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High-speed rail said 'all the rage'
Topic Started: March 29 2009, 11:40 AM (70 Views)
Gandalf
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WASHINGTON - It's a happy time for train fans, according to the Lansing, Mich., State Journal.

Thrilled with the $8 billion that President Barack Obama and Congress have set aside this year for high-speed rail, advocates say the U.S. can finally begin catching up to Europe and Asia, where blasting-quick train travel has been a reality for decades.

"This is the first time that a president has gotten this involved in railroad expansion since Abraham Lincoln," said Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association. "This is a huge, huge step in the right direction."

Harnish's group has been pushing for years for fast, frequent and dependable train service connecting the Midwest.

The proposed Midwest Regional Rail Initiative designates Chicago as the hub with spokes radiating out through nine states that would reach or go through Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Port Huron and other Michigan cities.

But once the euphoria wears off, some key questions arise: What exactly is high-speed rail? Could U.S. passengers expect snub-nosed trains whizzing along at 200 mph in a few years? Or would they have to settle for marginal improvements to the current system and never truly catch up to the French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese?

In addition, while the $8 billion is an unexpected boost for high-speed rail, it's far short of what will be needed for the 11 routes nationwide - including the Chicago Hub Network - that the federal government has designated as high-speed rail corridors.

In June, the Obama administration will tell Amtrak, states and other entities how they can apply for the money, which will be distributed in the form of grants.

More money could become available if Congress goes along with Obama's request to spend an additional $5 billion over five years.

"Local people need to make it clear to the governors that this is one of the highest priorities for creating economic security in the region," Harnish said. "Every governor in the Midwest should have an aggressive proposal that they give to the Federal Railroad Administration."

The Obama administration wants Amtrak, the nation's taxpayer-subsidized passenger rail service, to help chart the course of high-speed rail along with state and local governments and private companies.

A 2008 federal law defines high-speed rail as 110 mph or more, but that's not etched in stone, said Mark Yachmetz, an associate administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Some spokes of the proposed Midwest Regional Rail Initiative would reach 110 mph; others would not top 79 mph, including part of the line that would go through Lansing to Port Huron.

Amtrak trains currently average about 79 mph nationwide.

Snub-nosed Acela trains - the fastest in the U.S. - never reach their top speed of 180 mph. They reach 150 mph in the Washington-to-Boston Northeast Corridor for a short distance, but average between 68 mph and 82 mph, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm.

In contrast, trains routinely travel at 150 or even 200 mph and run on publicly owned track in Europe and Asia.

Peter Gertler, a rail expert with HNTB Corp., a consulting firm, said a solid system of "incremental" high-speed rail - service of 110-125 mph - could flourish in the U.S. under the existing framework.

For a truly high-speed network in which trains go 150 mph or faster, the U.S. would have to follow the European and Asian models and buy or build track and make it off-limits to freight trains or slower-speed passenger service, Gertler said.
A state House task force plans hearings on a plan by private investors to build a first-of-its-kind rail line along state freeways between Detroit and Lansing.

The elevated rail line would use cars - built by Detroit Three automakers - that would use solar energy to power hydrogen batteries, said Justin Sutton of Whitmore Lake, founder of Worldwide Hydrogen Super Highways, which has designed the rail system.

Hearings will be held in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing and Grand Rapids. Dates have not been set.

(This item appeared March 26, 2009, in the Lansing State Journal.)
March 26, 2009
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