President's Transportation Budget Focuses on High-Speed Rail

[marmar]

CQ, via MassTransitMag:



President's Transportation Budget Focuses on High-Speed Rail

By Colby Itkowitz and Kathryn A. Wolfe
Congressional Quarterly Today


NATION - President Obama's budget blueprint released Thursday proposes additional $5 billion for high-speed rail grants beyond the $8 billion already appropriated in the massive economic stimulus package.

The Transportation Department's proposed $72.5 billion budget for fiscal 2010 represents a $2 billion increase from the estimated fiscal 2009 total. The department received about $48 billion in the stimulus package (PL 111-5).

Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said developing high-speed trains in America like ones already in use in Europe and Asia is a priority for Obama.

"It's something the president wants for his transportation legacy," LaHood said.

Several corridors linking metropolitan areas such as Washington and New York or Las Vegas and Los Angeles could compete for the rail grants. ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.masstransitmag.com/web/online/Top-Transit-News/Presidents-Transportation-Budget-Focuses-on-High-Speed-Rail/3$8061

[originalpckelly]

1. God that's such bullshit.

We're never going to get a high speed rail system with so little money, on the other hand, if you offer a starving man food, he'll take it.

I guess it's better than nothing, but they really aren't serious about this. We need a system like the highways, that level of investment/spending.

[MindPilot]

2. Hell, I'd be ecstatic if there was ANY rail service to Vegas!

[saltpoint]

3. Here's one enthusiastic vote in favor of state-of-the-art rail being part of

President Obama's legacy.

Yes, yes, yes.

[ThomWV]

4. Run it right down the I-95 right-of-way, in the median where possible, otherwise overhead

That should take care of problems with grade and make the permitting much easier plus serving a proven high traffic area.

[Kolesar]

5. The plans are to use freight company alignments, and adding parallel tracks

...if necessary. The trains would hit speeds of 85mph or more.

It would not be like the Shinkansen in Japan with a fenced alignment and catenary wires to feed electricity. Btw, a lot of the French rail system "borrows" freight alignments.

[annabanana]

6. A decent passenger rail system would get me off the highway

and out of the airport lickety split.