, Inc. is expanding a steel manufacturing plant in Columbia City, Indiana.

In Brunswick, Maine, once-unemployed construction workers are laying track that will provide the first rail service to Portland and Boston since the 1940s.  And private investment has already gravitated toward the Brunswick Station neighborhood.  Economic development there includes a number of businesses, residential condominiums, a new hotel, and a modern medical center.

One need look no further than Wisconsin to see that rail companies are chomping at the bit to hire American workers and use American materials to help jump-start an American high-speed rail manufacturing industry.  Talgo, a Spanish-owned rail manufacturer, set up shop in Milwaukee, hiring more than 100 workers and planning to hire even more.  When Governor Scott Walker closed the door on Wisconsin's high-speed rail segment, Talgo decided to close the door on its operation in Milwaukee and move elsewhere.

Along the increasingly congested roadways near Amtrak's Keystone Corridor in Pennsylvania, we can see an example of how American rail works.  Harrisburg-to-Philadelphia is too short a distance to fly, but too long for some travelers to drive.  Amtrak upgrades to that corridor's rail line increased speeds significantly so that ridership increased by 57 percent.  And business travelers like the line because they can work while traveling--unlike drivers who would otherwise be stuck in traffic.

Amtrak's enormously successful Acela service in the Northeast Corridor demonstrates that safe, convenient, reliable passenger rail can carry its own weight.  Last year that line took in $1.40 in revenue for every dollar in operating costs, and Amtrak has enjoyed 15 straight months of ridership growth.

The President understands what the Washington Post does not—that we can’t shortchange tomorrow's economy by failing to lay the foundation for growth today. That’s why the President Obama is launching a high-speed rail network that will serve 80 percent of Americans and its legacy will be more than trains, tracks, and ties. It will be an economy on the move and a future that we are prepared to win.

Comments

[Dan Johnson-Weinberger]

This is the single best post on the economic imperative to build a high speed rail network as the cheapest method to meet the mobility needs commensurate with our population growth. Thank you for your leadership.

[Ch1nish]

HUGE WASTE OF MONEY. INVEST IN THE LOCAL LINES FIRST. (SEPTA, DART.....)

[D Holmes]

The American people are demanding cuts to the Budget to bring down our Trillion dollar debt. What's more important? Taking care of our elderly or building a high speed rail? Amtrak is and has always been a failure so why fund High Speed Rail? Obama already gave you 1.3 billion in capital funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for high speed rail. You said then you had shovel ready jobs and we know how that turned out. Enough is Enough. Take care of the people first.

[Tomyamaguchi]

We need to convince the Republicans in Congress that high-speed rail is not just another example of big government. As a member of the Republican Party, you could give us some good advice on how to make our arguments. When asked for examples of what to cut from the President's budget, Republican congressional leaders put high-speed rail at the top of their list. I fear that this program will be sacrificed in the name of fiscal responsibility, even though not building these systems will hurt our economy in the long run. May I add that global warming is another reason why we need to move to more energy efficient transportation systems? Electrified rail systems powered by nuclear energy will greatly reduce the amount of carbon we pump into the atmosphere.

[Zach]

As I'm seeing states reject high speed rail funding, I am reminded of a very important highway in Western Pennsylvania that has been stalled bc of lack of funding. This highway was planned 40 years ago and only half of it has been constructed. This highway, the Mon-Fayette Expressway & Southern Beltway gives direct connections between Morgantown, WV and Pittsburgh International Airport as well as Monroeville and downtown Pittsburgh if completed as planned. Completion of the highway will finally bring jobs and growth to a Mon Valley that has lost so much since the days of coal mining and steel mills. It will also help ease congestion throughout the Pittsburgh area which suffers from unsustainable traffic volumes at choke points like tunnels otherwise. As the largest inland port in the U.S., Pittsburgh needs this major infrastructure upgrade that is SHOVEL READY. Divert the rejected high speed railway funding to this extremely important and long overdue project!

Thank you,

Zachary Ordo
Former Western PA resident who plans to return to Pittsburgh eventually

[Djvazquez]

Maybe the rejected FL High Speed Rail money could be allocated for SunRail (and a superior Light Rail – Urban Metro Transit system for Central Florida). SunRail and Light Rail systems do not need to be standardized with other rail systems elsewhere in the USA like High Speed Rail. Along with SunRail we can build a test-bed rail system based on parts of MagLev technology – Linear Induction Motors (LIMs) also used in ultra-fast accelerating theme park rides – and we can lead the nation and California rather than follow and with the HSR money reallocated we can employ Tampa engineers as well as many other high-tech people.

[Patrick]

We need to invest in transportation infrastructure that meets our future needs, which can be challenging in this time of high government debt. A point that the Secretary made is that we will either need to expand our current highway and airport infrastructure or invest in Speed Rail, which will save the taxpayers a lot of money since the cost of expanding existing roads and airports is much higher than the current plan for HSR investment. The latest figures show that the ratio of National Debt to GDP is greater than 90%; we need a long-term public investment that will help turn that tide by providing cheap reliable transportation at a reasonable cost as well as generating jobs in construction and manufacturing. It is very disappointing that too many Republicans have taken a myopic penny-wise pound foolish approach to our future infrastructure investment and instead decide to score a few short-term political points at the expense or our long-term viability. I thank Secretary LaHood for finding ways to meet our future transportation needs while taking into consideration our financial limitations.

[Laura Chalfin]

If Florida doesn't want the money, we'll be happy to have it in New York.

[C]

We cannot wait any longer with our heads in the sand. We must have some form of alternative transportation now!! The creation of more roads in this country CAUSES more congestion, more by-passing of small downtown businesses, and more pollution. If we want to continue to attract tourists and young professionals, and make our cities healthier, then we must support alternative transportation.

[M. Dillon]

YES! I am excited to see passenger rail service become more of a federal issue. Let's keep up the good fight and not sacrifice our principles of what we know to be the best investment for the future of our country!

I'm an Ohio State University student who was a big supporter of Ohio's forgone 3C rail plan that would have connected our major cities to one another.There are over 200,000 college students in this state who would have loved the oppurtunity to utilize pasenger rail. Let's continue to make rail a national issue and not let short-shighted politics get in the way of our future.

[cecelia]

High speed rail and SunRail in Florida is unsustainable. Jobs and populations in Florida are not concentrated in large, dense cities as in Boston or New York City. Locals (and tourists) will not pay more money for the inconvenience of rail when they can drive more more cheaply, quickly and easily. We, the taxpayers would end up subsidizing billions of dollars to a system that will not be able to support itself in the future. If the administration pushes through the Cap and Trade bill, the cost of fuel for transportation and utilities will skyrocket. The price of food, gasoline and home energy bills will reach record highs. How will any of us be able to afford to live within our means? The poor will be harder hit by these policies. Lower taxes, cut the deficit and live within your means, as we have to do every day of our lives. Otherwise, inflation and even higher unemployment will be our future.

[Lori]

Please consider funding high-speed rail from Detroit to Chicago. If the travel time can be shortened from the approximate 5 hours it takes by car, this would be used by a lot of people.

[Milt]

Raise taxes, spend more, raise more, spend more...

[build the road]

I agree about the mon valley expressway/southernbeltway in pa. we need this road. Our are is so backward comparded to other cities across the country. too much red tape to get things done in pa. they need to concentrate and build it.