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High-speed rail, red herring, and my lament
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[quote]QUOTE: <i>Originally posted by gabe</i> <br /><br /> <br /> <br />My point isn't that high-speed rail doesn't have advantages; my point is that it is a non-starter because no one is willing to pay for it and it detracts from projects than could be done. <br /> <br />Gabe <br />[/quote] <br /> <br />Well, I think your concern/observation is right on the money.. (pun intended) The concept of HSR has been run up the flag pole by a few different enterprising politicos at state and local levels here in northern Indiana, invariably with the lions share of the attention on the "shazaam" aspect of having fast train service , and paying considerably less attention to the HUGE pricetag necessary to make same a reality. <br /> <br />The reality being, the related cost would be a whopping cost to the taxpayer, that usually played down by mentioning it in some intentionally abstract phraseology such as "to be funded by private, federal, and local investment". <br /> <br />For anyone/everyone, the idea of "HSR serving my community" sounds like a great idea <br /> <br />It may sound so good, that a citizen (example) feels that a statewide increase in salestax is a worthwhile sacrifice, to help make it a reality. ("afterall, it's coming right through my town, so what a GREAT idea!" etc) <br /> <br />But, because of the high cost of entry, HSR by it's very nature cannot serve all communities. <br /> <br />It only seems worthwhile, so long as ~my~ community is trackside. What happens if it is determined in a feasibility study that the best path from NY to Chicago is instead a bee line across the top of Indiana, linking Toledo to Chicago? Is it still such a grand idea that my sales tax expenses go up to finance a mode of travel to which I have no immediate access? I think not. <br /> <br />Why pay more for everything I buy everyday of the year, simply for the privilige of having an hours drive to wait another half hour in a HSR terminal, to ride an hours long trainride to Chicago, when I can drive there myself in 3 hours, and save the expense of funding someone elses pipedream.? <br /> <br />HSR is one of those ideas that look great on paper, till you get to the balance sheet....
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