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The Network:
220-mph High Speed Lines

“There's no reason why we can't do this. This is America.”

     – President Barack Obama

Chicago to Cincinnati, Detroit and St. Louis in less than two hours? Cleveland, Pittsburgh and St. Paul in three hours or less?

The technology exists: 220-mph high speed rail (HSR 220)

The Midwest High Speed Rail Association is proposing a 220-mph Midwest high speed rail network (Midwest HSR 220 Network) that by 2030 would put more than 25 million people within 3 hours of Chicago. Here is what the Midwest HSR 220 Network will achieve:

• Millions of hours in family and work time regained from choked roadways and flight delays
• A more compact and competitive Midwest economy
• Reduced harmful emissions and dependence on foreign oil
• The foundation for a green, sustainable economy that cannot be outsourced
• Make up for dwindling short-haul air service with strong rail links from smaller markets to large airports

President Obama and Congress demonstrated leadership and vision by jumpstarting high speed rail in America as part of the stimulus. We must sustain the effort and catch up to the rest of the world. America must stop thinking small and build a network of ultra-fast trains that move people at 220 miles per hour, like in Asia, Europe and, soon, the Middle East.

Current and planned upgrades to 110 miles per hour are necessary and overdue, but they must be supplemented by 220-mph technology if we are to realize the full benefits of the technology in terms of our quality of life, our economy and our environment. These benefits include:

• Shrinking distances among Midwest cities: The 300-mile trip between Chicago and St. Louis would take 1 hour and 54 minutes with 220-mph trains, according to a study by the Midwest High Speed Rail Association. That's less than half the expected travel time with upgrades to 110 mph.
• Cutting harmful emissions: A Midwestern network would reduce highway travel by 4.3 billion vehicle miles per year, saving 3 million barrels per year, according to a proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation by the operator of the French high-speed rail network (SNCF). Studies show 220-mph high-speed rail generates a quarter of the emissions of the same trips conducted by car or plane – 220-mph trains run on electricity, unlike diesel-powered locomotives on conventional 110-mph lines.
• Creating green jobs: A Midwestern 220-mph network would generate 677,000 permanent jobs and 316,000 construction jobs, according to the SNCF study.
• More timely, predictable travel: The London-Paris 220 mph high-speed line is 95 percent on time; The average U.S. airline is 78 percent on time. High-speed rail traffic is not affected by inclement weather the way airplanes are.

Given these benefits, the Midwest HSR 220 Network would be well worth the investment, estimated at $68.5 billion. In comparison, the nationwide Interstate Highway System cost more than $450 billion in 2008 dollars.

Let’s invest into a faster, greener future today.