[PerfectlyPresentable]

Check out Petra Todovroich of the Regional Plan Association on the future of the rail system in America. :yes:

http://www.foxbusiness.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=4538843&referralPlaylistId=1292d14d0e3afdcf0b31500afefb92724c08f046

[Pizzuti]

Woah. I'm really surprised that Fox is behind this.

In Colorado, conservative or libertarian groups vehemently oppose public transportation systems and have fought intense public campaigns to derail our light rail system. The Independence Institute has actually published essays and pamphlets on how people like their cars and suburban-style, auto-oriented neighborhoods make for the best quality of life while transit undermines that. In Florida, libertarian groups succesfully launched a ballot initiative that cancelled a state plan to build high-speed rail.

I've seen rail as a Democrat vs. Republican issue, with Republicans staunchly opposed. But if the Conservative Fox New Channel (or Fox Business) is supporting high-speed rail, or even just allowing one of its anchors to support it, that means more people are on board than I thought.

So maybe this does answer the question, and rail is quite the more feasible than we thought.

[SnyderBock]

Here is the map I took and overlaid the Interior Mountain West segments they left out:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb84/SnyderBock/High_speed_rail_in_the_United_State.jpg

Here is the map I just captured off that FOX Business news video:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb84/SnyderBock/FoxHSRproposal2.jpg

[Pizzuti]

When this whole stimulus idea came out, I was expecting somewhere around a third to half of it would go to construction projects like rail.

Since that is now clearly not happening, do we need to write our senators and congressmen saying we want this high-speed rail funded? As explained in the video segment, 8B is like nothing.

[SnyderBock]

$8 billion was a stimulus boost. Later this year, the Transportation Bill should be passed which is being planned to double the amount of funding for HSR in the nation from $5 billion, up to $10 billion - to be allocated out over the next three years. So all total, that should be up around $18 billion spent on HSR alone over the next 3 years.

Over the previous three years, the US spent more money on HSR than ever before and it was only $5 billion over three years. So counting the $5 billion spent the last three years, with the ~$18 billion to be spent the next three years and the federal government is committing $21 billion to HSR in a 6-year period.

In other words, no it's not being built yet, but it's on the way. These things take 10 years of political debate and dead end studies, followed by another 5 years of more detailed studies, followed by another 5 years of getting it funded. Then another 5-10 years to design and build it. That all adds up to what? 20, 25, 30 years? Thankfully we are already about 15 years into the process. So I estimate we will start seeing HSR lines getting built sometime in the next 5 to 15 years.

[oliveurban]

Here is the map I just captured off that FOX Business news video:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb84/SnyderBock/FoxHSRproposal2.jpg

This map really intrigues me.

Does it represent an HSR system at it's entirety - an eventual buildout? Are any of those additional lines proposed HSR connections?

I know I personally really hope so, living in Phoenix - the most populated region not at least initially included in the proposed plans. Like Denver, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, some of the oversights in the original map presented by the White House are frankly annoying to me.

[The Dirt]

That's weird - Phenix is a spur, not a through station to Tucson.

[oliveurban]

^ Right. Another reason why that particular map baffles me.

There is an existing Union Pacific line that connects Phoenix and Yuma (which is what that shows), but it's not a spur, it also connects with Tucson. It's strange that the route shown in the map - if that even represents HSR - wouldn't just use the entire line, running up from Tucson to Phoenix, then over to Yuma ... instead of having Phoenix and Tucson connect to Yuma (and beyond to CA) separately.

Of course, something is better than nothing at all. Initially, at least.

[Gordo]

This map really intrigues me.

Does it represent an HSR system at it's entirety - an eventual buildout? Are any of those additional lines proposed HSR connections?

I know I personally really hope so, living in Phoenix - the most populated region not at least initially included in the proposed plans. Like Denver, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, some of the oversights in the original map presented by the White House are frankly annoying to me.

All of the lines on the "White House" map are just lines that at some point in time have had someone (from that region or state) submit a proposal for HSR in that corridor. The reason that one does not exist for Phoenix is because no one from your congresssional delegation has bothered with it.

[the urban politician]

This is now the 3rd thread here devoted to American HSR.

Can you guys kindly stop starting these?

[SnyderBock]

That's weird - Phenix is a spur, not a through station to Tucson.

The HSR lines are dark, the lighter ones are conventional service. The Phoenix spur appears to be a proposal for a HSR connection to California. The trough line through Tucson is not HSR.

[SnyderBock]

This is now the 3rd thread here devoted to American HSR.

Can you guys kindly stop starting these?

This is a separate discussion whether or not people think it is possible.

Urban Politician, You need 27 more posts to be at 5,280!!!

[bnk]

WTF?


MODs will you let a third HSR thread exist at the same time?:shrug:



See

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=165224&page=33