Fresh Greens

What Do You Think of Obama's Plans For High-Speed Railways?

By Maura Judkis

Posted: April 16, 2009

President Obama just unveiled his plan for high-speed railways in 10 corridors throughout the country, shown on the map below. Along with Vice President Biden, a frequent Amtrak rider, the president laid out a vision for a more connected country with less congestion and fewer emissions. Funding for the rail system will come from the $8 billion set aside for high-speed rail projects in the stimulus package for the first two years, with an additional $1 billion a year being over the following five years.

 (Whitehouse.gov)

What do you think of the planned high-speed rail - will you use it for travel?

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High Speed Rail

In case anyone hasn't noticed, highways don't pay for themselves, air travel does not pay for itself. All are subsidized and none would be able to survive without the heavy government subsidies they receive. There is not a single country in the world where passenger trains, highways, waterways, and air facilities are not heavily subsidized. The question then is, what mix of travel options is most cost effective and efficient? With the current congestion on our highways and in our airports and the relative inability to construct more of them at a reasonable cost, we definitely need to add high speed rail to the mix. Take a look at the trains of France and Japan. 160-170 mph service is what we need to get from city to city, not slogging it out on the highways at an average of 50 mph if you're lucky.

Frederick Leer of PA @ Jun 17, 2009 23:09:50 PM

railroad and waste

Listen folks. I know alot of you are jumping up and down that the great Obama has come up with another idea to save the world. yeah right. another junk of money going out the door that is own people in the budget department say he cannot, or I should say "we" cannot afford. The left went all balistic on Bush's debt but the Obama plan is going put this country on the verge of collapse. Do you honestly believe a nine trillion dollar debt is in the best interest of this country? If you do you really need to wake up! Where is the money going to come from? Oh in know he can just keep printing it up down in his basemant right? The idea for the rails is wonderful except for the fact we can't afford it. It is more convenient for some, if it heads in your direction! All of this talk of how it is going to help the handicap travel better is hunky dory if, again, it goes to where they live. I have flown, taken the train, and been on the bus, and survived somehow..(on the bus) and I feel for those who any travel of the sorts is a pain. But I will remind. What will they do if the train does not go where they live? Give me a great anwser and I just might listen. Something tells me though there isn't one.

Another blogger made the comment on how much is wasted on Amtrak. Amtrak cannot support itself. It just like this one will have to have help. If you think high speed train travel will work then start saving now so that by the time it is ready for you to ride you might be able to afford it.

Look Mr. Bush started to tick me off with stuff but the fact the Obama has given no change from one party to the next, as I count up all of the lies he told when running for office...no pork in bills, no lobbyist, no this no that..etc...and the fact that apparently he does not have one clue on how you actually have to have the money to spend on stuff really concerns me. Yes, I know I went off the subject a bit but this fantasy idea of building this rail service ties in with everything else that he plans on doing whether or not there is money for it, or he brings the country to its knees, and leaves nothing for the generations to come. Unless of course he plans on pawning the country to china like has already been done, but they are not in that great of shape either and don't trust that we can pay them back.

To sew this up. Nice idea if it was practical. By that I mean it needs more destinations to even have a chance to get enough riders to pay for it and that is unlikely, and as said before there is no money for it. If he spends on this then other things that are already here and need help on will go by the wayside.

Shawn E of ID @ May 11, 2009 00:51:19 AM

Rail Systems Are Accessible

I haven't seen anyone mention the fact that a properly built rail system allows a handicapped passenger to ride end to end without leaving their wheelchair. City busses are often accessible, but long distance busses cannot accomodate wheelchair users. Fllying is often a huge hassle for people with disabilities. In one airport the TSA made us wait while they took my son's lower leg braces somewhere to test the plastic for explosives residue! That's what they told us, anyway. As the population ages, we will have more and more people with limited mobility. Many of these same people are not able to make long car trips either. On a train you can change your position, use a restroom, get a drink, or sleep - all without slowing down the journey. I commute 5 days a week on Amtrak between central PA and Philadelphia. I get 2 hours a day of absolutely essential sleep on the train. If I drove I would average 4 hours of sleep a night. Having a dependable rail connection amkes it possible for me to live and work where I do. I support using my tax dollars to extend that option to other parts fo the country.

Susan Bianchi of PA @ Apr 24, 2009 12:41:10 PM

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Fresh Greens

Fresh Greens

Maura Judkis is a producer at U.S. News. She writes about the green movement and looks for ways to be an ecofriendly consumer without breaking the bank. Send her your green tips.

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