Poll: High-Speed Rail for $53b

[kyzr]

Obama proposed a new initiative to develop a new HSR system for $53b

Obama to call for $53B for high-speed rail - Yahoo! News

I personally believe that an HSR system is essential to the long-term health of the US economy. When the cost of gas exceeds $5/gallon and transportation costs become prohibitive, HSR will be the mode of choice.

I support the initiative, especially when China has a brand new 300 mph HSR system
China smashes high-speed rail record with 300MPH unmodified train run | Gadling.com

So lets vote. IMHO this is like the interstate expressway system only better. I'm hoping it gets some of those big rigs off the roads. We need to start planning transportation 20, 30, even 50 years out so we don't get caught in a bad depression in the coming years.

 

[WillowTree]

What does high speed rail run on?

 

[kyzr]

What does high speed rail run on?

Electricity

 

[Sallow]

Awesome. About time.

 

[boedicca]

What does high speed rail run on?

Electricity

The transmission lines can't handle it.

 

[Political Junky]

It's high time we began a long trudge to catch up with Europe, Japan and China.
It'll be years before we see high speed in operation. They've had it for years already.

 

[boedicca]

If we're going to emulate them, we should focus on nuclear power plants (in the private sector).

 

[KissMy]

What does high speed rail run on?

Coal, concrete, copper & steel. All are very energy intensive & not greenhouse friendly.

 

[kyzr]

What does high speed rail run on?

Electricity

The transmission lines can't handle it.

What transmission lines?? The ones from the new nuke plants?? After the DC whores moved 14,000 factories overseas, there is plenty of electric capacity for HSR trains.

 

[boedicca]

What nuke plants?

The U.S. is woefully underbuilt in that area.

 

[Political Junky]

If we're going to emulate them, we should focus on nuclear power plants (in the private sector).

I can recall when they sought to emulate us.


"The Liberal State is a mask behind which there is no face; it is a scaffolding behind which there is no building."
- Benito Mussolini

 

[Mr. Shaman]

What does high speed rail run on?

Electricity

The transmission lines can't handle it.

You got your EE, where????


​

 

[Intense]

Awesome. About time.

Jumping the gun a bit Sallow??? Great Idea, yet hardly new. Keeping it on Budget is a whole different matter too. It is nice to have hope.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Obama proposed a new initiative to develop a new HSR system for $53b

We need to show the REST-o'-the-World we haven't ALL turned-into "conservative"-geldings....and, go COAST-TO-COAST, again!!!!!

February 8, 2011

U.S. Unveils $53 Billion In High-Speed Rail Plan​

"The U.S. government will dedicate $53 billion over six years to build new high-speed rail networks and make existing ones faster, Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.

The initiative will allow the Department of Transportation to choose corridors for the new projects and increase U.S. use of the passenger rails, the White House said in a statement.

President Barack Obama's budget for fiscal year 2012, which is to be unveiled next week, includes $8 billion for the plan. The rest of the money will be allocated over the six-year time period.

Obama has said he wants to target investments in areas such as infrastructure while reducing spending to tackle the budget deficit.

"As President Obama said in his State of the Union, there are key places where we cannot afford to sacrifice as a nation -- one of which is infrastructure," Biden said in a statement.

The announcement follows Monday's news that Amtrak, the United States' largest passenger rail service, plans a $13.5 billion commuter rail project connecting New York City and New Jersey, reviving an idea rejected late last year by New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie, as too expensive.

Advocates say U.S. investment in high-speed rail lags many other countries and point to China, which plans to invest $451 billion to $602 billion in its high-speed rail network between 2011 and 2015, according to the China Securities Journal."

HERE​

SOMEBODY FOUND OUR

BALLS!!!

*




​

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Amtrak? The post office of the transportation business.

Watch, $53 billion will become $150 billion and Amtrak will be more broke than ever as some douche bag bureaucrats puts rail lines in from Ottumwa to El Paso to placate their constituents, then they realize nobody travels from Ottumwa to El Paso.

 

[westwall]

The problem that all advocates of high speed rail have is they are like the Germans invading Russia, they look at a map and have no clue just how far you are talking about. High speed rail is incredibly expensive, in all aspects. Land to build it on, the rails themselves, the trains and yes the electricity to run them. I see high speed rail linking key cities in the East some day and maybe Los Angeles and Seattle in the distant future. But coast to coast? Highly doubtful. I just see this as a nice opportunity to engage in some graft and corruption.

How much was the Big Dig supposed to cost? How much di it cost in the end?

That's the problem folks.

 

[WillowTree]

Amtrak? The post office of the transportation business.

Watch, $53 billion will become $150 billion and Amtrak will be more broke than ever as some douche bag bureaucrats puts rail lines in from Ottumwa to El Paso to placate their constituents, then they realize nobody travels from Ottumwa to El Paso.

best answer in the thread.

 

[Sallow]

Awesome. About time.

Jumping the gun a bit Sallow??? Great Idea, yet hardly new. Keeping it on Budget is a whole different matter too. It is nice to have hope.

Been on high speed rail around the world. If they can do it..we sure as heck can too!

 

[rightwinger]

The problem that all advocates of high speed rail have is they are like the Germans invading Russia, they look at a map and have no clue just how far you are talking about. High speed rail is incredibly expensive, in all aspects. Land to build it on, the rails themselves, the trains and yes the electricity to run them. I see high speed rail linking key cities in the East some day and maybe Los Angeles and Seattle in the distant future. But coast to coast? Highly doubtful. I just see this as a nice opportunity to engage in some graft and corruption.

How much was the Big Dig supposed to cost? How much di it cost in the end?

That's the problem folks.

I don't think it would get the ridership

I take the Acela between New York and Boston and New York and DC. Both routes see high ridership but are on the fringe of the tradeoff between time and conenience. If you have a choice between a flight to Chicago taking two hours and a high speed train taking six, you will take the plane

 

[Flopper]

The Interstate Highway system seemed like the way to go in 1950's. While we were building our highway system, Europe was extending their rail to cover just about every town and village on the continent.

Now we have a deteriorating highway system that's terribly inadequate and we can't afford to maintain it. In many of our major cities, traffic on Interstates creeps along at 30mph. The cost of getting to work is becoming a major financial problem. In Europe, rail is faster than ever. It's economical, comfortable, and almost pollution free. I was traveling through Europe a few years ago. Rail travel there is so much faster, nicer and cheaper than battling the freeways here. I will probably never see it, but I hope some day we might have such a system