In It For the Long Haul
Our opponents claimed victory last week, stating that Obama’s high-speed rail program is dead. Before you concede, remember that Congress appropriates funds every twelve months. The high-speed rail program can, and will, return in another budget.
We have made huge strides in the last two years. We need to celebrate our successes, including a just-launched bullet train study in Minnesota, and move forward with determination. As added motivation, let’s look at what happens if our opponents are right.
The price (both financially and mentally) of travel will to continue to rise with no relief anywhere on the horizon. As a result, outlying areas will continue to be disconnected from vital markets, with larger cities added to the list each year. Our region will continue to lose competiveness with the many areas of the world that have invested in fast passenger trains.
Building high-speed and intercity passenger rail is the best way to protect the economic future of our region. So it is important that we push onward.
Throughout the Bush years, rail advocates pined for Presidential leadership. We now have it. The President has put forth an excellent vision for an integrated network of high-speed and modernized Amtrak trains linking 80% of the population. If the plan were expanded to included enhanced intercity bus, then you could travel the entire country without a car. This is an exciting vision, and we should embrace it.
As a result of his vision, approximately $8 billion has been obligated across the country to start work in key corridors in the Midwest, Northeast and West Coast. Here at home, the Detroit - Chicago Amtrak corridor will be reconstructed for 110 mph speeds. Work on the St. Louis - Chicago corridor will continue. A short section of 110 mph, with off-the-shelf technology, is planned for this year and the development of next generation train control will move forward. Missouri is continuing work on track upgrades between Kansas City and St. Louis. Talgo is scheduled to deliver two new train sets to Wisconsin and a large order of coaches and locomotives to replace the Amtrak fleet in the Midwest should be placed soon.
The stage is being set for even better things in the future. Illinois is doing a serious study of a bullet train line linking O’Hare, Chicago, and Champaign to Indianapolis and/or St. Louis. Last week, the State of Minnesota and the FRA launched a study of a 150-mph+ line linking Minneapolis/St. Paul and Rochester. This project, branded the Zip Line, could be the first step towards a bullet train line to Chicago.
As many of you know, I travel nearly each week meeting with stakeholders across the Midwest. These bi-partisan stakeholders understand and value the far-reaching benefits of high-speed rail because they know that doing nothing is not an option. And yet, Friday’s Chicago Tribune editorialized that Illinois should just continue to support “proven” modes of transportation. The only proven characteristics of our current system are inefficiency and unsustainable cost. That is not a solution.
If this region is going to be serious and demonstrate true leadership, high-speed rail is essential, and long overdue. It’s a proven worldwide commodity, it utilizes existing technologies, it will create thousands of American jobs, it will bolster economic growth, and it fosters cleaner travel. High-speed rail is a valuable tool for travelers who rely on fast, safe and affordable mobility.
This week has been an important week for our coalition. It has shown us that despite our progress, we still have work to do. The Midwest High Speed Rail Association is up for the task. We understand that this debate is not a sprint, and with your support, we are in for the long haul.