$8 Bil. of Stimulus to Go to Trains, but Not Bullet-Style

[thelakelander]

Reality sets in....

By MICHAEL COOPER
THE NEW YORK TIMES

It may be the longest train delay in history: More than 40 years after the first bullet trains zipped through Japan, the United States still lacks true high-speed rail. And despite the record $8 billion investment in high-speed rail added at the last minute to the new economic stimulus package, that may not change any time soon.

That money will not be enough to pay for a single bullet train, transportation experts say. And by the time the $8 billion gets divided among the 11 regions across the country that the government has designated as high-speed rail corridors, they say, it is unlikely to do much beyond paying for long-delayed improvements to passenger lines, and making a modest investment in California's plan for a true bullet train.

In the short term, the money - inserted at the 11th hour by the White House - could put people to work improving tracks, crossings and signal systems.

That could help more trains reach speeds of 90 to 110 miles per hour, which is much faster than they currently go. It is much slower, however, than high-speed trains elsewhere, like the 180 mph of the newest Japanese bullet train.

full article: http://www.theledger.com/article/20090228/NEWS/902280346/1410?Title=-8-Bil-of-Stimulus-to-Go-to-Trains-but-Not-Bullet-Style

[tufsu1]

this seems like a good thing....as many have advocated here in FL, we need to take an incremental approach....take baby steps before running

[JaxByDefault]

Jacksonville as a terminus makes little sense. We're not a destination; at this point,  we're lucky to be a gateway to elsewhere. JAX is a part of Florida. It seems foolish not to link Jacksonville with the "Florida" lines to the south. There's no where else on that map that such a short addtion would make so much of a impact in connectivity.

If it's going to be a future step, we need to make sure it's the next step.

[stjr]

Yes, the map makes it obvious.  The whole eastern seaboard is linked by high speed rail minus one short little link between Jax and Orlando/Miami/Tampa, only the most visited area in the U.S.!  Doesn't make any sense to cut it off from half the country over a lousy 150 mile connection?

Meanwhile, LA-San Francisco/Sacramento get DUAL connections and Atlanta is positioned as the center of the world with the best connectivity of all!  Atlanta already has great air and interstate access and it looks like they are determined to duplicate it in rail.  The president's hometown, Chicago, is sitting pretty, too.

How much is politics, and how much is viable need, in this map?

[thelakelander]

The lack of a Cleveland/Pittsburgh and Houston/San Antonio connections stand out as well. To be fair to the current administration, these designated corridors have been around for years.

[JaxByDefault]

You are correct about the other two missing links, Lakelander.
I'd say that failing to tie the Chicago hub to the Eastern seaboard is folly from the outset. Connecting Dallas to Houston (via San Antonio) and JAX to the rest of Florida are important, but could painfully wait until step two (so long as they were a priority for step two).

[JeffreyS]

Could an increase in Amtrak service cover the "missing links"?

[thelakelander]

Sure it could.  Considering the distance between many of these cities, it would probably be better.

[ProjectMaximus]

Thanks, Jeff. I've been saying the same thing and wondering what all the fuss was about over these missing links. Nobody is stranded as long as there is still regular train service between the same stations. Especially since Ock told me the same "high speed" trains could run on regular track...so you wouldn't even need to transfer necessarily.

My main concern would be whether this 8 billion dollars will have much of an impact at all. Perhaps it would be better to invest on one true bullet-train corridor...or call this what it is...improved train service?