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I'm not an engineer. I am an ignorant consultant. However, one must have dreams to accomplish anything. Yes, tunnels will cost more than $20 million a mile. How much more, I haven't a clue. Twice as much, three times as much. For how long a distance, 1 mile, 5 miles? I will admit, I don't know. But I do know if we are to ever have a modern passsenger rail system the envy of the world, we must start as soon as possible. Keeping what we have now will be a toy in 30 years. Define the plan, engineer the plan, cross all of the t"s and dot all of the i"s, find a funding mechanism, and then do it! You are rightly worried about tax increases. I hate tax increases too. Yet, the federal government recently passed an $80 billion farm subsidy package, most of it going to large agri-businesses and not to the poor farmers. The feds spent $7 billion last year and will again this year funding city buses and light rail systems. Buses! The DOT budget this year is $ 60 billion, yet, Amtrak receives from it a subsidy of $600 million. Chump change. Highways got $33 billion, airports $11 billion. Can't we take a couple of billion from each, and fund Amtrak $4 billion a year? Are freeways and airports going to solve our transportation problems 20 years hence? Keep in mind the air space is full in a lot of major cities. Keep in mind California's legislation, soon to be copied by other liberal states, allowing us the use of a golf cart as an automobile in ten years time.... Yes, there is the proper density in the northeast corridor today to support high speed rail. Yet, there will be much more density along the east coast, all the way to Florida, in the midwest , and the eastern half of Texas. California is expected to grow too, where, I haven't a clue with its lack of water and electricity. I do know that Texas has increased its population from 12 million in 1970 to 20 million in 2000. Texas is expecting to grow another 10-15 million in the next 30 years. The Dallas metropolitan area and the Houston metropolitan area are expecting to grow at least a million each in the next census, from 5 million to 6 million. Probably both are looking at 8-9 million each in 30 years. The Bay Area metropolitan area today is 8 million. Now is the time to start planning. I might have a vision, but I will never say I have all of the answers to all of the details......But I will dare to ask this, why hasn't Amtrak put in a local between Dallas and Houston?
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